Major League Soccer Uses AI to Write Match Recaps
Image courtesy of Sports Business Journal.
By Griffin Cappiello
On October 11, Major League Soccer (MLS) posted recaps of matches played that evening on its website. This was not out of the ordinary; MLS typically provides recaps for fans who were unable to watch the matches. However, fans noticed a new writer listed on the byline: MLS Generative AI.
The recaps, which are typically written by MLS staff writers, highlighted a 1-2 match between Orlando City SC and the Vancouver Whitecaps and a 4-0 match between Inter Miami and Atlanta United, each featuring the following disclaimer: “This story was automatically generated based on match data. Content has not been reviewed by editorial staff.”
An MLS spokesperson told Tom Bogert, an MLS and U.S. Men’s National Team insider for The Athletic and the CBS Golazo Network, that “MLS tested [the] use of AI recaps last week [and] felt it was important to be transparent in denoting it was AI,” and that “AI recaps are being evaluated for the future.”
Bogert also said that other sports media outlets have used AI recaps and other AI-generated content, clarifying that while he personally does not agree with its usage in sports coverage, it should be noted that this is not an MLS-specific issue.
Though it may be more cost-effective for MLS to rely on AI, if the quality of an AI-generated article is not superior to that of a human writer, then there is no reason to promote the usage of an inferior product. If an AI-generated recap is as good as what humans can produce, then by all means, cut costs and save the money. However, the not-quite-good-enough feel often associated with AI-generated content was very much present in the articles.
While the information provided by AI in the match recaps is accurate, the language used feels unnatural. The AI attempts to mimic human references, but lines such as “sealed the victory” feel stiff and out of place.
MLS’s decision to post AI-generated content to its website immediately received backlash from fans and journalists alike.
“This sucks. A lot,” Bogert posted on X.
“When I say MLS feels soulless, it’s stuff like this,” said user @KnowerOfBans in a post on X.
Seb Staffod-Bloor, a correspondent covering German soccer for The Athletic, shared similar thoughts: It is “a real shame, because this could be valuable, first-rung experience for someone.”
As a fan of MLS who is considering a future career in sports media, it is incredibly disheartening to see that a league for which I have so much respect is resorting to using AI-generated content.
Other young journalists were also disappointed by MLS’s decision.
“This is honestly very upsetting to see,” Caleb Pongratz, an up-and-coming sportswriter covering MLS for Spotrac, said in a post on X. “My dream has been to cover professional soccer at the highest stage possible [and] to see that the league website is using “Generative AI” instead of paying real people to write articles is so saddening.”
At the end of each match recap, MLS included a link for fans to share feedback on the articles in order to improve future content.
If MLS, and the sports industry as a whole, continue to move in the direction of using AI to generate content, it would prove detrimental to the job security of journalists and sportswriters. AI-generated content is simply not up to the same standard as human writing; to promote its usage is unwise and threatens the health of the entire sports media industry.
