If we are lucky there will be a television alternative to ESPN or a dedicated ESPN channel that respects the game and doesn't cut in everytime a baseball player scratches his nuts.
no kidding. back to 2020 i think there will 24 teams and the table would look like this EAST WEST Columbus Crew FC Dallas DC United Houston Dynamo New England Revolution Kansas City Wizards New York Red Bulls Los Angeles Galaxy Chicago Fire Colorado Rapids Toronto FC Real Salt Lake Philadelphia Union Chivaz Usa Montreal Impact San Jose Earthquakes Tampa Bay Seattle Sounders FC Atlanta Portland Timbers Miami Vancouver White Caps Charlotte AC St. Louis Division 2 will look like this NASL USL Carolina Railhawks Austin Aztex FC Minnesota Puerto Rico Islanders Rochester Rhinos Pittsburgh Riverhounds Edmonton Drillers Charleston Battery Crystal Palace Baltimore FC New York San Antonio Milwaukee Phoenix Indianapolis Ottawa Orlando Calgary Las Vegas Tulsa Omaha Cleveland San Fransico Cincinnati Buffalo Memphis New Orleans
In 10 years what will it look like? Hopefully still stable and stronger. Better players, better refs, Americans not rushing to play in Denmark the first chance they get. But still not as good as the English Championship in quality - but getting there. A few more teams - 20 to 24, although I'm siding with the lower number. What do I think would be interesting to have in 10 years? A second team in Toronto could be interesting to go along with TFC, Vancouver and Montreal. MLS working with the USSF to make the 2022 World Cup a pivotal and monumental shift in the American mentality regarding soccer. And, finally, maybe New England getting a soccer specific stadium. Oh wait, we're supposed to keep this real, right?
In fact, what I found on a quick search was that baseball had not only not declined in revenue last year. . . but passed the NFL: http://www.plunkettresearch.com/Industries/Sports/SportsStatistics/tabid/273/Default.aspx
yeah but the costs of 120million dollar players....while revenue might be up but what about youth playing the sport in the US? I heard thats where the down turn actually is taking place... 24 teams with a lot more respect for soccer especially after the triangle of death is in the league.... EPL is the best national league in the world, the Spanish league is boring as is the scotish leagu...the model and leave the US should/could would be the Bundesleague which would be awesome. I will say this: MLS will continue to be the top league with the rest of the leagues finally being clear and united for the greater good of the sport.
Considering I'd like to move to Minneapolis/St. Paul eventually, all I'm concerned about is a team in that area by 2020.
I have serious trouble believing that the average NFL team value is 1 million. Seriously, plunkett research my ass.
it wont be the MLS in 2020 it will the the APL american premier league. and usl1 will be teh second tier league
the better question is what will MLS look like in 2025, especially if the US is awarded the WC in 2022. If we get the WC in 2022 the potential for a large increase in daily exposure to soccer in america will be off the charts. if the USMNT does well (like gets out of the group this year, hopefully gets out of the group and gets past the first elimination game at least once in the next 3 WC's) then soccer may be more mainstream. by 2025 the older generation of soccer "haters" (or the old guard, MLB and old crochetties will be irrelevant) will be out of the national media landscape and the younger generation that is more open to different sports like soccer will be in place to support the sport. plus the current generation of 18-25 year olds who are a large portion of the soccer support in this country will be 30-35 by then with kids of their own. they will make up the majority of the money spending society who goes to soccer events and such. so, in all that, i think soccer attendance in 2020 will probably in the 20k-25k range. modest increases, but in 10 years i wouldnt expect other worldly increases in soccer support here. the quality still wont be on par with major european leagues, but i think it will be closer to upper south american teams, maybe league 2 teams in europe. the league will probably be 22 teams, maybe 24. salary cap wise, probably in the 7 million range.
from the awesome time traveling powers instilled in jagermister (I drink it and wake up in the future with little idea how I got there of who the blond girl is in bed with me) I see a future post from big soccer about MLS in the year 2020 n00b soccer guy location: anytown usa supports: Jarrow Roofing boldon community FC, Skynet Googlebook FC Foe: John Conner FC Now that out robot overlords have taken over do you think we will finally have a pro/rel system? It has been a really long time and like I think that the rest of the world laughs at us because we do not have pro/rel like the unified states of Europa I mean that Mars league has only been around for 3 years and they have pro/rel and MLS does not. Though I think Mars football if rubbish because they play on that new mars grass and at lower gravity so the ball just does not bounce right. It is a disgrace really. I hope they come up with some sort of gravity field device that mimics earths gravity, because I do not care how good Brooklyn Beckham is I still think it is rubbish. And he only went to mars because wanted the money, and he does not really care about Bowie Base 1 FC. And I also hear that him and Major Tom do not get along very well so there is all sorts of dust ups in the Space oddities dressing room. Also why do they have such silly nicknames? Space oddities, the total recall, TARDIS FC and the Martians? Why cant they have traditional names like the Galaxy or the Crew. Those are the kinda names I can get behind... And we are back... Seems not much has changed in the future. Well except for our new robot overlords, whom I will welcome with open arms.
To be perfectly honest, I don't see all that many MLS changes by 2020. We will likely be at 20 teams, playing an unbalanced 30 game schedule. The biggest issue facing MLS, and soccer in general, is the current lack of anything in the same zip code as pop culture support. Most American fans don't know what they like, they get told what they like. MTV has become a tween brainwashing network to the point that they can shape pop culture and the views of the young. ESPN does likely the same thing in the sports world. If ESPN continues to grow the sport, we might be in a different ballgame, today that seems unlikely. If MLS is ever going to break thru and achieve the pop culture status that it truly needs to break into the American "Big 4," several important things need to happen. Here comes my list in no real particular order. First, MLS needs a John Madden esque figure. Most NFL fans couldn't stand Madden, and repeatedly mocked his use of the telistrator, (sp) but Madden was incredibly significant. He managed to instill some of the basic x's and o's to those of us who were bewildered, and did it in a way that made it seem simple. Overnight in the 80's, everyone understood the basic mechanics on the gridiron, and we didn't realize that he did it for us. Right now, MLS has no equivilant. Soccer isn't the type of sport that yields well to long commentary, but in a pre-post match setting, a teaching voice to breakdown a good counter, or a pyramid escape, or the proper use and result of a nutmeg will make average viewers more informed. As these plays and patterns develop in future contests, these newly educated fans will start flapping their gums SportsRadio style. Weather that is a good or bad thing is debatable, but having previous soccer haters talking about the sport on its merits can't be. Second, Soccer needs higher profile fans, both in and out of the stadiums. The only high profile fan MLS has really ever had was Tom and Katie, and that was only during Beckham's first season. You never hear about soccer from celebs in other media. You sure aren't going to see any LA Galaxy jerseys on MTV, let alone NY, DC or Columbus. Until MLS can grab the attention of higher profile fans, we're staying right in our little niche. Finally, MLS needs to bridge the gap between youth soccer and the professional game. I'm not sure how to do it either, but all those kids playing soccer, and loving the game, watch other sports on TV. If that gap can be closed, we might be halfway there. MLS has growth potential, but it won't be an easy road. The journey is a difficult one, filled with missteps and issues. A substantial portion of the US fanbase believes soccer is not a sport, but an evil foreign thing that needs to die. They also believe that MLS' demise is right around the corner. The soccer mad section of the American sports fanbse is convinced that soccer is getting ready to take it's proper place in American sports, where the Super Bowl will have to be scheduled so they aren't losing fans to MLS preseason. Obviously, this isn't the case, and won't be any time soon. For me, I would be happy if when I mention that I am a soccer fan, I can stop getting looks like I farted in church.
I agree. However, IMHO, the gap is growing and hardening. The fans in the middle are starting to pick sides. I have found it virtually impossible to be on the fence when it comes to soccer. I considered myself a casual soccer fan until around 2006. As I have enjoyed soccer more and more, I find other sports fairly boring. I can't watch basketball any more. Any sport where a goal is in and of itself meaningless is tedious at best. Soccer is, in a way, similar to Country Music. There aren't a ton of music fans who can "Take it or Leave it" regarding country. Those who love it, won't listen to anything else. Those who aren't fans, can't resist taking a shot at it. Country Music has its own tv and radio stations. They have their own grammys and they like it that way. Soccer is growing in America. That much can't really be legitamitely argued. It is a polarizing sport, and that's what concerns most sports announcers and talking heads, IMHO. Jim Rome doesn't know squat about the sport. Colin Cowherd and Scott Van Pelt really don't get the culture, although they have been trying to be more accepting. Without that figure that makes soccer acceptable to those "in the middle," it will continue to draw a line in the sand.
Soccer can become more popular and more ingrained in our culture as long as it isn't ruined by 'soccerfan'.
Are you in Philadelphia? Because I'd like to know if your experience has something to do with your location, and whether it changes after a few years of Union games. I live in Los Angeles, where we have two MLS teams, and no NFL teams. My experience is a bit skewed, I'm sure. But I have found a rapidly expanding number of "friends of friends of soccer". People who may watch a US Qualifier with friends, who know when we beat Mexico, who are looking forward to "finally making out to an MLS game". Even more so, I'm finding regular sports fans that, more than anything, like a big production and a good show. These people are setting up their HD DVR's for the World Cup just like everyone else. I have found this group to be as big in both San Diego and the Bay Area. So, that subtle momentum of Beckham (and then Anti-Beckham which seemed to do more good for the league in my experience), Seattle's success, Beating Spain and Egypt (and going 2-0 on Brazil before deflating), etc, is taking hold in the U.S. consciousness.
yup I watched a physic they had kids playing soccer on it not baseball or basketball but soccer....plus with Soccer City USA coming into the MLS and the Cascadia Cup coming to the MLS we will crack it wide open!
So, in other words, MLS will have collapsed in about 2017, because they would get 0 TV revenue from September- November, because Div III football gets more TV viewers than MLS, and ESPN will be showing football, and 0 fans in the stands from November-March, because it's too freakin' cold in most of the country for outdoor sports. Utter falderal.
i don't know that i agree with you. i think soccer is growing in popularity, so the two extremes are just getting louder and more dug in on their respective positions, not that either side is really growing its ranks faster then those who lie in the middle. just look at big soccer. those that think soccer is about to conquer the sports scene are in the very small minority. most posters think it will continue to grow in popularity, but have a loooooong road to travel. i have been of the opinion for a long time now, that the success of US Soccer on the big stage is a crucial part of increasing MLS and the sport as a whole's popularity here. i think we are two or three good run's in the WC away from soccer moving to the next level. now that next level is still far from NFL/MLB, but the next level none the less.
Disagree 1000%, every soccer fan I know out in the real world follows at least one of the major US sports if not all of them. I'll never understand this 'You're with us or against us' notion some soccer fans have. Sure Soccer requires a different outlook than say Basketball, but the differences aren't as large as say Basketball to Tennis, yet I can watch the Australian Open in the morning and catch the NBA on ESPN later that same day. There's a huge base of Americans who just love competition so long as they have a vested interest in it. Anyway back on topic, I think soccer itself will be much more legitimate. The World Cup treated if not like the Olympics, at least a high profile Olympic event like Swim/Track/Gymnastics. In other words, very important to the entire country at least once every four years. Qualifying tournaments actually becoming serious news for the people at ESPN. MLS won't be the top sport, but I think it has the capability to either strike even with Hockey or possibly pass it. Best case scenario, it not only becomes the 4th most popular league it is recognized as one of the 4 Major Leagues. As for the other three, I wouldn't beT on it. Passing the NFL in only 10 years is a fantasy, so much would have to occur it's laughable. If the NFL got surpassed I would honestly chalk it up to rampant stupidity by the NFL than genius by MLS. MLB isn't going to be passed so long as they don't find a scandal worse than steroids, sure play among kids is down, but attendance is still high. Their might be a shift in who plays the game, but Americans will still watch it. NBA for as much as it's talked about, still pulls in double digit ratings for the finals when they have the right stars, and or markets in. So long as they avoid a lengthy (they can get away with a short one) labor stoppage MLS isn't touching them anytime soon.
I can see the league growing to 24 teams with much better talent and much better support in the stands and on television, and much better support financially through sponsorships and network rights fees. All done without the use of a single table pro/rel system that some people here think soccer desperatly needs and wants in these parts in order to succeed.