Maybe, Maybe not. My opinion is that I'll just let time dictate whether or not MLS becomes apart of the so called big 4.
i think eventually it will overtake one of the Big 3 American Sports (or it was just become the 4th), but to be honest it probably won't happen until we start getting some star power in the MLS. It doesn't help that to attract new fans to the MLS (marketing) you have to first convince non-soccer fans to get into soccer, and then convince them that your league in particular is worth watching even though its inferior to several of the leagues around the world. I've asked people I know over the years if they would watch MLS, and the two excuses i hear (from people who wouldn't) is that 1) i don't like/understand soccer, and 2) the MLS sucks. Part of the problem is, what is the incentive to actually going out your way to figure out when a game is, and to watch it unless you are a big time soccer fan?? There's no real icon in the MLS (closest people I can think of is henry, beckham and donovan) that can really put fans in the stands (or get people to tune it from the tube), and the perception that it is a glorified minor league when compared to the epl. Now going back to henry, beckham and donovan, you might claim that they should be able to. Well for one thing, the red bulls got a surge of attendance this year for a reason (well multiple reasons, but henry's addition was won, and also the agudelo hype helped as well), and the galaxy has the 2nd highest attendance numbers in the MLS. But to be honest, those guys still have negative biases towards them (donovan couldn't handle the big leagues, henry/beckham are washed up) and even then really aren't the iconic figures that everyone goes out of their way to see (as in not tiger woods, michael jordan, etc) http://mls.theoffside.com/attendance/and-the-results-of-mlss-2010-attendance-stats-are.html Until the happens, it will gain a gradual niche audience, but it will be a LONG while before it passes any of the three big sports. Granted it's growth as a niche sport will probably help get more quality players, but there just isn't a lot of marketability right now in regards to the players for most of these teams.
I find this mildly interesting: During today's Chelsea-Man Utd match (aired on Fox), there were consistently three or four game-related topics trending on Twitter in the U.S., everything from "Mata" to "Howard Webb." When I checked a minute ago -- one hour into the Super Bowl -- there was all of one game-related topic trending: "Brandon Jacobs." Lots of other stuff about the commercials (including "David Beckham," ha) and singers ("Kelly Clarkson"), but little about the game itself. I'm not trying to pile on to any football-vs-soccer debate. Just pointing out what might be an interesting bit of demographic evidence that says something about soccer and its American fan base.
Not until it can afford the best players in the world. Given some team salaries are a fraction what a single star makes in the big 3 sports, it'll be a long, long time. Need some more owners willing to spend a little. And that doesn't mean a huge jump is salary overnight, but we still have a number of teams investing very little money when you factor in MLS pays salary under the cap. MLS also needs to bring in some new marketing/advertising execs, as they don't market anyone besides LD/Beckham nearly enough. One difference I see between MLS owners and owners of teams in the big 3 leagues, is that in MLS we constantly hear the owners don't have enough money to do this or that, and MLS fans constantly write off proposals by saying "well why don't you pull out your checkbook and pay for it? Where's the money going to come from". They constantly harp on teams losing money, and say it effects what the owners can afford to invest, eventhough the numbers are far less than in the big 3 sports. In the big 3 sports, ownership isn't as much for profit as it is a hobby. Sure everyones happy if you can make a profit, but generally the owners are wealthy enough and have enough other investments that not making a profit or losing money with their team doesn't make or break what they can invest. Even in an NBA team has a poor season and sustains losses, investing 50M in contracts the next year isn't a problem. The owners getting MLS up and running has been great, but MLS either needs them to spend a whole lot more, or find owners who can if passing one of the big 3 is a goal.
"The barnburner between Chelsea and Manchester United, aired live on Super Bowl Sunday on Fox, drew a 1.0 overnight rating," http://www.socceramerica.com/article/45557/chelsea-man-united-game-earns-10-rating.html
from the same link Three delayed EPL telecasts on Fox averaged 1.3 rating during the NFL regular season. the delayed games averaged a higher rating than the live one,lol.
Because there was an NFL game on right before the delayed EPL match, meaning people just hadn't gotten around to changing the channel until after the soccer match started. There is an article on the USA Today right now ( http://www.usatoday.com/sports/base...-lucrative-TV-deals-to-sign-talent/53032284/1 ) which talks about some of the massive local TV deals that baseball teams have recently signed. Basically it means the answer to this thread's question is "there will be a human colony on the moon before MLS passes one of the big 3 (and no, not 8 years from now)."
http://www.digitalsportscene.net/soccer-in-america These days, you always hear discussion of “when will soccer become more popular in the USA?” This constant question particularly rings true during and after a World Cup in which America’s obsession over sports and blind national pride in any kind of competition collide and create avid support for the national soccer team. The 2010 USA-England group stage World Cup match had Americans tuning in that couldn’t tell you what a corner kick is, or which country Chelsea FC plays in (England, in case you’re wondering at home). But as soon the world cup is over, ESPN goes back to obsessing over Tim Tebow, or Jeremy Lin, or whom or whatever is the present sensation in sports and forgets about that silly game that only most of Europe and South America play and which is the most popular sport in the world But suddenly it seems like, maybe, just maybe, soccer has finally hit some real popularity in the USA, or at least it has for me. Why you may ask, person who is actually has so much spare time to read this? The FIFA video game series, American stars playing for European teams, and an increasing amount of airtime devoted to soccer are the three biggest factors for this rise in popularity. FIFA 12 provides a way for Americans to understand the ins and outs of the game. While Madden is king of the domestic sports gaming world, FIFA 12 is the global king. FIFA 12 provides sort of an introduction to real-life soccer, as you are able to play as and control such internationally renowned teams such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United (Man U), learning about the goal scoring skills of Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney respectively. This, in turn, promotes curiosity, thus the next time you’re flipping through the sports channels and you see Man U playing, you’ll be more inclined to watch as you recognize them from playing with them in FIFA 12. You’ll start to feel somewhat of a connection, as playing with the virtual players translates to wanting to see them in real life, thus creating more viewing interest. The second major factor is Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey. America’s three best players, all currently in the English Premier League (EPL), and all doing well. You know another thing America loves besides foods that make them obese and complaining about the current president? Seeing other Americans succeed in other countries when they aren’t usually expected to. What these three have done is show that America can send players over to the perhaps the finest soccer league in Europe, and play with the finest from South America and Europe, with a dash of Africa and Asia thrown in there. Dempsey scored a hat trick on January 21 versus Newcastle, the first ever by an American in the EPL. Landon Donovan has yet to score a goal in his 7 games with Everton this year, but has performed well and has assisted with several goals. Tim Howard has been the goalie for Everton for several years now, and is regarded as one of the league’s best. It provides a good story for channels like ESPN to tell: Americans succeeding in the one sport they’re not expected to succeed in. It’s beyond soccer almost, and reaching political. Those three are ambassadors for America in a way that no one in a suit and tie could do: entertain and enlighten. They represent America through soccer on one of the biggest stages you can find in England; soccer.. It provides national pride. People are more inclined to watch soccer if they know they can see fellow Americans playing on the global stage and representing well and that leads to more people watching and discussing the games. To help fuel these first two reasons, soccer is being televised live at a growing rate. Fox Soccer Channel is available for anyone with a good sports cable package. Despite the fact they never talk about it, ESPN does show soccer regularly on ESPN2 on Saturday mornings, showing some good games from England. A defining moment in soccer on American television was Fox broadcasting live the Manchester United-Arsenal game, which had 1.3 million viewers nationwide on January 22. This was followed up on Super Bowl Sunday with an absolute classic of a game that showed the excitement of soccer to America, a nation that thinks soccer to be nothing but boring for the most part. Chelsea and Manchester United, two of soccer’s elite meeting on TV for a national audience. The game looked as though it would be nothing more than a total and complete domination of Chelsea over United. The Blues led three-nil with only 40 minutes left to play, but then Man U came roaring back in a fashion like only an elite club such as Man U can. They were awarded two penalty kicks and the aforementioned Wayne Rooney scored on both to make it 3-2 in the 69th minute. Javier Hernandez put the finishing touch on the epic comeback in the 84th minute, gave Man U a shocking3-3 draw, or tie. It was the perfect game for American audiences, because of one thing: offense. America as a society has a very short attention span, and the last think they want is a 0 – 0 (or in soccer terms: nil-nil) draw. They want offense, excitement, something that captures their interest pretty quickly and miraculously holds it. Goals do that. It presented everything that was exciting about soccer, and America ate it up, and left them hungry for more. What will happen in the future to soccer in America, we do not know. But with the trend currently happening, the future is very bright for the beautiful game.
My dad is from El Salvador, I've been there before. No way is baseball king there. Minus US, Canada, Cuba, DR, PR, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Panama; I think soccer is the top sport everywhere else.
It's funny you mentioned FIFA, Brent Celek(TE Philadelphia Eagles) tweeted the other day that if FIFA was advertised more in the US that Soccer would grow, not that he's an expert, but i think it's true. Apparently he's an Ibrahimovic fan, just because he's good in FIFA. I can't imagine a commercial and cover featuring clint dempsey and landon donovan wouldnt hurt soccer in the US
What the MLS needs is a prodigy to come along like neymar, messi, cronaldo, once they get a player of that caliber in their ranks soccer will take of and yes they can become a top three sport in the US.
Neymar at 20 has revitalized brasilian soccer so if he can do it for a country like brasil where soccer is number one why cant he do it for the US. []__[]
I think the thing with these prodigy's is that they develop only in soccer countries. I don't think we'll ever have one of these young superstars mainly because of the culture of the game over here. it seems to me that over here it is more of a sport or hobby than anything else. Elsewhere it seems like it's way more than that. I do like the direction Klinsmann is trying to take soccer though and if he could change the sport like he wants to, THEN we can produce one of these "prodigys" until then, we'll have some really good players, but no SUPERSTARS.
For those who say that baseball is big in mexico you are wrong it was in the past and at some point it was even more popular than footy and in was king in some states until a few decades ago, soccer is mexico's number one sport by far in essentially every state now, followed by boxing and then probably baseball, baseball is popular among the 40+ year old men it goes Football Soc---------Boxing---------------------------------Baseball-----------------------Basketball-----------NFL basketball is played all over the country as a rec sport, like freebie in the US, everyone knows how to play it but 1 in 1 million could mention a mexico NT player NFL is an spectator sport but very very few play it The US a big, rich country even if MLS gets to 4th it will be one of the richest soccer leagues in the world it doesn't have to be number 1 in the US to be one of the top leagues