Of course their attendance will drop.
But it’ll be more than flies.
Even in their worst years they drew 13-15K in a 19K venue.
You cannot compare the attendance of a subpar league like the MLS to the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL etc.
You have to use a widely known league like the EPL.
Yes, there are famous EPL stadiums that have less capacity than TDECU but they average at least 95% every home game.
Yeah but that’s NOT in the USA.
We are talking about which sports are most popular in THIS country.
Pro soccer attendance isn’t close to pro hockey attendance in the USA.
When it comes to college hockey, the gap is even wider.
And in TV ratings here in the USA, the NHL beats all pro soccer, including the EPL, COMBINED.
Soccer is simply NOT a top four spectator/fan sport in this country.
Hockey is.
Obviously soccer gets better attendance and tv ratings OVERSEAS and is a bigger spectator/fan sport there.
But not here.
Only the World Cup once every four years will attract a lot of attention in THIS country.
I just didn’t want anyone to think the MLS is the best or most popular league in case someone is not well versed in soccer.
The NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL are the best leagues in their respective sport so the MLS should not be included.
The EPL may be more popular than MLS here.
But it still doesn’t get the TV ratings in the USA that the NHL does.
And its media deal in the USA is only about half as big as the NHL’s.
Hard to generate ratings when the EPL plays in the morning or noon.
There have been plenty of weekends when I had to get up at 7am to watch my team play.
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Keep digging law.
82 vs 34 games.
You made your own argument go South.
Another lost case your honor.
Community service…again.
No matter what we do law. We bring clear evidence with a signed testimony, video evidence, victim identifying the accused you are still going to deny the obvious.
You do that with every thread.
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I’ve brought clear evidence too, specifically the NUMBERS including value of TV deals, revenues, TV viewership, attendance, etc.
Pro soccer does not equal pro hockey in the USA under those metrics. It simply AIN’T as popular in that regard.
College soccer does not equal college hockey in the USA under those same metrics. It is likewise not as popular in that regard. It is what it is.
I mean, yeah, hockey does play a lot more games, but the NHL is literally PACKING venues for those games.
There’s that much demand to see hockey that often, a demand that does NOT exist for pro soccer in this country.
MLS plays in bigger outdoor venues, most of which are NOT regularly selling out, by comparison.
Speaks volumes.
Don’t you think that there is a REASON why NHL is on ESPN and TNT, and MLS is stuck purely on Apple TV?
The answer is simple: because MLS isn’t popular enough to get on a bigger platform.
EPL does have a US TV deal now, but it is only about half the size of the NHL.
NHL attendance MATCHES NBA attendance.
Wake me up the day the pro soccer can say the same in the USA.
I suspect I’ll sleep soundly.
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You are right.
Soccer is the #1 sport in America.
I can’t go anywhere without hearing about who made the National Team and who didn’t.
I see kids everywhere dribbling soccer balls on their walk to school…around cars…around trees
When I wake up in the morning Dynamo talk is the first thing I hear on Sports Radio and the last thing I hear when I go to bed.
Big P2 schools easily pack 100k into their stadiums for epic matches against their rivals.
Now, those things might be true for Countries like Brazil, France or Argentina but you are delusional if you ever think those will be true in the United States of America.
Remember, we were one of the very first countries England gave soccer to and we said “thank you, mate, we will take it and fuse it with Rugby and form our own version…American Football”
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Did we write that soccer is the number one sport in America?
The answer will be no.
Why so much hate toward soccer?
I don’t hate it.
As I said, I’ve been to six MLS games from two different teams. That’s more than I’ve been to NFL (maybe five between Oilers, Texans, and Browns), NBA (one), NHL (one), IHL/AHL (four) and MLR (one). Only MLB beats it out as far as pro sports games I’ve attended.
But it it’s not just that soccer isn’t the #1 sport in America.
It’s that it’s #5 at best…maybe #6 thanks to the 'necks and NASCAR.
It’s not hate…it’s a niche sport here.
Doesn’t have a huge following here.
Some mentioned that the MLS was a ponzi pyramid scheme based on new franchises enriching current MLS franchises.
Then is the NHL league a pyramid scheme?
The Dynamo is a pain to watch currently ngl 
Then again, they have been for years now. I don’t have (and refuse to get) Apple TV, so I just watch the Highlights now.
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When AEG, Anshutz owned the franchise it was a “force”. When the MLS made him sell it the Dynamos started to go downhill. Ben Olsen was an average player but played with heart. The Dynamos want to get back to a decent level? It starts with the owner and investors. Clearly the Dynamo are not on the right track. Ben has to deliver this year otherwise I would anticipate a change. This goes with Pat Onstad. They have to do much better.
Yet it continues to be 1# in youth participation in America.
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Yes…take a minute to think about that.
That #1 youth participation is not translating to life long passion or interest in our professional leagues.
That lack of lifelong connection is often because of
- lack interest in the sport as in many kids leave thinking “this sport is boring”
- not enough parent coaches teaching the sport properly. I think this is a major issue when compared to parent coaches in football, baseball and basketball.
Basically, the high youth participation has been equated to “its a sport where my kids can run around”
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Or probably because women don’t need their sport to be a Soap Opera rhat consumes their daily lives like men do.
But you can trust that all those kids aren’t participating in something they find boring.
And the kids in my neighborhood do kick their soccer balls down the street to the park. I see kids wearing Messi or Ronaldo jerseys everyday, but I’ve never seen a kid wearing a hockey jersey.
They are participating in it because a) kids can start it earlier than other sports and b) because parents aren’t as afraid they’ll get hurt playing soccer they way they might in football or baseball.
As they grow up though, they may become bigger fans of other sports.
That was true of my generation.
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