MLS Attendance

Found this item interesting...

http://www.examiner.com/soccer-in-n...w-no-3-sport-usa?cid=dflo-facebook-110311-MLS

In a nutshell, MLS attendance, on a per-game basis, is now higher than the NBA and ranks behind only the NFL and MLB.

Pretty astonishing to think about how far the league has come on that front.

 

That's not bad. It's entirely reasonable to think MLS could jump up as high 6th in a relatively short time.

 

And MLS attendance is higher than that for the NHL and the NBA. I know those are indoor sports with what is typically a lower maximum capacity but they arent at capacity so I think it's a valid comparison. Does that make soccer the third most popular sport in the US?

Now to put on my Debbier Downer cap, if you take Seattle and the expansion teams out of the mix the avg MLS attendance would easily fall below that of the Championship. Attendance in Columbus and San Jose is very disappointing and not helping the case for the smaller markets that have no other major professional league competition. Also, the Columbus sports scene is absolutely dominated by Ohio State athletics, and I dont know how you compete with that in a bad economy. Threaten to move the team to Cleveland and maybe that will wake them up. Actually, the construction crew logo makes much more sense in a working class town like Cleveland than it does in a college, govt. town like Columbus. Cleveland Crew. That'll work.

 

You get your hands off my Crew!

Really impressed with how far MLS has come in the country and it seems to keep growing especially after immediate attendance success for some of the newer expansion teams. I'm very jealous of what is happening in Seattle and Portland.

The Crew has an extremely passionate but small serious following in the city. Given their success and history though, it's a shame the attendance isnt better.

The city is definitely a college football town but the Crew dont really have to compete with that for most of their season. As great as it was to have the first "soccer specific stadium" the location really isnt ideal. It's not the best part of town, the parking lot is a mess and theres really nothing great to check out nearby. The stadium itself is a glorified high school football stadium and does not compare to newer places like RSL, NYRB, Colorado and other stadiums in the works.

Over the past decade, thanks to the Blue Jackets, the Arena district downtown has become the place to be. Tons of restaurants, bars, hotels, and other entertainment all within walking distance. Now the Clippers AAA baseball team has opened up their incredible stadium right in the heart of it too. I really think if the Crew could move downtown "where the action is" there would be more of a buzz for the casual fan and a better overall experience.

Unfortunately I really doubt anything will change in the near future but hopefully they can keep winning and keep the fans they have.