Who doesn't have cable/dish? And NBC (not it's daughter stations) shows quite a few EPL games during the year.
Maybe. But keep in mind that the NHL is also the domestic league of Canada, which is the most hockey-crazed country in the world. That helps the product a good bit. MLS is mostly relying on an American audience and a largely American player pool.
Absolutely. I think the demand for EPL will motivate MLS and ESPN to get some regularity for it's programming. I hope, anyway.
still half of the nhl which isn't exactly a sport I'd say people are falling over themselves to watch. the clippers tv deal is worth a billion apparently. THE CLIPPERS. all those numbers suggest is that the networks a) need content desperately to fill their ever expanding stations and b) have realized that sports aren't tivoed thru.
one game a week on the broadcast network, the rest on cable. But they almost never show NHL on broadcast. Almost always on cable.
completely agree, but American franchises are still doing fine and mostly drawing on par with their Canadian counterparts.
Perception and reality. NBA is seen as a money maker, and TV seems to be throwing buckets of money at everything that has, in the past, been seen as a big sport. Soccer still suffers from a stigma of "uber niche". imho. And NFL/NBA are kings right now, and don't think they should be brought into the discussion, as they are not germane.
They are, but it's in no small part due to the Canadians in the player pool. MLS is definitely not on level with NHL, but it has more to do with quality of the product than popularity of the sport in the US.
Gracias! I must admit, I have never picked an MLS team. I hope this doesn't make me hypocritical, as I don't want to come across as that. But when you cannot ever see it on TV, how can you become a fan unless you live in one of the cities. Any suggestions for an east Tennessean to pick as a team? I despise New England in all things, so the Revolution are right out!
I'm not sure about those MLS attendance numbers. Real Sports already exposed Chivas USA. They average closer to 2k a game. Minor league teams like Chattanooga FC outdraw them.
I agree the MLS product has to reduce the ticket prices and attendance, but i'm not sure there is a pool of people big enough willing to pay for premiere tickets to have the MLS on par with the NHL revenue wise even with the best players.
I haven't either, for the same reasons. I also don't really like just arbitrarily picking someone. I like going for a team that I have some reason to cheer for. So I think I'm going for the whole "South sticks together" angle: http://mlsatlanta2017.com/
I think if the best players played MLS, attendance and TV revenue would be excellent. Can't say for sure, of course, since it hasn't happened, but this is my suspicion.
not sure. people desperately need content and the networks aren't dumb and do extensive market research on this. actually i'm sure the new MLS contract will be many multiples of the old one. I bet the same will be said of the new nhl contract.
And get in on the ground floor, as well. I like it. I normally loathe all things Atlanta, but they will be close and I can run down for a game or two from time to time.
in my experience most people who follow it do so as a hobby to fill the time before the football season (hell i'd bet most of the supporters here fit in that category). big difference between that and plopping down $4k for season tickets.
Yeah, I don't cheer for any Atlanta sports teams currently either. But the combo of being close enough to get down there every once in a while, being the only team in the Southeast, and the appeal of getting in from the birth of a franchise appeals to me.
