Americans can no longer pretend that the world’s favourite sport doesn’t exist.

[Tyrone Biggums]

With the exception of LeBron the NBA is average at best.

What!

LeBron isn't even the best player this season.

Baseball is edging towards county cricket, the matches are getting longer, and similar to the NBA it's scratching around for 'star power'.

There's plenty of star players, how many more do you need?

Like ice hockey, non Tiger golf has no audience.

Hockey has very big audiences in certain markets. Especially those in the north of the Continent.

There is scope for soccerball to move up in the market, the national team is plenty good enough, but not as good as expectation.
The World Cup is in their time zone.

The scope is limited because of the competition and barriers it faces at college level.

 

[BigGully]

Always worth trying to ensure your grammar is spot on when attempting to patronise, otherwise you're always going to look a bit of a cock.


The main reasons we disagree with you are the presence of soccer specific stadia, which have created a demand for tickets. There has also been a seismic shift of attitude towards the game from Joe Six-Pack in the States. Plus the people involved running the league are clearly in it for the long run - they have deeper pockets than the old NASL owners ever had, and have lost money but have stuck it out to the extent that they are beginning to make money now.

Picking anyone up on their grammar, usually confirms who the cock actually is, however I still fail to see why soccer specific stadia is such a critical part, New York Cosmos could pull in 70 000 whilst at Giants Stadium in the 70's.

Perhaps it shows a commitment, financial power, guess it depends how it is financed, but to use that as an indication to confirm your unfounded optimism without seemingly any experience or knowledge of how soccer has played out in the USA for the past generation or two offers little.

 

[BigGully]

MLS is a lot more sustainable now than soccer was in the 70s for a lot of reasons:

New York Cosmos, which was one of the main attractions then, was owned by an entertainment conglomerate who really had very little firsthand knowledge about how soccer is run and they lost interest when the initial interest started to disappear. The new owners are a different breed.

MLS expansion is a slow and gradual process, they can identify a need rather than just flooding the market. They also seem to be well run financially with the salary cap and designated player rules.

The viewing / attending demographic has changed. There are more Latinos and Europeans based in the States who are passionate about soccer – international and domestic. I’ve been a season ticket holder at Red Bulls for a few years now and have noticed more Americans (and their kids) attending regularly. The MLS clubs are very customer focused making the match day experience better. The American supporters I’ve spoken to say they like the game because it’s not subject to endless time-outs and commercial breaks, it’s also over in under 2 hours, unlike the 3 hours for US sports.

It will probably never challenge the big 3 but it has found its niche and it’s not going to disappear in the near future.

Ok, thanks for that, I really do hope it all goes well, but I experienced the rise and fall of the soccer environment in the 80's.

I have seen it lurch between NASL in the 70's and MISL in the 80's and then back to a copy NASL, I think it was called the MSL later on, all salary capped by the way.

No shame in that, European football has dips too, no doubt top USA players have a good status at present throughout world football so its some progression.

However the structure may have changed, it still just seems a modern version of what happened in the 70's & 80's, the only thing that can save them is soccer becoming one of their major sports and it always falls short.

 

[RexCathedra]

It will probably never challenge the big 3 but it has found its niche and it’s not going to disappear in the near future.

Hockey hasn't either, despite two disastrous lockouts.

 

[Stat Brother]

What!

LeBron isn't even the best player this season.
There's plenty of star players, how many more do you need?

He's the second best because he has more of a 'team' around him.
Durant is a one man band.
I guess Griffin comes in third, and that's it.

Jordan's Bulls had more super stars in one team.
That's before you talk about the Lakers, Celtics, Malone & Stockton, Magic, Berkley, and the obvious ones I've missed.

Hockey has very big audiences in certain markets. Especially those in the north of the Continent.

A la soccer in the hispanic south, and the Portland/Seasttle North West.
It's no more a 'national' sport than NASCAR.

The scope is limited because of the competition and barriers it faces at college level.

Very true.

 

[driddles]

Ok, thanks for that, I really do hope it all goes well, but I experienced the rise and fall of the soccer environment in the 80's.

I have seen it lurch between NASL in the 70's and MISL in the 80's and then back to a copy NASL, I think it was called the MSL later on, all salary capped by the way.

No shame in that, European football has dips too, no doubt top USA players have a good status at present throughout world football so its some progression.

However the structure may have changed, it still just seems a modern version of what happened in the 70's & 80's, the only thing that can save them is soccer becoming one of their major sports and it always falls short.

Few points about MLS

-All player contracts are with the league. It's a single entity sports league and set up in a way where the league can guarantee it's financial stability.
-Soccer specific stadiums lead to a better viewing experience.
-The television money is growing in leaps and bounds.

The league was stable before Beckham signed, his signing boosted the leagues exposure and popularity for sure, but he is no longer a player and teams continue to do well. MLS certainly continues to sign star players, but what successful league doesn't?

Completely random opinion time - America will win its first world cup before England wins its second. The growth has always been here at the youth level but the coaching and academies are improving in leaps and bounds.

 

[Robot Chicken]

This is interesting. This shows the most popular sports in the world by country.

 

[Phat Baz 68]

USA will one day win the World Cup !
I've always maintained this since I was a nipper and still stick by it.
Pretty bloody obvious really if you think about it.