How much revenue would MLS get from selling the league naming rights? For example, Barclay's Premiership. So it would be Nike's Major League Soccer or something like that. Are we talking $5 million or $10 million? If so, that probably wouldn't be worth the re-branding costs, loss of name recognition, general confusion, etc. Or are we talking $50 million to $100 million? If so, that would be quite an offer to consider...
idk but i dont think americans would be very receptive if MLS did so. Imagine Pepsi's NFL, it would seem like to much. Some people that dont follow soccer really closey that i know couldnt understand why there were sponsors on the jerseys
... and to people like that you reply "why are there commercials every 30 seconds in your football game"
If the price was right (say $50 million to $100 million over 10 years or whatever), I think they should sell it in a heartbeat. Everyone may not like it, or at least at first. It will certainly cause a little confusion. And the cost of making all new coasters, mugs, and stationary for the back office. But if they can get some real money for it, they could do some really cool stuff. That could pay for every team to get another million-dollar-a-year-for-5-years DP contract. Imagine 15 more DP's running around in the league. Wouldn't that bump up the overall playing level by a notch?
Ever heard of the Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup series? Or all of the bowl game sponsors? I doubt that it will make any difference with fans who are wavering on whether to support the league or not. The dynamic will remain the same: 1. Do they like the sport? 2. Will they support the domestic league? 3. Who's on the field? Building team brands are more important than whether the league's name has a sponsor in it.
People didn't like naming rights for stadiums at first either, but now virtually every new stadium built has a corporate name. They'd get used to it.
Just to provide some basis for comparison, Barclays paid the Premier League GBP 65.8 million over five years for the naming rights -- they are talking about a new deal right now with a GBP 2.2 million bump. http://www.eufootball.biz/Sponsorship/7515-premier_league_barclays_renew_partnership.html
Ok, with MLS' average attendance of less than 1/3 of the EPL, and less TV ratings and fewer games... Maybe $10 to $20 million for the naming rights for MLS? Would that be worth it?
Per year? Somehow I don't see them getting much more than 10-12 mil. If they're offered 20 mil, then I'd be the first person to celebrate Microsoft Major League Soccer or somesuch. The league cannot and should not turn down that much money.
