Nathan Moran
Mrs. Straub
AP Economics - Insight
April 25, 2016
MLS on the Rise
Soccer, or known in most other countries as football, is the world’s most popular sport. It leads by a large margin over the next sport with over 3.5 billions estimated fans. With that being said, soccer lacks the support here in the United States. The MLS severely lacks the following that other sports in the US get like the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL but it is definitely on the up and up. Due to the amount of kids that are and have been getting involved with soccer the popularity grows with them. Kids that played soccer as kids and are becoming adults are attending games and supporting teams. This often leads parents to get involved as well only to slowly start the landslide effect of popularity for the sport.
The demand for soccer memorabilia and tickets is on the rise. The Portland Timbers, a MLS soccer team, sells out almost every soccer game they play at home. This is a huge change from teams struggling to fill the lower bowl. It was announced at the beginning of the season that the season ticket holder renewal percentage for the Timbers was at 98 percent. That kind of renewal percentage is completely unheard of. It is true that the price level for the MLS is not as high due to the MLS not being as popular as other leagues but season tickets are still not cheap. Some of the most popular American football teams struggle to reach 90 percent.
As the MLS gains popularity there is a demand for additional teams in different cities. Minnesota and Atlanta are the planned 21st and 22nd teams to join the MLS. Atlanta is even funding a new stadium to house not only Atlanta United FC but also the Atlanta Falcons. Other cities are also on the hunt to get a MLS team. Los Angeles is set for another team come 2018. Also, Miami is looking to add a team in 2018. The new news that is coming out is that the owners of the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers are going to come together to get a team in Detroit.
In the short run you can see that the MLS is gaining traction and popularity throughout the United States in a variety of different ways. When it comes to the long run who knows what will happen, but if the trend continues, the MLS could become one of the more popular leagues in the United States.
Works Cited
Gallivan, Joseph. "Bring the Noise, Bring the Paint." Oregon Local News. Pamplin Media Group, 7 Mar. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
"Expansion." MLSsoccer.com. MLS, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
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