Major League Soccer, also called "football light" by soccer fans throughout the world, has been the bane of most American sports fans since the league's inception nearly a decade ago. While the rest of the world revels in the historical prowess of "the great leagues" such as the English Premier League, the Italian League or the famous UEFA Champions' League, the MLS has thus far been unable to garner any respect, at home or abroad.
In our own Salt Lake City, we find a prime example. While the fans of Real Salt Lake have been enthusiastic for a team that has yet to qualify for postseason play in its three-year existence, the numbers of that fan base have been less than impressive.
Last Saturday the "Beckham effect" drew a record-setting 25,500 fans to Rice-Eccles Stadium, most of them with the desire to watch the English "football superstar" now with the L.A. Galaxy. The attendance was the third largest in RSL history, and the "largest for a regular season game, not including double-headers," according to RSL staff members.
Such attendance "records" would baffle European soccer fans, however. In the Champions League, FC Barcelona claims the crown for crowds-drawn, averaging 87,000 fans per game, with a record over 260,000. Real's "record setting" attendance places them among the average crowd-gatherer of "Champions League powerhouses" Shakhtar Donetsk and Steaua Bucuresti. Both teams claim last place in their respective league groups. Also, Donetsk and Bucuresti are ranked 23rd and 24th, respectively, in the league in terms of attendance for the '07-'08 season.
Similar numbers for Spain's La Liga reveal a slightly better viewpoint for MLS fans across the world. While Real Madrid draws the greatest number of fans, averaging well over 70,000 per match, RSL's recent figures would place them close to the "unofficial average attendance," determined by ESPN.com, of 28,960. That means RSL's 25,500 would rank them neck-and-neck with the "famous" Deportivo La Coruña, which averages 25,166 fans per game.
What accounts for this lack of fans for "American soccer"? If the rest of the world is in love with the sport, shouldn't Americans be out to best "the rest of the world" in terms of fanhood?
While no clear answer to the above question has yet been offered, it seems highly unlikely soccer's popularity in the United States will dramatically increase in the next several years. While the growth of the sport around the world, including within the confines of this country, has been unprecedented, the numbers mentioned earlier point to a long, winding road for the American soccer fan.
That is not to say the MLS lacks talent, of course. L.A.'s Landon Donovan, Chicago's Cuauhtemoc Blanco and defensive shot-blocker Jon Busch are among the best soccer players in the world.
The talent of these MLS superstars leads one to believe that soccer in the United States is on an upward trend. But the trend isn't moving fast enough. The head start European and Latin American fan bases have on U.S. teams is astounding. New sports don't achieve renowned popularity by themselves; they require financial incentive.
As a 'wise man' once said, "It's all about the Benjamins." And the "Benjamins" aren't there for Major League Soccer. European football is the most popular sport in the world, with captivated audiences from Germany to Chile to South Korea. But it has failed to catch on as a main attraction in the United States. Most professional sports require a lot of money, both to fund a playing field, coaching and playing staff of each team, and pay other team personnel. Soccer, therefore, is no exception.
But most MLS teams can't even afford to pay their players a comparable salary to the rest of professional sports. Beckham rakes in $6.5 million, but his salary is an exception, by far, compared to other MLS stars. Cuautemoc Blanco is one of the next highest ranking MLS players, with "only" $2.6 million. And Donovan, despite holding the title of league's leading scorer, will "only" make $900,000. RSL's highest-salaried player, Javier Morales, is paid a "meager" $240,000 for the 2008 season.
And as if the low salary cap weren't enough, many teams don't even own their own stadiums. RSL currently plays all home matches at the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium. D.C. United plays in a ballpark that was originally home to the NFL's Washington Redskins, and the MLB's Washington Senators. Even the highly-touted L.A. Galaxy is forced to share the Home Depot Center with CD Chivas USA.
If soccer fans, both international and domestic, want their favorite sport to catch on in the United States, they need to make their voices heard through the megaphone of their wallets. Buy mom the "perfect mother's day gift" of RSL tickets. Grab your checkbook for season tickets for the 2009 season. Do something and put your money where your mouth is.
Copyright Brigham Young University 9 May 2008
