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
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:
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
2 comments:
Good article, while i can't say all the attention given to beckham is bad per se, but it bothers me how much the progress made by the MLS never gets any ink. There are alot of things working for the league. I'm positive about it too.
I was at the Red Bulls street final, and although i didn't at the time see it as a good sign for the MLS, I guess you may have a point. And if not, its still fun to watch!!
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