Mind = blown, MLS is more popular than MLB and NHL

[YoungWhiteMamba]

I was watching a Red Bulls and Galaxy game the other day on ESPN and my mind was blown at packed stadium and loud singing.

[travellingbrah]

I wish. They get good attendance but tv revenue is where it's at. And MLS isn't doing anywhere near as well as baseball or hockey in that regard.

And yes even 10th rate MLS has better fans that most American sports.

[forevercapone]

great fanbase, but its never on national tv

[Armstrongha]

Closest team is Chicago. No Michigan otherwise i'd be a bigger fan.

[AreolaBorealis]

Doesn't mean the sport is more popular. Only means the fans are drunker.

[BadaBingBdaBoom]

MLS is boring as fuk. I went to an NY Red Bulls game and couldn't wait until the game was over. I even had great seats, too (15 rows from the center). Soccer just doesn't do it for me, at any level.

[Mitch1313]

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, over 3.5 billion fans
Probably the most played sport in the world to.

[MCrow]

Some of the teams in MLS do very well with attendance, 30k+. But as others have said the ratings on TV are nowhere near baseball or NHL. Still, it's encouraging that the attendance is good. I also don't see how MLS is any less exciting than EPL. There is defnintely a major difference in talent level but the action and excitement of the games are very good. I like watching the Red Bulls when Thierry is playing amd the SJ is pretty exiting to watch as well as KC.

[Future24]

Some of the teams in MLS do very well with attendance, 30k+. But as others have said the ratings on TV are nowhere near baseball or NHL. Still, it's encouraging that the attendance is good. I also don't see how MLS is any less exciting than EPL. There is defnintely a major difference in talent level but the action and excitement of the games are very good. I like watching the Red Bulls when Thierry is playing amd the SJ is pretty exiting to watch as well as KC.

Because MLS they fail to hold possession for more than 2 seconds.

[MCrow]

Because MLS they fail to hold possession for more than 2 seconds.

Not sure what you're watching because that's not what I see. What I see is back and forth pretty good action opposed to other leagues that kick the ball around midfield for 90 minutes.

[lakers4life123]

MLS on the rise, they need to increase TV Rev but the overall fan base for the sport of soccer is growing rapidly. The goal is that in 10 years Don Garber wants the league to be one of the best leagues in the world. Need to raise the salary cap first though.

[2 D]

Dunno how other reps for other MLS teams are, but I got a phone call after I attended a recent Crew game from a rep asking about how my experience was. Was very surprised by this, great customer service, seems like they really want to build a fan base.

[Future24]

MLS on the rise, they need to increase TV Rev but the overall fan base for the sport of soccer is growing rapidly. The goal is that in 10 years Don Garber wants the league to be one of the best leagues in the world. Need to raise the salary cap first though.

I don't like the salary cap rules. And all the teams are still owned by the MLS. They need to change all that.

[89FoxBody]

Never really watched MLS though my friend is a huge Revs fan. Is the diving and flopping as bad as it is in international soccer? Cuz if it is, I'm not getting anywhere near that shyt. Another thing is all the Red Bulls games are on MSG which I don't get even though I live 100 miles from NYC. Once in a great while they are on ESPN or ESPN2.

[MCrow]

Never really watched MLS though my friend is a huge Revs fan. Is the diving and flopping as bad as it is in international soccer? Cuz if it is, I'm not getting anywhere near that shyt. Another thing is all the Red Bulls games are on MSG which I don't get even though I live 100 miles from NYC. Once in a great while they are on ESPN or ESPN2.

It's not as bad but this is soccer and diving is part of the game, it seems.

[209vaughn]

Because MLS they fail to hold possession for more than 2 seconds.

Ahhh you're being too much of a hater. MLS is a start up league in a country that soccer is not very popular at all. With those to facts consider, it's pretty remarkable how popular the league has become. Get to know some of the players who are actually pretty decent.

[MCrow]

The cool thing here is if the Minnesota Vikings Stadium goes through, there is a MLS Soccer stadium that is part of the bill. So, if the Vikes get a stadium that almost certainly get an MLS team as well.

[lakers4life123]

I don't like the salary cap rules. And all the teams are still owned by the MLS. They need to change all that.

Majority of the teams ar enot owned by MLS. LA Galaxy owned by AEG, New York owned by Red Bull, and rest are owned by groups of investors independent of MLS such as Steve Nash, Drew Carey, Paul Allen, Merritt Paulson, And etc

[MrGuitar]

So when do we get to see any real evidence that MLS is more popular than MLB and the NHL, OP?

[MCrow]

So when do we get to see any real evidence that MLS is more popular than MLB and the NHL, OP?

I think it is by attendance per team, but if you talk about viewership it's pretty obviously not.

[MiKey4]

Half the reason I go to games is the atmosphere, it's fun to cheer with the regulars, and you don't have to be in the top leagues to see amazing skill.

MLS isn't going to be like the champions league, but doesn't mean there's no excitement in the games. Plus the tickets are dirt cheap aren't they?

[MCrow]

Half the reason I go to games is the atmosphere, it's fun to cheer with the regulars, and you don't have to be in the top leagues to see amazing skill.

MLS isn't going to be like the champions league, but doesn't mean there's no excitement in the games. Plus the tickets are dirt cheap aren't they?

Exactly. People equate level of play with entertainment value which really isn't correct. The MLS is way more balanced than the EPL and other leagues, you can guess between 2-3 teams to win those leagues, the MLS has had something like 9 different champions in 15 years.

There are some players in the MLS that could be good in EPL and they look like the Messi of MLS by comparison. it's all relative. Personally I think the MLS puts out a good product that is every bit as entertaining as EPL. It does not have the history, tradition or the fanaticism that the EPL does but I think the matches are very entertaining and I wasn't a soccer fan until recently.

[lakers4life123]

Half the reason I go to games is the atmosphere, it's fun to cheer with the regulars, and you don't have to be in the top leagues to see amazing skill.

MLS isn't going to be like the champions league, but doesn't mean there's no excitement in the games. Plus the tickets are dirt cheap aren't they?

agreed. This isn't a league in a country like Honduras or Belize. It is in the richest and most powerful country in the world. We have the financial capital/disposable income to support the league. Also have the money to attract top talent ( a little past the prime or at the prime). With youth academies being implemented this league has nowhere to go but up

[pengh]

There is a guy here at work that follows the MLS draft. LOL I love the world cup but i don't ever think I could watch a regular season MLS game.

[lakers4life123]

There is a guy here at work that follows the MLS draft. LOL I love the world cup but i don't ever think I could watch a regular season MLS game.

guarantee if they got a team in FL you would be watching..u watch any other soccer other than world cup which comes around every 4 years?

[Winter52]

theres drafting in the MLS? is it the same format as the other sports in the US?

[lakers4life123]

theres drafting in the MLS? is it the same format as the other sports in the US?

Yeah its really similar to NBA draft where there are 2 rounds then rest are basically free agents/supplementary picks that usually dont make the team and are just used to find hidden gems or practice squad players.

[MiKey4]

Didn't really get the draft method, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Over here (UK) we are signing players into academies at 15 and giving pro contracts at 17 as standard. 20/21 years old really is far too late for someone to start full time training IMO,

[MCrow]

Didn't really get the draft method, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Over here (UK) we are signing players into academies at 15 and giving pro contracts at 17 as standard. 20/21 years old really is far too late for someone to start full time training IMO,

In reality, the MLS isn't likely going to have many 15 year olds in the academies that would be on par with the EPL academies. I think at this point the MLS has to take what foreign talent they can get and hope the domestic talent increases over time, the US isn't a hotbed of soccer talent. It's almost on the same level of popularity as American Football in europe, probably not quite that bad but there is a lot of progress to be made.

[BullStampede]

MLS is making a big push for TV ratings on NBCSN, and they are improving. They get really good attendance too for the most part. Some teams are better than others obviously, but all in all they do well considering the lack of TV support. I would love for MLS to become more popular and make it to the big time channels.