Meanwhile, back at the ranch....Has anybody seen an attendance figure for Sunday's Atlanta-Philadelphia game? I've looked at every online source that I can think of and can't find one. It looked bad on TV (at least by Atlanta standards), but I'm wondering how bad.
A poster on Twitter (so not a real number by any stretch) said the full stadium was open, but only a few people showed up on the upper deck. He expected ~44k to be announced. Again, this is not even close to official. EDIT: I also noticed 45k against the Fire. Did Atlanta increase capacity for regular games? SECOND EDIT: I also read that one of the reason for the "low" attendance that day was the perfect weather. However the roof at the stadium remained closed - does that mean that they will basically never open it? Why did they spend all that money on that crazy mechanism if they don't use it?
Yea we had about two years with pretty high inflation. We’re past that now. However, you are apparently unaware that inflation doesn’t just affect prices. There is also wage inflation. So until you think in terms of real dollars rather than nominal dollars you won’t understand anything. Thanks for coming to my TED talk
I couldn't see the upper deck on TV, but the lower deck looked underpopulated. Was the roof closed for purposes of air conditioning? I've been sweating like a pig today, and I live somewhere between 500 and 1,000 miles north of Atlanta. Did the final day of the Masters affect other events in Georgia on Sunday?
A crash would be 10% or more in 2 or 3 days. 5% over 2 weeks in the face of an attack on Israel by a major middle-eastern power would reflect the robustness of the market. The Dow fell 5% in 3 weeks last May and we're still here.
The economy isn't something that's constant. Just because wages are rising doesn't mean discretionary income is, an people might cut back because they see volatility through out the market. Yes wages are now outpacing inflation but that doesn't mean I have as much in my pocket for discretionary spending. This isn't a crazy point to say that in the future with so many things going on in the world that attendance could go down because of the economy.
Ok so your point is that things like the US economy and global pandemics and nuclear war would have an effect on attendance. Got it. Thanks.
I was at the Atlanta game, and the full stadium wasn't open so not sure where that information is coming from. It seemed to be an average attended game (camera facing expensive midfield seats are always empty), you can tell when attendance is sparse because the supporter's section is half full; yesterday their whole section was filled except for the very top couple rows.
Over the next 5 years, sure, but in 10 years' time? Footballers play where the salaries are higher and MLS is already paying DPs and TAM players top Championship or even upper-mid BL/Serie A money. Once MLS starts paying those salary ranges to Starting XIs, American players will tend to stay at home until they're around 23-27 and the EL and CL sides make their offers. As to whether those guys staying at home is going to move the needle much, it's doubtful IMO. It needs more Americans loving the game and getting into the habit of going to MLS games and generally supporting US club soccer for that
This seems like a big deal https://t.co/8W6850Wjsl pic.twitter.com/oJ6EVP9kKy— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) April 15, 2024 We’re fine at this moment
Real wages are also up in the last year. Though that was not the case coming out of the pandemic when higher inflation cancelled out the wage gains and then some. The market now is just reacting to Israel/Iran and the fact that the inflation data was a smidge higher than expected, and consumer spending higher than expected. Wall Street wants a rate decrease and both those monthly reports scream later (fall/winter) rather than sooner (spring/summer).
I'm pretty sure I remember attendances for pro sports holding up well in prior recessions (it's been so long since we've had a traditional one outside of the pandemic phase) but people will cut travel and attend local events instead. Pricing power may take a hit though.
I wouldn’t pay too much attention to unemployment figures for the next decade or so. Boomers are retiring at such a high rate that younger people entering the workforce can’t keep up. This has created a yearly surplus of about 400,000 jobs and it is expected to reach nearly one million jobs left open by. 2033-2035 ish range. It’s going to be a workers market for the foreseeable future. edit: to get this back on topic, hopefully the boomers spend some of that extra time at their closest MLS stadium
We already import workers from Mexico. So much so that people complain non stop that it isn't fair. Although it's mostly summer seasonal work there is a huge uproar they should stay in their own country. Most people just don't understand how much more these workers can earn here instead of back in Mexico just working for a shot time. Sadly they have to travel in the summer heat to where the work is available and usually aren't welcome when they get there but it's all about making big money in the US. Myself, I have no problem welcoming these people but just for a short time in July for seasonal work. Leagues Cup needs workers from Mexico and they deserve the money they earn as they make things here better for MLS
This thread is getting very political, nobody will change anyone's minds because of a posting in a soccer forum, lol. Does anyone know New York City's attendance from Saturday?
I'm a boomer, barely, born in the early 60s. I still have a job for.......7 more months. I'm already spending as much time at the local stadium as I can.