T-Minus 1 Month Until MLS Starts

I saw him in Columbus. Also a sellout. It was awesome because there were a few thousand People magazine fans who were just scandalized when the home crowd booed his every touch. That was priceless.
 
LawVHawk said:
Soccer continues to be the world's most popular amateur sport by participation. More US children participate in the various levels of soccer than in any other sport, including baseball, football and basketball. Lacrosse is rapidly growing in numbers but still has a long ways to go before achieving soccer's status. So it is hardly an epic fail.

At the professional level, it has not drawn NFL numbers in terms of warm fannies in the seats and especially TV viewership, and probably never will. Until, at least, the federal government steps in and imposes equipment requirements and rules changes to reduce the chances of concussion and other serious injury. At that point, football will be in a death spiral.

Be honest, professional baseball is boring and nearly unwatchable. At its most basic, it is a battle between the pitcher and the batter. Sixteen other players on the field have only a minor, supporting role. Your father and grandfather may have been willing to spend the time and money to sit through a three-hour game, buy an overpriced beer or soda and eat a dirty water hotdog. New generations are less likely to make that commitment.

The NBA? Beyond the finals, honestly, how many NBA games have you attended or watched in person? I'm betting nearly zero.

Professional soccer has much in its favor as a sport of growing attractiveness in the US: stadiums built specifically for soccer (fans closer to the field, real grass, no football lines and hash marks reminding viewers this is really a football stadium); a growing cadre of referees whose only jobs are soccer and who increasingly have experience with the international game; hard-core fan bases who drink hard, march to the stadiums, bring banners, drums and musical instruments to enhance the experience; better sense of marketing by MLS and the individual teams (loyalty rewards, souvenirs, fan engagement programs, fan blogs).

The MLS and member teams are doing a better job of telling their stories -- rivalries, acquisitions, team issues, the back story. Consumers like that and it builds interest. The Internet and the ability of individuals to become their own news providers increasingly cut mainstream media and their blind allegiance to the major professional sports out of the equation.

I still have problems with the level of play in the MLS and team owners' apparent willingness to think that on-field thuggery is attractive to the American soccer fan -- it is not. But the league is here to stay and IMHO is on the ascendancy, unlike the NFL, NBA and MLS. It is hardly a failure.

Get with it, dude.
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Get with what?
Soccer is a cheap filler sport it costs very little to play on a youth level. Find a flat piece of ground and put up some goals.
It is no wonder that in the amateur ranks it is widely participated. Question for you how does that participation carry over into HS and college, compared to the other sports listed. Even compare it to track, cross-country and Volleyball for that matter.
It's cute that there is a pro league and all that, but bowling has a pro circuit as well. If I am proven wrong in the next decade that the sport is going to be wildly popular and moreso than MLB or NBA I will apologize.
How has the attendance for the MLS been post-Beckham?

Guys sorry I don't share the same passion for soccer, it is hardly a "fledgling" sport.

I view soccer about the same a gymnastics...too many scandals and no real policing of itself. I know there have been recent movement to clean it up, but they have a long way to go...until then, it will stay on the back burner for me...I know, I don't know what I am missing. For the record I have never been to a NBA or MLB game in person and it has no bearing on my opinions of those sports. Also last season I went to my first NFL game and have decided Sunday Ticket is better.

The NHL game I went to changed my opinion of hockey, but the only sport I really get excited to see live is college basketball, can't explain it, it is what it is.

I am impressed with the soccer player themselves though...I have never claimed it was an easy sport...just doesn't catch my interest and has a loooong way to go still in this country.
 
LawVHawk said:
Be honest, professional baseball is boring and nearly unwatchable. At its most basic, it is a battle between the pitcher and the batter. Sixteen other players on the field have only a minor, supporting role.
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You obviously have no clue about the game of baseball.

There are only 10 players on the field at one time. The batter and 9 players for the team in the field.

Herpy derpy.
 
sportstalent said:
Get with what?
Soccer is a cheap filler sport it costs very little to play on a youth level. Find a flat piece of ground and put up some goals.
It is no wonder that in the amateur ranks it is widely participated. Question for you how does that participation carry over into HS and college, compared to the other sports listed. Even compare it to track, cross-country and Volleyball for that matter.
It's cute that there is a pro league and all that, but bowling has a pro circuit as well. If I am proven wrong in the next decade that the sport is going to be wildly popular and moreso than MLB or NBA I will apologize.
How has the attendance for the MLS been post-Beckham?

Guys sorry I don't share the same passion for soccer, it is hardly a "fledgling" sport.

I view soccer about the same a gymnastics...too many scandals and no real policing of itself. I know there have been recent movement to clean it up, but they have a long way to go...until then, it will stay on the back burner for me...I know, I don't know what I am missing. For the record I have never been to a NBA or MLB game in person and it has no bearing on my opinions of those sports. Also last season I went to my first NFL game and have decided Sunday Ticket is better.

The NHL game I went to changed my opinion of hockey, but the only sport I really get excited to see live is college basketball, can't explain it, it is what it is.

I am impressed with the soccer player themselves though...I have never claimed it was an easy sport...just doesn't catch my interest and has a loooong way to go still in this country.
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Like I said before, it doesn't matter what you're missing. Soccer doesn't need converts. It doesn't need you.
 
sportstalent said:
Get with what?
Soccer is a cheap filler sport it costs very little to play on a youth level. Find a flat piece of ground and put up some goals.
It is no wonder that in the amateur ranks it is widely participated. Question for you how does that participation carry over into HS and college, compared to the other sports listed. Even compare it to track, cross-country and Volleyball for that matter.
It's cute that there is a pro league and all that, but bowling has a pro circuit as well. If I am proven wrong in the next decade that the sport is going to be wildly popular and moreso than MLB or NBA I will apologize.
How has the attendance for the MLS been post-Beckham?

Guys sorry I don't share the same passion for soccer, it is hardly a "fledgling" sport.

I view soccer about the same a gymnastics...too many scandals and no real policing of itself. I know there have been recent movement to clean it up, but they have a long way to go...until then, it will stay on the back burner for me...I know, I don't know what I am missing. For the record I have never been to a NBA or MLB game in person and it has no bearing on my opinions of those sports. Also last season I went to my first NFL game and have decided Sunday Ticket is better.

The NHL game I went to changed my opinion of hockey, but the only sport I really get excited to see live is college basketball, can't explain it, it is what it is.

I am impressed with the soccer player themselves though...I have never claimed it was an easy sport...just doesn't catch my interest and has a loooong way to go still in this country.
Click to expand...


Excellent. 50,000 fans showed up for a regular league match - no promotion, no playoffs - for a game between Seattle and Vancouver. League games average 17,500 fans per game.
 
wundergrape said:
Excellent. 50,000 fans showed up for a regular league match - no promotion, no playoffs - for a game between Seattle and Vancouver. League games average 17,500 fans per game.
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Educate me; what is the average capacity for the MLS stadiums?
What is the history there? You gave me one year of data, what has it been the last five years?
 
sportstalent said:
Educate me; what is the average capacity for the MLS stadiums?
What is the history there? You gave me one year of data, what has it been the last five years?
Click to expand...


Here is a list of MLS stadiums:

List of Major League Soccer stadiums - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The average capacity is 21,244. Outliers being Seattle (38,500) and San Jose (10,500)

Teams that average at least 100% capacity:portland, Seattle, Kansas City

Teams that average at least 90% capacity: Montreal, Philadelphia, Salt Lake, San Jose, Vancouver

Teams that average at least 80%: Colorado, Houston, Los Angeles, Toronto

Teams that average at least 70%: DC, Dallas, New York

Teams that average at least 60%: Columbus, Chicago, New England

Lowest in the league: Chivas USA (44%)

Average League capacity: 82% (source)

Last five years average attendance:

2013 - 17,441
2012 - 18,807
2011 - 17,872
2010 - 16,675
2009 - 16,037 (source)

As you can see, league attendance has grown every year but this one. Plausible explanations include: a) during the past five years 8 new stadiums opened up - at least two each year - none opened this year. b) Beckham left the league. c) We're still only in the first half of the season. d) This is a non-World Cup/European Championship year, both of which typically spike attendance.
 
If anyone is interested in broadening their MLS horizons, Philadelphia vs. NY is on ESPN right now. Jack Mcinerny (future US team star) vs. Thierry Henry (one of the greatest players of this generation). Should be a good one.
 
wundergrape said:
Here is a list of MLS stadiums:

List of Major League Soccer stadiums - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The average capacity is 21,244. Outliers being Seattle (38,500) and San Jose (10,500)

Teams that average at least 100% capacity:portland, Seattle, Kansas City

Teams that average at least 90% capacity: Montreal, Philadelphia, Salt Lake, San Jose, Vancouver

Teams that average at least 80%: Colorado, Houston, Los Angeles, Toronto

Teams that average at least 70%: DC, Dallas, New York

Teams that average at least 60%: Columbus, Chicago, New England

Lowest in the league: Chivas USA (44%)

Average League capacity: 82% (source)

Last five years average attendance:

2013 - 17,441
2012 - 18,807
2011 - 17,872
2010 - 16,675
2009 - 16,037 (source)

As you can see, league attendance has grown every year but this one. Plausible explanations include: a) during the past five years 8 new stadiums opened up - at least two each year - none opened this year. b) Beckham left the league. c) We're still only in the first half of the season. d) This is a non-World Cup/European Championship year, both of which typically spike attendance.
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks...what surprises me is the 70% and 60% markets...not Columbus so much, but the major cities.

b and d shouldn't impact the MLS, unless the starts aren't playing in the MLS, maybe that is a backward way of thinking, but just my thought on that. If that does impact the sport then there are more fair weather fans than one would want to admit.

a and c make a lot of sense, but a should reflect a supremely positive impact, unless those are the markets that aren't performing right now.
 
New England and DC's attendance woes can be attributed to the fact that they play in football stadiums: no one wants to watch soccer in humunguous stadiums, and no one but Seattle can fill them. Columbus and Chicago have both fallen on hard times with terrible ownership; both should be able to bounce back. New York just plays in a larger stadium (25,000), but they average above the league average. The only truly perplexing one is Dallas. That city just doesn't support their team. I'm not sure why not.
 
wundergrape said:
New England and DC's attendance woes can be attributed to the fact that they play in football stadiums: no one wants to watch soccer in humunguous stadiums, and no one but Seattle can fill them. Columbus and Chicago have both fallen on hard times with terrible ownership; both should be able to bounce back. New York just plays in a larger stadium (25,000), but they average above the league average. The only truly perplexing one is Dallas. That city just doesn't support their team. I'm not sure why not.
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Because it is soccer...;)

On a more serious note though, that is surprising with that much of a population doesn't support them. However, it is a football state and that could contribute to their issue.

Thanks for all the good info!
 
sportstalent, you're embarrassing yourself. Your M.O. is typically to utilize your breadth of knowledge to make concise arguments on these boards. But you seem to not only know nothing about soccer in this country, you have an enormous amount of misconceptions that you hold as truths.

Texas, while clearly a football state, is a national hotbed of soccer. The National team sells out Cowboys stadium frequently. Dallas metro has the largest, most vibrant and one of the most dominant youth soccer networks in the country. Houston is the only franchise in MLS to have enough public support to build a stadium directly downtown. Laredo, Austin, El Paso, Houston, Midland and San Antonio all have pro teams that either play in NASL or USL.

I enjoy providing information to someone who needs it, but stop make assertions about things you don't know about. It makes you look stupid, and you're not.
 
I think one of the big reasons FC Dallas struggles with their attendance numbers is their location. Frisco is a beautiful community, and they have a nice stadium; however, Frisco is on the far northern edge of Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. It takes a long time to get to Frisco from most of the metro area. If the stadium was more centrally located, I imagine they would see better attendance numbers. For comparison, the Rangers and Cowboys play in Arlington, which is located centrally between Dallas and Fort Worth, and the Mavs play in downtown Dallas.

Another explanation could be that Dallas sports fans are front-runners. If you look at the Rangers' attendance numbers, they have gone through the roof the last 3-4 years since the Rangers have been a top-tier team. For most of the 2000's, their numbers were pretty average. Rangers' attendance dipped to 24,320/game for the 2008 season (Rangers were sub-.500), but they were up to 42,719/game last season while Texas was in 1st most of the year and the Rangers had gone to two straight World Series. FC Dallas has been a solid team the last 5 years, but I think they (like most teams) would see an attendance bump if they were to have a year or two at the top of the league standings.
 
Graham Zusi re-signs with Kansas City

I'm not one of those people who think that our top-flight talent bolting for Europe is a bad thing, but this is pretty big news. Zusi is at the height of his game - a major cog on a World Cup calibur national team. The fact that he re-upped with MLS is a statement.

At the very least, we have one more world-class player in the states for four years. If he does go to Europe, the contract guarantees a buttload of transfer money injected into the league. Nice job, KC front office.
 
For those new to the world's beautiful game, Neymar is the latest hot property out of Brazil's soccer factory. He currently plays for soccer's version of the New York Yankees -- Italian club FC Barcelona -- as well as the Brazil national team. He doesn't play in MLS and likely never will for another 10 years, but his style of play is fun to watch. Especially when it becomes a meme, as a recent play did:

[video=youtube;_kLfa6G0ofw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kLfa6G0ofw[/video]
 
Barcelona is not the New York Yankees of world soccer. Real Madrid or AC Milan are.

Barcelona's more like the San Antonio Spurs or Boston Red Sox.
 
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