It's succeeding in the sense that it's still here and still averaging more than 10,000 fans a game. If you know anything about U.S. soccer history, you know what an accomplishment that is.
sure it's an accomplishment. But i kinda think that's like person whose had a history of making crappy investment decisions getting 4 percent on a bond and saying that's an accomplishment that he didn't lose his money. Really he should be trying to make 12 percent in a fund or some stocks. I think they don't think big enough. It seems small time.
if you don't think paying money to go to a sporting event is consuming a product you're fooling yourself. And it's big business and it runs on the same basic rules as every other entertainment business. As for being a fan i'm a fan of the game not a specific league.
You didn't understand what I meant. I wanted MLS to succeed, even more than for the league to follow the Euro leagues format just to appease die-hards (myself included). That is different than saying the league is already successful, and could be even more. Semantics.
The dustbin is littered with leagues who went for 12 percent. And bear in mind that they could go for a higher percentage later, when they've been around long enough to persuade local authorities to let them spend money on soccer stadiums.
I dont understand you folks. This is America, not Europe. I am not aware of any lines of millionaires who wish to dump millions of dollars year after year (e.g. Abramovich) into an American soccer league. We soccer fans who lived through NASL and the time when "Soccer Made in Germany" highlight show was the only soccer in sight, know what the MLS is worth. You can say they made mistakes and the play sucks (mostly) but after 10 years they are clearly here to stay. That my friends is a whole lot better than the countless NASL teams that sprung up for a few years and then just faded away. You guys want big time soccer to appear out of thin air in a few months, it ain't gonna happen. God forbid MLS fails (unlikely) we will only get the 'summer soccer tours' of teams picking up a few bucks, friendlies, meaningless games. MLS has improved in every area over the years. They found a way to succeed and our soccer future is bright, including the Nats. I know that MLS will "live long and prosper"
Unfortunately, this is not much different than what MLS is delivering. The regular season is pretty insignificant (thank you Stan) with many matches played with the intensity of a friendly. If you are going to take in some summer soccer, it is not suprising people que up for the touring clubs and not MLS. Our league doesn't bring as much to the table.
MLS is doing pretty darn well, I'd say. I never thought I'd see TV networks ponying up cash to televise the matches. I never thought I'd see places like the HDC, TP, and Red Bull Park built (much less with public money). And, most promising is the fact that people like Vergara, Kroenke, Checketts, OnGoal, the rumored DC group, and Red Bull are joining Hunt, Anschutz and Kraft because they believe this league is a good investment. Sure, it ain't growing fast enough for the die-hards like us who can't get enough of the sport. But it looks like it'll keep on growing and adapting to the expectations of soccer fans. You have to marvel at how far the league has come in eleven years. Bodes well for the future.
I feel silly for asking this, but why do I only see 9 questions in the initial post? Are there supposed to be 20?