We can talk about wins and losses until we're blue in the face, but as brands and entertainment options, the league has just not taken the same kind of root in its major markets with entrenched Big Four loyalty and associated media infrastructure. I don't know what the answer is, but that is now the central issue facing the league. The product has wildly improved. You've got to find a way to sell it in Chicago, Philly, Dallas, DC, the Bay Area, New England, Houston, you just can't have so many of the major metros being albatrosses.
Orlando started seeing diminished attendance halfway through last year. Theirs has more to do with on-field performance, or lack thereof.
Chicago, Dallas and Houston need more engaged owners and competent FOs. Philly and D.C. need people with, you know, money. San Jose is doing fine but could always use more spending Boston is in a particularly unique kind of hell that won't get better easy. Or bloodless
The attendance issue is very concerning. However, this is not entirely an MLS issue. Even major college football programs are finding it harder and harder to get butts in seats. It’s happening newrly everywhere. Even the NFL has seen attendance decreases in recent years.
Everyone should check-in to Empty Seats Galore on a daily basis…there are MLB crowds this time of year that look eerily similar to the worst MLS crowds…and not just a couple of outliers...
MLS has been well positioned to be the exception to that rule. Slippage would be concerning, especially with so much else going right. I just wonder, what is the ticket price background here?
When the labor market is tight, sports attendance hurts. In a bad economy, attendance picks up. *my personal eye test, not backed up by any actual analysis.
MLS at StubHub Center Carson, CA Attendance 25846 Weather Clear Which the team is announcing as a sellout again.
StubHub center was in a new configuration today. Corner bleachers open, standing room open but grass berm bleachers not open. Thus a whole new sellout number.
I think they decided which games to open those for before the season even started. Didn't know they'd sign Zlatan. My preseason panic about Galaxy attendance seems to have been erroneous, though Zlatan is just a band-aid. Still, it sends a message to the fans that the Galaxy will continue trying to sign the big players.
LA has to sign big names, it's not just for soccer it's for everything. there's too much competition for entertainment dollars to not have flashy signings.
Big part to me is ticket pricing. I know plenty of people who would go to sporting events, but not at current prices. Similar issue seeing movie attendances slipping over past decade.
Is the entire stadium open for the game or just the lower sections. If it's the entire stadium looks like it's going to a very good crowd, about a couple 100 seats still available. https://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/1500542CF2A03D4E?camefrom=CFC_DC_UNITED_2C
Attendance at movies is irrelevant as the industry continues to see revenues rise over the long haul both in the US and internationally. https://www.statista.com/statistics/187069/north-american-box-office-gross-revenue-since-1980/
Here's what the stadium looks like for a Navy football game (this was an AF v Navy game with a big crowd):
Have to also look at production and marketing budgets. Justice League made $600+ million dollars and reportedly lost Warner Bros. money. That scenario would have been unthinkable in 1980. Plenty of success, especially for Disney right now with Marvel, Star Wars, and its stable of animated and now live action remakes. On the flip side many studios are one or two major flops away from being in major trouble.