How MLS Is Making American Soccer
Call it outreach, or call it just darned good marketing, but American soccer is gaining momentum both in terms of talent and fan base. It is a palpable movement, especially for those of us already tuned in, and our thanks should go mostly to the folks at MLS. Gaining ground ain’t easy in a sports market saturated with coverage of every professional event possible. Not too long ago those Bass Fishing competitions were getting more air time on ESPN then MLS was. After a day out on the lake my dad was having his trout and eating it too. But, maybe working their way up from the bottom of the competition has forced MLS to seek such creative solutions as it has. And ain’t that what American-style capitalism is all about?
The fact of the matter is that MLS is winning on two fronts. On one hand they are directly participating in youth development programs; reaching potential talent at an early age and growing our domestic talent pool. On the other hand they are making American soccer more universally popular. Although, I didn’t think I’d have to bring it up, the new “Designated Player rule” – or Beckham Rule if you must- will make MLS contracts more attractive to foreign players already ripe with talent and celebrity status. And since we all love a star here, they will be treated as such. Let’s just hope they don’t all move to Los Angeles.
Call any team box office this year and you’ll find that season ticket sales are already at an all time high. Yes, this is largely because of the credibility Mr. David Beckham brings to the league, but don’t let it over shadow the efforts of MLS. They were building a loyal fan base even before Beckham. This fan base was coming largely from the Hispanic community. In fact MLS was one of the first organizations that saw potential in the growing Latino population. By 2000, a marketing plan was already under way, bringing Mexican soccer stars to play in the MLS, and strategically locating stadiums near large Hispanic communities, see: Houston, Columbus, Dallas, and Los Angeles. Those strategies are working, and the addition of Chivas USA, Hispanic Heritage Nights, and televised games on Univision is the MLS marketing department showing off.
Bringing both the American suburban soccer fan and Hispanic fan together to the games is a priority for MLS (an issue that will be addressed in a future edition of Pitch Perspective). Making soccer American will require a fan base that would reflect a cross-section demographic sample of the United States. It seems like the league already knows this and so now they are also reaching out to the inner-city fan as well with “Street Football” competitions. This style of play endorses the creativity, flexibility, and finesse that some say American soccer lacks. If the successful turnout at the New York Red Bulls Futbol De Calle event is any indicator, then us soccer fans should be pretty optimistic about the future of American soccer. Which is nice, because after all, everyone should be root, root, rooting for their home team….
