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Stauff Nation TB

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SoccerNation TD, 3rd Round: When, if ever, will MLS be able to compete with the elite leagues in terms of overall prestige?

naxself said 04/24, 06:23 PM
I hesitate to put a time frame on this but for argument's sake, I'm going to give a range of 25-50 years.

The biggest reason that MLS will eventually compete with the Premiership, La Liga, and Serie A (the three best leagues by far in the world, IMO) is infrastructure. MLS has an advantage: it started in the late 20th century when sports were becoming booming international business in addition to an integral part of the social fabric.

Infrastructure means high quality, soccer-specific stadiums in major markets (NY/NJ, LA, TX) and in important soccer markets (Seattle). As the sport grows in popularity, so will the stadiums - in number and in size. Another aspect of infrastructure is youth leagues and grassroots. Soccer is the most popular sport among kids and if even a fraction of those become pros in MLS or USL, pro soccer in the US will take off. This will happen, esp. because of immigration and the high costs associated with other sports (hockey and football).

But the biggest reason is the allure of the US. It is the most important economy in the world. It is culturally diverse and its myths appeal to a wide variety of people. The US itself is one of the key factors.

Stauff Nation TB said 04/24, 08:19 PM
In most parts of the World, soccer reigns surpreme over everything else. Everyone from Mexico to Scotland to South Africa begin playing soccer at a young age. Sounds a lot like America, too.

But the thing that begins to set us apart is that around the age of high school, or sometimes earlier, most American athletes drop soccer to pursue more popular sports (Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey)

In other parts of the world, there are no other sports that draw athletes away. Some will play cricket, tennis or rugby, but that's about it and for the most part that tends to conern only some parts of Europe.

In America we have to share the sport with 4 already mainstream sports and NASCAR, which draws away most of the TV audience and fan support that soccer would normally get.

Americans are reluctant to watch soccer because most claim it's too slow moving and boring. I couldn't disagree more but that's beside the point.

The sport is growing here, but keep in mind it's also growing elsewhere.

I think if Americans would have changed their minds they would have done it already.

The sport will grow considerably, but the MLS will never be as big as the EPL, La Liga, etc.

naxself said 04/25, 12:22 PM
While I agree the American sports scene is crowded by the Big 3 + hockey and Nascar, there is a place for soccer because of America's diversity. Nascar proves that you only need 1/8 to 1/4 of the country to like you to put up good TV numbers. The only unassailable sport in the US is football and football and soccer have completely different skill sets.

It's a myth that all Americans find soccer boring. It's also a myth that if Americans had wanted to embrace soccer, they would have already. Americans will turn out in droves for good matches (see World Cup 94). MLS was born of that market. MLS is going slow: building a core audience and expanding TV coverage to appeal to the casual fan. It's a process. European leagues had an advantage in that their growing pains were in the non-TV era. Now that they're huge, they get huge TV money (see EPL).

TV is another reason MLS will grow and compete with the best leagues. HDTV (Utd v. Barca wasn't even in true HD) will help. TV + infrastructure = more eyeballs on the league and more butts in the seats. And that means MLS is well on its way to competing with the biggest leagues in the world.

Stauff Nation TB said 04/25, 04:36 PM
While Americans flocked to the World Cup in 94 (keep in mind that it wasn't just Americans at those games. A huge chunk of those attendances is foreign), only a small percentage of them seemed to stay loyal to the sport, almost as if it was some type of phase that Americans went through during the summer of 94 and ended immediately in the fall.

Soccer is growing in the US. That's a fact. It's still growing and is bound to grow more, but it will never be able to compete with the rest of the world, which has basically 100% of their sports loving population watching. That will never be the case in the US.

The media can/will help with the growth, but it can/will also keep it from growing. The fact that Sports Illustrated and ESPN, the two major sports media monsters in the US, rarely talk about soccer, a quick-growing sport in the US, troubles me. Soccer is a minor footnote when the article isn't about David Beckham.

The media coverage in the rest of the world is what has helped it grow even more in the past 10-20 years, especially the EPL.

Soccer there gets as much, if not more attention as football does here. The MLS will grow, but never will fill 35000 seats regularly

naxself said 04/26, 12:52 PM
What you say about major media sources is true, which is why I'm glad HDNet broadcasts MLS games. There's also an MLS package on DirecTV. MLS marketing is still a work in progress.

Your note about soccer being the be-all and end-all is well taken but it seems like you're seriously underestimating the size of the US population. There's 300 million people here and if 100 million of them like and watch soccer, that puts MLS easily on the same footing as Italy, Spain, and England.

In short, my argument is infrastructure + HDTV + salary = stars = MLS growth. The final piece to the puzzle I've been sketching out here is stars. IMO, MLS is already growing: Thierry Henry and Gregory Coupet rumors can't be dismissed out of hand anymore. Look at the Latin American players coming up here and thriving. That's going to happen more often, I guarantee it. Stars will improve the quality of play so that it matches (a) their salaries and (b) those gleaming new stadiums. Stars will improve TV numbers. Thus, everything MLS is doing (see my 1st two arguments) is built around bringing stars in. This is the key.

MLS won't be world-class this year or next but it will be in 20, 25, 30, etc. Book it.

Stauff Nation TB said 04/26, 01:10 PM
I'm not sure where you got the 100 million out of 300 million from, but if there's so many then why aren't they flocking to games already?

The bottom line:

I agree in your saying that the MLS will grow. It already has and it already will more. However, its almost impossible for the MLS to rival the EPL, La Liga and Serie A when there are already three major sports in the US, with the MLB nearly doubling soccer's average attendance and the NFL tripling it.

Also take into account the stubborness of Americans. I hate to admit it, being the patriotic American that I am, but Americans aren't as accepting of the sport. I really don't see droves and droves of sports fans suddenly changing their mind about the sport in twenty years and start heading out to ballgames. Most sports fans have expressed their hatred for soccer and major sports stations never even talk about it. That's a step in the wrong direction.

In the rest of the world, especially Europe/SA, EVERYONE watches soccer and in many cases their lives revolve around it. That will never ever happen here.

It sucks, but I really just don't see the MLS getting that big here.

Hopefully I'm wrong about this one.

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I don't know about this. This league will never be premiere until we get players in their PRIME to come play for MLS.

rmustud19 | 04/24/08, 07:25 PM

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SoccerNation TD, 3rd Round: When, if ever, will MLS be able to compete with the elite leagues in terms of overall prestige?

Stauff Nation TB beat naxself 7 to 2

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