Major League Blackout: How MLS Has Shut Out Local Reporters From Covering Teams | OneFootball

FC Cincinnati beat reporter Laurel Pfahler called out MLS regarding the league’s non-existent practices when it comes to giving journalists locker room access and player interviews — a strange stance for a league where visibility and notoriety remain ongoing challenges.

In an open letter to Major League Soccer, journalist Laurel Pfahler addressed the elephant in the room: the league’s treatment of independent field reporters covering most of its clubs. Pfahler explained how MLS is restricting media access, saying it hurts fan engagement and prevents reporters from telling real stories.

Unlike other U.S. leagues with open locker rooms and regular interviews, MLS teams often block or limit access, making coverage difficult and unattractive to media outlets. Pfahler’s letter mentions that these blockages go against the league’s CBA, which calls for an open locker room period for 15 minutes after each match.

Pfahler urged the league to enforce its media policy and restore open locker rooms and improve transparency, arguing that better access would benefit not just players, reporters, and fans, but also the league as a whole.

After the letter’s publishing, fellow journalists including Will Parchman, Brendan Ploen, Matt Pollard, Herculez Gomez, and Pablo Maurer shared Pfahler’s sentiments about how MLS is locking out reporters — and in doing so, hurting itself when it comes to exposure and coverage. Many pointed out that the league is already struggling for visibility, especially with an Apple TV deal that put a paywall around most of the league’s matches.

Or, as Pfahler states in the letter:

“A league that utilizes a paywalled streaming service to broadcast its games needs more media, not less, and right now, for most major outlets, there isn’t good enough access to make it a worthwhile investment of time and resources to cover the local teams.”

Pfahler attributes this status quo to “doing things the soccer way,” where most clubs around the world do not provide the kind of access reporters receive in top American sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL.

“I was motivated by my personal experience covering FC Cincinnati, where media access gradually became restricted, especially after COVID protocols ended,” Pfahler said. “The club closed locker rooms and limited interviews, which felt like obstacles being put in place. I also recognized it was a league-wide problem, not just FC Cincinnati, as the league wasn’t enforcing its own policies on media access.”

Why Is MLS Closing Out the Media?

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The simple answer, as Pfahler put it, is control.

“Clubs want to control the narrative and prefer to push their own content rather than working with independent media,” she said. “They are hesitant to allow open locker rooms because they want to manage what is said and avoid spontaneous or uncontrolled media interactions.”

In an era where sports figures, teams, and agents are all focused on promoting a “brand,” media interviews have essentially turned into 30-minute commercials rather than engaging discussions. Look closely enough, and you’ll find that some sports stars have been giving the same interview their entire careers — offering little substance beyond pushing their message.

By limiting independent reporting, leagues and teams can shape how players, decisions, and controversies are portrayed — protecting their image and sponsors. With social media and in-house content teams, clubs no longer rely on traditional journalists to reach fans. But this shift reduces transparency and weakens accountability, leaving audiences with a polished version of reality instead of real storytelling.

For Pfahler, MLS is making a big mistake by shutting out independent journalists who could help spread its message beyond its own bubble — especially considering that most MLS teams are the fourth- or even fifth- most important sports franchises in their local markets, or too niche to gain consistent national attention.

“MLS is competing with major leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB for fans and media attention, but it sometimes acts like a mega league without the same level of exposure or media infrastructure,” Pfahler said. “This disconnect affects how they handle media relations and fan engagement.

“Star players like Lionel Messi often avoid media interactions, which sets a tone for others. MLS caters to these stars to keep them happy, sometimes at the expense of media access. This creates a trickle-down effect where other players and clubs also limit media engagement.”

How Does the Current Media Landscape Affect MLS Coverage?

By closing the door on the media, MLS is not doing itself any favors. Many traditional and even click-driven outlets are now limiting their sports coverage to select teams, key players, or major events. It’s a slippery slope for MLS, which could soon find itself without dedicated beat writers covering its teams in major publications or zero coverage on click bait sports sites at all.

The sports media industry is going through a major overhaul. “Sports” properties like the WWE are now getting assigned beat writers, while soccer reporters are being reassigned or, worse, made redundant.

Many outlets that still cover soccer are now paying writers based on the clicks an article generates rather than a fixed salary. That model forces journalists to focus on high-traffic sports and leagues — and to move away from MLS and even soccer altogether.

With traditional media outlets shrinking and consumption habits changing, MLS’s approach has remained outdated. The league has historically served as its own content hub, but in today’s environment, original storytelling through independent media is key.

MLS has not fully adapted to this shift or embraced independent journalists as partners, leaving the league even more isolated and irrelevant at a time when it has expanded to 30 teams.

Worse yet, while many players may not mind limited media exposure, they are losing valuable ground in terms of personal branding and endorsements simply by staying out of the public eye.

“Players miss out on endorsement opportunities and broader recognition, while fans remain disconnected from the players and their stories,” Pfahler said. “This limits fan engagement and the league’s growth potential.”

How Can MLS Turn the Tide and Feed Its Own Ecosystem?

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If MLS truly wants to grow — not just in numbers, but in cultural relevance — it needs to rethink how it treats the media ecosystem around it. Restricting access may give clubs short-term control over the narrative, but in the long run, it suffocates the league’s visibility, credibility, and connection with its fan base. The sport’s growth in North America depends as much on storytelling as it does on talent or investment.

Reopening locker rooms and fostering genuine relationships with independent journalists would be a meaningful first step. Reporters are not the enemy — they’re partners in telling the stories that make a league come alive. By empowering beat writers and local outlets, MLS could amplify its reach far beyond the confines of its own platforms, creating organic buzz and rebuilding trust with fans who crave authenticity.

The league also needs to accept that transparency drives engagement. Allowing journalists to ask tough questions and share unfiltered perspectives adds depth and legitimacy — the same ingredients that make the NFL, NBA, and MLB part of the national conversation year-round.

As Pfahler and others have pointed out, the solution isn’t complicated: open up, be consistent, and let people see the human side of the game. A thriving, open media ecosystem not only helps players become stars and clubs build identity — it turns MLS from a closed circuit into a living, breathing part of North American sports culture.

In the end, storytelling is soccer’s greatest ally. MLS just has to let the storytellers back in.