When it comes to keeping up to date with the latest soccer news, we all have our favorite apps and websites. At SKH, our writers love The Athletic, a paid subscription that brings you the latest news from your favorite sports teams.
In this The Athletic subscription review, we explain all you need to know about the app to help you decide if it’s right for you.
So, is a subscription to The Athletic worth it?
A subscription to The Athletic is undoubtedly worth it for sports fans. Covering sports, including soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and a whole host of others, you can easily keep up to date with the latest news about your team and access high-quality journalism.
Although the price of The Athletic subscription seems to increase each year, we still think it’s an excellent choice for sports fans. In this Athletic subscription review, we explain why we think it’s a great app for soccer fans to consider.
We run through some pros and cons of the app and answer some frequently asked questions that will help you decide if a subscription to The Athletic is a smart move for you.
What is The Athletic?
The Athletic is a leading sports subscription app that you can download on iOS and Android. For a monthly or annual fee, you receive high-quality articles relating to a huge selection of sports – soccer included.
Journalists who work for The Athletic typically cover a specific team, league, or sport, offering insider information and a high level of expertise in their articles. It’s a truly unique insight into your favorite sports teams.
In this Athletic subscription review, we take a closer look at the pros and cons of the app, what makes it unique, and whether or not a subscription is worth the investment. All SKH writers are Athletic subscribers, so we’re writing from experience to provide you with an unbiased and helpful review of this leading soccer app.
We will be reviewing the app based on its soccer content, but you can also access the latest news and insights into a range of other sports, from golf to American football.
The Athletic Pros & Cons
Pros
- Excellent articles that are written by informed journalists with insider information about your favorite soccer clubs.
- The app is 100% ad-free, improving the user experience.
- Many clubs and leagues have podcasts, providing you with more opportunities to stay connected to your favorite teams.
- Articles are nuanced and balanced – there’s no click-bait journalism here.
- You can personalize your home screen to receive the latest news from your favorite leagues, teams, and competitions.
- You can comment on most articles and interact with the writers, who are happy to extend the conversation beyond the article itself.
Cons
- There is no free option available – you need to subscribe to access the app.
- The cost of the subscription is creeping up year on year.
- The desktop version of The Athletic is not as user-friendly as the app. As such, it’s best to use the app on mobile for the best experience.
How much is The Athletic subscription?
Presently, The Athletic subscription costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. Not so long ago, the subscription was available for $59.99 annually, highlighting the fact that the cost has recently been increased by $20 per year.
Is the increase worth it? We would say that, yes, the $79.99 annual subscription is more than worth it. The standard of writing and inside information provided in the articles provides you with unique insights into soccer, justifying the price tag.
What’s more, The Athletic is ad-free, and there are so many podcasts for you to choose from, so it’s much more than merely a paid sports news app. So, although The Athletic subscription has increased in price recently, we still think it’s good value for money.
Another thing to be mindful of is that The Athletic regularly offers excellent value introductory periods for new subscribers. For instance, I signed up for the app when it cost $0.99 for the first three months, which was a great deal that allowed me to get used to the app.
How does the subscription work?
You can sign up for The Athletic by paying monthly or annually. When you pay annually, you receive a discount. For instance, the $79.99 annual payment works out at $6.67 per month, as opposed to the pay-monthly option that is currently $7.99.
It’s up to you how you finance the subscription, and either way works just fine. Of course, when you pay monthly, you can cancel your subscription at any time. So, if you no longer get value from The Athletic subscription, you can simply cancel it and look elsewhere for your soccer news.
Practically, the app is really easy to download and sign up for. You can download the app for Android or iOS. Then, you will be tasked with creating an account and setting up your billing information.
Thereafter, you can enjoy up-to-date, personalized soccer news from your favorite teams directly to your phone throughout the soccer season.
What type of articles can I find on The Athletic?
The Athletic is the ideal place to go to find the latest breaking news relating to soccer. The writers provide real-time updates from teams around the world, giving you the latest information regarding transfers, results, injuries, and so much more.
You can tailor your news feed so that it shows you the latest information regarding your chosen club, league, or competition. This way, you won’t miss a beat when it comes to the latest occurrences. For instance, I follow feeds relating to the EPL, Newcastle United, and Glasgow Rangers.
Justin, another SKH writer, follows MLS and Orlando City, specifically. The beauty is that you can personalize your feed to reflect your interests in the game, ensuring the articles that you see are of interest to you.
Another impressive feature of The Athletic is that they run lots of special articles on topics like Fantasy Soccer, the history of certain competitions, and interesting tales of some of the fascinating characters in the game.
So, if you’re looking for high-quality journalism that helps you learn as much as possible about your favorite players, leagues, and teams, an Athletic subscription is a good option for you.
Are there any alternatives to The Athletic?
Of course, you certainly don’t have to pay for a subscription to The Athletic to enjoy real-time information about your club. You can follow your team on Twitter and sign up for blogs written by fans of your club.
There are also myriad other soccer team news subscription services that feature online, providing you with a great deal of choice. There’s also the mainstream media, from ESPN to BBC Sport, for instance. You’re certainly not spoiled for choice.
Where we think The Athletic has the advantage is that the articles are nuanced, balanced, and provide fans with a unique insight into their teams. This is not always the case with mainstream media sources.
Ultimately, you can choose to receive the latest soccer news from a huge range of sources, but we think that The Athletic is a great option, which is why all SKH writers are subscribers.
How do I sign up for an Athletic subscription?
As mentioned, signing up for The Athletic couldn’t be easier. You can download the app from the iTunes Store or Google Play and create an account. You then submit your billing information, and you’re a subscriber.
For more information about The Athletic and to read the terms and conditions associated with a subscription, be sure to visit their website.
Doing so also provides you with an insight into the broad spectrum of other sports and teams that you can follow on the app. After all, an Athletic subscription is not just good for soccer!
Anything else I need to know about The Athletic?
The Athletic was launched in 2017 and has gone from strength to strength in recent years. In many respects, it has revolutionized sports journalism at a time when print media has drastically declined.
At the start of 2022, The Wall Street Journal announced that The New York Times had agreed to a deal to buy The Athletic, worth a reported $550 million. Their motivation for doing so was to gain more subscribers, which is something that The Athletic has excelled at since establishing its subscription model.
While the acquisition is still fresh in the memory, it remains to be seen what The New York Times has in store for subscribers of The Athletic, other than price increases! But given that The Athletic was losing money before the deal, it’s a reasonable adjustment for The Times to have made.
The bottom line with The Athletic subscription is this – if you’re looking for high-quality sports journalism that you can tailor to your favorite team and sport, you’re going to love The Athletic.
Recap: Is The Athletic subscription worth it?
If you’re looking for a reliable sports app that provides high-quality articles regarding your favorite sports team, The Athletic is for you.
As we’ve explored throughout our The Athletic subscription review, a subscription will keep you up to date with your favorite teams and players and help you learn more about the beautiful game of soccer.
What’s not to love about that?