Will soccer take it place as the second much watch sport in the island. professional baseball is out of the calendar and pretty much of of the heart of PR fans. If inly BSN move to the international schedule (Fall). Soccer will have primacy on the summer scheduled. Do you guys think PR soccer time has come?
I remember watching the WBC and it definitely was not out of the heart of PR fans then. I think you might be hoping a bit.
JEJE LOL, yeah sure we support the NT, BECAUSE OF THE MLB players in it. Now go to a local game of the professional league... o wait, it dosnt exists any more! Its sad that a league that has seen the like of players like Hank Aron, Roberto Clemente, and other hall of famers. Has degraded to what it was last year, CRAP. No attendance, sub par talent, its just sad. The only thing that kept it in the public eye was the wishfully thinking of all the old school reporters that could not realize that the league was already dead. Im not saying the sport itself is dead here, youth teams thrive and AA. But professionally the owners really screwed it up and are the ones to blame. The FPF should act quickly and capitalize on this opportunity to take some fans away from the sport.
Professionally, all the players are going to go where the money is. That's how it is and how it always will be. If a Puerto Rico Islander is offered more money by the Columbus Crew, he will leave and go to the Columbus Crew. At least in baseball's case when that happens, the player is going to the best league in the world, not a case you can make for MLS. San Juan tried to get an MLB team a couple years ago. Pipe dream, sure, but at least they're trying. As for soccer, the entire island has a grand total of one semi-pro team that draws 5000 a game. The level of play for the Puerto Rico Islanders is no better than the level of play at baseball games. I just think you're overreaching. You might as well be saying "ice hockey is down in the United States, maybe lacrosse can capitalize and take some fans away from the sport". For that to happen, lacrosse actually has to be relevant first.
The MLB never had the intention of keeping that team there. But hey they sold out every game. I know futbol is below the baseball, basketball and boxing in preference here, but its growing and anything they can do to snatch fans is a must. This and the constant in fighting in the basketball league can make some fan rethink their sport of choice, and if we can switch them to soccer it would be great. O and the Islanders B and River Plate PR at the armature lvl draw more people in one game than a professional baseball team drew here in a season. In fact i could say volleyball drew much more than them to, and armature baseball, and well any other sport, but with a attendance of 20 per game who wouldn't. The only good thing about the baseball league dying is that River dosnt have to share their stadium anymore.