Not long ago, watching sports only required a TV and a cable subscription. You turned on the TV, found the right channel and that was the end of it. Although the process was nothing glamorous, it worked, and its simplicity helped foster generations of fans.
Now, streaming services have disrupted the relationship between fans and their teams. As they aim to modernize sports, streaming services make it a chore for fans to follow and support their favorite teams.
The argument in favor of streaming services is simple. More platforms means more viewers and more revenue for leagues. In theory, it would provide fans all over the world with access to sports coverage. However, the promise of accessibility has developed into something significantly more frustrating. It is a disjointed, expensive and confusing mess that gradually worsens as more blockbuster deals are made.
According to Ampere Analysis, streaming services spent $12.5 billion on sports rights in 2025. Leagues celebrate these enormous deals, but they disregard frustrated fans. Columbus Crew games are available exclusively on Apple TV, a yearly subscription that costs roughly $100. Studies from Hub Research indicate the average person pays $83 a month for TV subscriptions. Clearly there is a disparity between the priorities of consumers and corporations in spearheading changes to how athletic games are streamed.
Being able to easily access games and watch the greatest athletes in the world has inspired countless people to pursue sports and join teams of their own. Many professional athletes have spoken highly of their predecessors and those who inspired them to pursue a career in athletics, and they were likely introduced to them through television.
Certain life skills are also developed through watching games and playing sports, especially collaboration and perseverance, and without the ability to view sporting events online, some might lose interest. As streaming services limit opportunities to see role models in professional athletics, kids will be less likely to be inspired to play sports and be active.
When fans are asked to pay for several streaming services to follow their favorite teams, many figure paying just isn’t worthwhile when they could pirate games instead. Illegal streaming sites have surged in popularity, offering every game for several sports in one convenient place for free. Streaming services created this problem by making legal viewing so fragmented and expensive that breaking the law started to feel reasonable. The leagues and platforms collect billions in rights deals but ignore the dissatisfaction of fans. In part, they are fueling the very piracy they oppose.
Leagues are celebrating record revenue. Unfortunately for them, the revenue is not the fanbase, and the fanbase is not necessarily assured. An extremely lucrative deal does not put a fan in the seats, nor does it guarantee continued loyalty.
Sports leagues built their power on being a consistent shared culture that unites cities and generations. Streaming services are making viewing more and more inaccessible. When corporations prioritize profits over their audience, they fracture the bond between fans and their favorite teams.
Published and digitized April 2026.
