The Four Major Sports that MLS beat in the last three years

Posted on October 31, 2012 by thesoccercrusader

We asked ourselves what are the trends in stadium attendance for the major sports and how is MLS performing on such a dimension.

 

To our surprise, we found out that in the last three years MLS’s average stadium attendance per game increased at a pace more than double than all the other “Big Four” major sports in the U.S.

 

% CHANGE IN AVERAGE STADIUM ATTENDANCE PER GAME

% CHANGE IN AVERAGE STADIUM ATTENDANCE PER GAME

 

So, what would you say is the up-and-coming sport in the U.S.?

 

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MLS vs the “Big Four” major sports in the U.S.

Posted on October 28, 2012 by thesoccercrusader

We continue our series on comparing MLS to other leagues. Today we are looking at the stadium attendance comparison.

 

As we have seen recently, MLS fairs decently, in terms of attendance, with many other established soccer leagues. But, how about competing against the four mainstream domestic sports here in the US – how well is MLS doing? In a way, it is amazing that MLS has already reached this level of popularity. It’s a tough market, no question about it, however, there is definitely interest in the sport! And to prove the naysayers wrong, MLS is on par or even better than the NHL or NBA when it comes to average league attendance. Take a look:

 

MLS vs NFL MLB NHL NBA

MLS vs NFL MLB NHL NBA as of October 2012

 

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Comparing MLS’s Attendance to Other Soccer Leagues

Posted on October 22, 2012 by thesoccercrusader

If you just wonder how MLS’s attendance is comparing to other soccer leagues, the answer is – it fairs pretty well. Considering that it is so much younger than its counterparts, in Europe and elsewhere, it lacks the historical dimension and the deeper meaning. To its credit, MLS has been able to establish strong relations with regional fan bases and is able to attract decent crowds to most games. Here is a comparison to just a handful of soccer leagues:

 

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2012 – The Best Year of MLS?

Posted on October 21, 2012 by thesoccercrusader

If you haven’t paid attention, this year, the 2012 Season, is on track to become the “Best Year of MLS” – again! After last season was, at its time, “Best Year of MLS”, we will record another one. With average attendance well over 18,000 so far, it will beat last year’s numbers of 17,870.

Historically speaking, after starting with a bang, in 1996, recording an average attendance of 17,400, MLS experienced a drop in the number of people coming to the stadiums.  The bottom was hit in 2000, with only an average of 13,756. Although they bounced back, their average attendance only reached the level of that first year in 2011. These numbers are the more encouraging as we have more teams now, and more games played. And we haven’t even started the playoffs yet.

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