Billiken Volleyball 2024 - The Beaty Era Begins

[Lord Elrond]

9 minutes ago, JMM28 said:

Yeah that is great and all but the vast majority of the country doesn't get Apple TV+. 

I don’t really think that Apple TV+ was a great idea for MLS to grow interest in the sport, I think it’s a terrible idea if that is what you want to do.  The problem MLS had was it was so much money being offered by Apple TV+, and no one else was offering anything much in comparison, MLS had no choice.  I think if MLS had some way to get the games for each teams market on local TV it would help grow the sport, but I don’t see any realistic way to make that happen as long as the Apple TV+ contract is in effect.

[billikenfan05]

51 minutes ago, almaman said:

if u r season ticket holder u get MLS 4 free. if not & u have Apple TV soccer package is 71$. bring a family of 4 any pro sport team event u'll drop that easy. If one could get all 5 major pro team leagues for 71x5=355 a year for all pro sports cable would fold quickly.

The most insane part is that MLS doesn't come with the basic Apple+ subscription. That's the biggest issue. If it just came with MLS included it would be a fine deal. Hell, if the deal remained as is next year and they allowed teams to broadcast their home games on cable, I would have absolutely no problem with it. 

[HoosierPal]

1 hour ago, Lord Elrond said:

I don’t really think that Apple TV+ was a great idea for MLS to grow interest in the sport, I think it’s a terrible idea if that is what you want to do.  The problem MLS had was it was so much money being offered by Apple TV+, and no one else was offering anything much in comparison, MLS had no choice.  I think if MLS had some way to get the games for each teams market on local TV it would help grow the sport, but I don’t see any realistic way to make that happen as long as the Apple TV+ contract is in effect.

The Messi Effect is real! Subscribers to #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV have more than doubled since Messi joined @InterMiamiCF. Also, Spanish language viewership on #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV has surpassed over 50% for Messi matches and continues to rise. How exciting for a truly…

— Jorge Mas (@Jorge__Mas) August 10, 2023

I have the MLS package, and have enjoyed every minute of it.  With the Cardinals in the tank, it's the sports channel of choice for me.  I've watched each of Messi's matches and am amazed at what he is doing.  

If you drink one less beer a night, you can likely pay for the package.

[almaman]

3 hours ago, HoosierPal said:

The Messi Effect is real! Subscribers to #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV have more than doubled since Messi joined @InterMiamiCF. Also, Spanish language viewership on #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV has surpassed over 50% for Messi matches and continues to rise. How exciting for a truly…

— Jorge Mas (@Jorge__Mas) August 10, 2023

I have the MLS package, and have enjoyed every minute of it.  With the Cardinals in the tank, it's the sports channel of choice for me.  I've watched each of Messi's matches and am amazed at what he is doing.  

If you drink one less beer a night, you can likely pay for the package.

me2. red herring w the most don't have Apple TV just another 20$. so 99 gets u every game every week, season runs longer than any pro league, plus had that whole tournament. also u can watch 6 games @ same time.

[Lord Elrond]

1 hour ago, almaman said:

me2. red herring w the most don't have Apple TV just another 20$. so 99 gets u every game every week, season runs longer than any pro league, plus had that whole tournament. also u can watch 6 games @ same time.

I have it too, and like it. I don’t think it’s the greatest way for a new team to grow fans, getting games on cable or free tv, even if it’s the Apple TV feed of the game, would really help grow the fan base, but I don’t see how that’s possible, especially with Messi now in the mix. 

[billikenfan05]

14 hours ago, HoosierPal said:

The Messi Effect is real! Subscribers to #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV have more than doubled since Messi joined @InterMiamiCF. Also, Spanish language viewership on #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV has surpassed over 50% for Messi matches and continues to rise. How exciting for a truly…

— Jorge Mas (@Jorge__Mas) August 10, 2023

I have the MLS package, and have enjoyed every minute of it.  With the Cardinals in the tank, it's the sports channel of choice for me.  I've watched each of Messi's matches and am amazed at what he is doing.  

If you drink one less beer a night, you can likely pay for the package.

Nothing better than telling someone what to do with their money. How about you drink one less beer a night and you might actually be having the same conversation.

As per usual you are convinced this site is your personal blog, and all that matters is what you do and what you think is worth it. Nobody cares that you or I, soccer fans, pay for the MLS package. Sh!t we’re not even talking about the die hard at St Louis sports fans as you find here on the message board. We’re all going to subscribe if we want to regardless. We’re talking about the casual St Louis sports fan. Are you trying to grow the 4 most popular league in the United States among the local fan bases or are we just trying to get people to subscribe to Apple+ so they can watch Messi? 
 

At the end of the day, the MLS is talking out of both sides of its mouth. CITY is building mini pitches in underserved communities meanwhile the MLS is guaranteeing that most of these kids can’t watch their local teams on tv weekly. 

[JMM28]

1 hour ago, billikenfan05 said:

Nothing better than telling someone what to do with their money. How about you drink one less beer a night and you might actually be having the same conversation.

As per usual you are convinced this site is your personal blog, and all that matters is what you do and what you think is worth it. Nobody cares that you or I, soccer fans, pay for the MLS package. Sh!t we’re not even talking about the die hard at St Louis sports fans as you find here on the message board. We’re all going to subscribe if we want to regardless. We’re talking about the casual St Louis sports fan. Are you trying to grow the 4 most popular league in the United States among the local fan bases or are we just trying to get people to subscribe to Apple+ so they can watch Messi? 
 

At the end of the day, the MLS is talking out of both sides of its mouth. CITY is building mini pitches in underserved communities meanwhile the MLS is guaranteeing that most of these kids can’t watch their local teams on tv weekly. 

The reality of the situation is that Apple TV+ isn't nearly as ubiquitous as even ESPNU. There is a new tech barrier to entry on it. Having a primary "TV" package on Apple isn't a great move for a league that only has the current fans seeking it out. If the NFL moved Sunday ticket or similar to exclusively AppleTV+, you'd have people seeking out AppleTV+ at a greater rate. MLS doesn't even come close to having that juice. 

[Lord Elrond]

44 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:
 

At the end of the day, the MLS is talking out of both sides of its mouth. CITY is building mini pitches in underserved communities meanwhile the MLS is guaranteeing that most of these kids can’t watch their local teams on tv weekly. 

I think what’s actually going on is the different groups in MLS, and Apple TV having different views and objectives on the sport.

St Louis City is probably looking at just how much money they had to put up to be where they are at right now.   Between the MLS franchise fee ($100 mil), the stadium and training area ($458 mil is what they’ve put out publicly), and other start up costs ($unknown, but they exist) the City ownership group is at least $600 mil into this. They are looking to keep the stadium full and interest in the sport high for years to pay this off, so local community involvement makes sense. I’m sure they would like to get their games on local basic cable or over the air TV if they could, because nothing would grow interest faster, but they can’t.

The MLS has a problem, they have been getting money from expansion fees for the past 15 years to get them where they are today, but they are running out of places to expand and with San Diego coming on, the league is now 30 teams, I’m not sure it could get much bigger. They need money from TV, and Apple TV made an offer that no one else came close to matching, so not taking it was probably unthinkable from the leagues point of view as a whole.

Apple TV doesn’t have to report how well it’s doing on the deal to anyone, but frankly my impression was pre-Messi, it wasn’t going well, and I’m not sure how many years they keep this going. Post-Messi arrival sure seems like a different reality, but again just an observation based on what we are seeing, not subscriber data. Apple TV needed Messi badly, and found a way to make it happen.
 

So here we are in MLS. Messi is 35 years old, probably has only a few more years at best assuming no major injury. What happens then to everyone I don’t know, but MLS needs to grow interest in the sport and being stuck behind a paywall doesn’t seem to be where they need to be. Someone needs to get creative and come up with a Messi retirement plan for the league.

This really drifted off the topic of SLU women’s volleyball didn’t it?

[billikenfan05]

10 minutes ago, JMM28 said:

The reality of the situation is that Apple TV+ isn't nearly as ubiquitous as even ESPNU. There is a new tech barrier to entry on it. Having a primary "TV" package on Apple isn't a great move for a league that only has the current fans seeking it out. If the NFL moved Sunday ticket or similar to exclusively AppleTV+, you'd have people seeking out AppleTV+ at a greater rate. MLS doesn't even come close to having that juice. 

Thank you for eloquently expanding on my point. I’m a talker, not a writer. MLS can celebrate signing Messi and the uptick in MLS Subs. But that’s not an indication of the leagues growth where it matters. Sure you’re getting people who love Messi subscribing, but a lot of those people will leave in 5 years when Messi hangs them up. 

[billikenfan05]

10 minutes ago, Lord Elrond said:

I think what’s actually going on is the different groups in MLS, and Apple TV having different views and objectives on the sport.

St Louis City is probably looking at just how much money they had to put up to be where they are at right now.   Between the MLS franchise fee ($100 mil), the stadium and training area ($458 mil is what they’ve put out publicly), and other start up costs ($unknown, but they exist) the City ownership group is at least $600 mil into this. They are looking to keep the stadium full and interest in the sport high for years to pay this off, so local community involvement makes sense. I’m sure they would like to get their games on local basic cable or over the air TV if they could, because nothing would grow interest faster, but they can’t.

The MLS has a problem, they have been getting money from expansion fees for the past 15 years to get them where they are today, but they are running out of places to expand and with San Diego coming on, the league is now 30 teams, I’m not sure it could get much bigger. They need money from TV, and Apple TV made an offer that no one else came close to matching, so not taking it was probably unthinkable from the leagues point of view as a whole.

Apple TV doesn’t have to report how well it’s doing on the deal to anyone, but frankly my impression was pre-Messi, it wasn’t going well, and I’m not sure how many years they keep this going. Post-Messi arrival sure seems like a different reality, but again just an observation based on what we are seeing, not subscriber data. Apple TV needed Messi badly, and found a way to make it happen.
 

So here we are in MLS. Messi is 35 years old, probably has only a few more years at best assuming no major injury. What happens then to everyone I don’t know, but MLS needs to grow interest in the sport and being stuck behind a paywall doesn’t seem to be where they need to be. Someone needs to get creative and come up with a Messi retirement plan for the league.

This really drifted off the topic of SLU women’s volleyball didn’t it?

100% spot on. At the end of the day MLS could remedy all of my disdain for the deal by approaching Apple and adjusting the contract to allow teams to offer games on regional networks to their fans. Just take the Apple broadcast and license it to a regional network for each team playing. 

[Cowboy II]

-the volleyballers will be home to VCU on Sep 22 to open A10 play, the non-con schedule is all away from home

[billikenfan05]

https://x.com/midtownmadpod/status/1696892455486939454?s=46&t=rfydgWHItEZ_TMW3rCYSyQ

all games this weekend will be streamed. Thanks to Colin Suhre for confirming this. I know @Lord Elrondhad done some digging and we thought they might be behind a different paywall. 
 

 

[Billiken Rich]

2 hours ago, billikenfan05 said:

Nothing better than telling someone what to do with their money. How about you drink one less beer a night and you might actually be having the same conversation.

As per usual you are convinced this site is your personal blog, and all that matters is what you do and what you think is worth it. Nobody cares that you or I, soccer fans, pay for the MLS package. Sh!t we’re not even talking about the die hard at St Louis sports fans as you find here on the message board. We’re all going to subscribe if we want to regardless. We’re talking about the casual St Louis sports fan. Are you trying to grow the 4 most popular league in the United States among the local fan bases or are we just trying to get people to subscribe to Apple+ so they can watch Messi? 
 

At the end of the day, the MLS is talking out of both sides of its mouth. CITY is building mini pitches in underserved communities meanwhile the MLS is guaranteeing that most of these kids can’t watch their local teams on tv weekly. 

I had Apple TV until I ran out of Ted Lasso.  Not going to pay more for soccer.  I would probably check it out on broadcast or ESPN+........so there........

 

[Lord Elrond]

52 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:

https://x.com/midtownmadpod/status/1696892455486939454?s=46&t=rfydgWHItEZ_TMW3rCYSyQ

all games this weekend will be streamed. Thanks to Colin Suhre for confirming this. I know @Lord Elrondhad done some digging and we thought they might be behind a different paywall. 
 

 

A definite change from what was posted on the host school’s website earlier in the week, good to see. Also, there is a nice article on Coach Beaty and the volleyball program in todays Post-Dispatch

[billikenfan05]

1 hour ago, Lord Elrond said:

A definite change from what was posted on the host school’s website earlier in the week, good to see. Also, there is a nice article on Coach Beaty and the volleyball program in todays Post-Dispatch

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/slu/andrea-beaty-slu-billikens-volleyball-coach/article_8363cce6-4693-11ee-8408-93d58c908686.html For those that skip the front page. 

[almaman]

https://us.cnn.com/2023/08/30/sport/nebraska-volleyball-world-record-womens-attendance-spt/index.html

 

damn!

[cgeldmacher]

1 hour ago, almaman said:

https://us.cnn.com/2023/08/30/sport/nebraska-volleyball-world-record-womens-attendance-spt/index.html

 

damn!

Very impressive.  That picture will be shown by their coach to every recruit he or she wants.

[billikenfan05]

5 minutes ago, cgeldmacher said:

Very impressive.  That picture will be shown by their coach to every recruit he or she wants.

They don't necessarily need the help, but it will certainly do so. They are a true volleyball blue blood. My customer is based in Lincoln, and the representative I work with is a huge husker fan. This game was one of the few times average Nebraska fans get to see the volleyball team in person at home.

[cgeldmacher]

1 minute ago, billikenfan05 said:

They don't necessarily need the help, but it will certainly do so. They are a true volleyball blue blood. My customer is based in Lincoln, and the representative I work with is a huge husker fan. This game was one of the few times average Nebraska fans get to see the volleyball team in person at home.

I love when a community develops an affinity to a women's sport that doesn't exist in most other places.  Tennessee was like this back in the Pat Summitt days.  Following women's college basketball is much more popular now, but it wasn't nearly that way back when Tennessee fans were supporting Summitt's teams.

[Taj79]

This has got gimmick written all over.  "Come out and help set a Guiness World Record."  I understand women's volleyball is B-I-G in Nebraska and Nebraska has a top five team but the old record for attendance was like 18k to 19k.  Still .... it's a record.

[willie]

23 minutes ago, Taj79 said:

This has got gimmick written all over.  "Come out and help set a Guiness World Record."  I understand women's volleyball is B-I-G in Nebraska and Nebraska has a top five team but the old record for attendance was like 18k to 19k.  Still .... it's a record.

So whats wrong with this? I think it's cool. We should do something like that with soccer or a baseball game or something at the Dome.  

[HoosierPal]

4 minutes ago, willie said:

So whats wrong with this? I think it's cool. We should do something like that with soccer or a baseball game or something at the Dome.  

This was paid attendance too. Tickets for the doubleheader -- Wayne State beat Nebraska-Kearney in a Division II exhibition before the Huskers and Mavericks played -- were originally priced at $25 for adults and $5 for high school students and younger. But ticket prices reached as much as $400 on the secondary market.

[brianstl]

6 minutes ago, willie said:

So whats wrong with this? I think it's cool. We should do something like that with soccer or a baseball game or something at the Dome.  

We already share the NCAA attendance record for any college soccer game with SIUE. 

[willie]

14 minutes ago, brianstl said:

We already share the NCAA attendance record for any college soccer game with SIUE. 

I was there. Miserably cold.

[brianstl]

1 minute ago, willie said:

I was there. Miserably cold.

Speaking of cold, I wonder if the ice storm we had in 2006 that screwed up the College Cup is far enough in the review mirror for St. Louis to get in on the next round of College Cup locations?