If not already, you may soon have a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise in your neck of the woods.....that is if you are willing to pay for it.
While the popularity of soccer still lags behind other major US sports, both ESPN and Fox reported a significant uptick in viewership this past year. There are currently 22 MLS franchises, but there are many, many more on the way. MLS commissioner Don Garber plans to move to 26 team league by the year 2020, with a final total of 28 a few years thereafter. Here is map of the 12 cities that submitted bids for a new MLS franchise:
Apparently Mr. Garber has yet to read the NHL playbook on this sort of rapid expansion. Years ago the NHL did this exact same thing, expanding into non-traditional markets that failed to support teams. Even today many believe that the pool of NHL talent around the globe fails to support 30 NHL teams and has lead to the watering down of a once competitive sport. Certainly these times don't compare to collapse of the North American Soccer League, but the USMNT is still struggling to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Is there really enough local talent to support all these teams? Or are we simply going to fill the roster with aging stars past their prime? I am sure fans would love to pay for that.
Well, at least some people have come to their senses. Two of the bid cities, San Diego and Charlotte, tabled measures that would put the cost of building/renovating a stadium to host an MLS franchise on local taxpayers. Both cities have decided that city/county residents shouldn't be forced to shoulder the risk of these multi-million dollar ventures via property and sales taxes. This should not come as a shock, as the residents of San Diego refused to pay for a new stadium to keep the NFL's Chargers in town. Yet, the civic leaders still felt they would support a fledgling MLS franchise? Yeah, that sounds reasonable.
While fans may be watching more soccer on television, I am not so sure they care to pay to see it in person. Best to pay close attention to your election ballot this Fall or you might end up paying for it....unless you really like soccer.
Sources:
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2017/03/06/In-Depth/Main.aspx
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2017/03/06/In-Depth/Bid-cities.aspx