JMA Wireless Dome Transformation Project Continues

[IthacaMatt]

How does assigned bench seating work when nearly 1/2 the population is obese? I can imagine the last person sitting down and the person on each end falling off.

It's awful, especially for basketball, since everyone has a big coat to stuff somewhere or sit on.

 

[elimunelson]

Premier League television ratings are up 79% in the last 10 years. Average viewership is just under 500k per game, whereas the average NCAA basketball regular season game draws about half of that.

The summer tours of the US outdraw the regular attendance for these teams at home in Europe.

MLS attendance is up 25-30% in the last couple years, and teams draw about 25,000 per game, which is better than the NBA. Messi, of course, is going to explode that demand.

Apple just invested $2.5 billion to broadcast MLS for the next 10 years. NBC paid $2.7 billion for 6 years of the Premier League.

Last year's World Cup Final between Argentina and France drew more than 25 million viewers in the US. That's more than double the viewership for last year's World Series. It is also more people than watched the NCAA football championship game.

And although the viewership is still puny, in the US we can now also watch Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and Ligue Un, although those numbers will undoubtedly rise, as more and more USMNT players play overseas.

The NFL and the Super Bowl are really the only sports events in the US that are still bigger than soccer.

Soccer is the sport of the present finally after decades of being in the future.

I would guess at some point the MLS will figure out a way to make the Europa league a worldly league cup so they can be directly in comp with the EPL teams in some sort of cup competition. It won't be the Champions League but something will happen to unlock more of the american market to the EPL. Maybe the EPL does one neutral weekend in season in the states as well.

It's exploding in popularity

 

[IthacaMatt]

Soccer is the sport of the present finally after decades of being in the future.

It's exploding in popularity

The Copa America in the US next year and then the World Cup 2 years later is going to blow the roof off the sport in the US. Imagine if we make the Semifinals of Copa America next year. It could set the foundation for a great World Cup.

 

[David321]

No matter how popular soccer gets our household will always be a college football one. Nothing beats the excitement of college football.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

W

The Copa America in the US next year and then the World Cup 2 years later is going to blow the roof off the sport in the US. Imagine if we make the Semifinals of Copa America next year. It could set the foundation for a great World Cup.

Wake me up when MLS is the best league in North America. Then wake me up again when it is the best leagues in the America’s. Then wake me up again when it is a Top 5 league in the world.

People don’t want to watch the minor leagues. MLS is decades away from being relevant in the US.


BTW

Mean MLS attendance is 19,625. That is small for a soccer crowd. MLB is 30,650 and they have more than 4x the number of games. NBA is about 17,725 but also has over 2x the games and a lot of mid week games.

 

[Scooch]

Soccer is a ton more popular in the US than it was a generation ago. But it’s nowhere close to the popularity of the NFL, NBA, MLB and college football. There’s no comprehensive set of data that disputes that.

And that’s fine. Soccer’s on a tear and it’ll only get more popular as the country continues to diversify.

 

[upperdeck]

What would fball attendance be if they hhad 5-6 games a week.
What would soccer attendance be if they had huge numbers of $2-500+ level tickets.

Its like HS where 500-1000 attend a game that costs between free and $5 in many places vs $50-100 a ticket.

 

[OrangeDW]

Attention spans are getting worse. A sport where 0-0 draws happen is not going to cut it.

 

[Newhouser]

I'm in my 50s and have been hearing about this soccer takeover forever. With so many media outlets it is definitely making inroads but don't see the takeover in my lifetime. Orange DW is right - tough watch as attention spans dwindle.

 

[JRHEETER]

Boy you can tell the general age of posters on this forum…


Soccer is easily one of the more popular sports for the younger generations and is absolutely surging.

It currently isn’t the most popular in the United States. But it’s progress is very steady.

For many people over the age of say 40, they will never understand the thrill of Soccer.

There’s a reason these media companies are paying big dollars to show soccer in America and it’s not for the aging population in America. It’s for the younger generations.

With COPA and World Cup coming to the US over the next few years, you’re going to see a massive SPIKE especially if the United States can perform very well.

 

[upperdeck]

I think there is much confusion because people look at who plays a sport as a sign of who watches a sport..

in the US how many watch fball who never played the sport vs how many watch soccer vs who played soccer

Other parts of the world its a culture.. Inside the US its not.

Soccer is basically 20 punts a game fball 50% of the games.

I played just enough soccer to enjoy it and I do watch the bigger events. But its way behind the other sports unless its the really big event.

 

[shandeezy7]

Boy you can tell the general age of posters on this forum…


Soccer is easily one of the more popular sports for the younger generations and is absolutely surging.

It currently isn’t the most popular in the United States. But it’s progress is very steady.

For many people over the age of say 40, they will never understand the thrill of Soccer.

There’s a reason these media companies are paying big dollars to show soccer in America and it’s not for the aging population in America. It’s for the younger generations.

With COPA and World Cup coming to the US over the next few years, you’re going to see a massive SPIKE especially if the United States can perform very well.

I think it's more a pushback on the constant drone for the past 30+ years from soccer fans about its growth in popularity. It's quite obvious that it has grown in popularity, but it's still firmly behind MLB, NBA, College Football and NFL. Using viewership numbers for a once every 4 years event versus a mid-week NBA game is disingenuous. As is comparing attendance numbers across sports when the number of games per season varies vastly, as do stadium/arena sizes. I think you'll continue to see growth, but more of the slow and steady variety than any massive spikes, despite the upcoming World Cup.

 

[OrangeDW]

Boy you can tell the general age of posters on this forum…


Soccer is easily one of the more popular sports for the younger generations and is absolutely surging.

It currently isn’t the most popular in the United States. But it’s progress is very steady.

For many people over the age of say 40, they will never understand the thrill of Soccer.

There’s a reason these media companies are paying big dollars to show soccer in America and it’s not for the aging population in America. It’s for the younger generations.

With COPA and World Cup coming to the US over the next few years, you’re going to see a massive SPIKE especially if the United States can perform very well.

To play? Or to watch?

I know some people that like going to watch that indoor, arena soccer stuff which is a whole different dynamic.

Other than once every 4 years, I’ve never heard anybody in life talk about watching regular soccer on TV.

 

[FrancoPizza]

The obsession about the rise of soccer is weird and comes across as desperate.

1-0 games won’t cut it.

Women’s soccer will occasionally drive male viewers when there’s a new Alex Morgan. But that’s not the sport talking.

 

[elimunelson]

Soccer is a ton more popular in the US than it was a generation ago. But it’s nowhere close to the popularity of the NFL, NBA, MLB and college football. There’s no comprehensive set of data that disputes that.

And that’s fine. Soccer’s on a tear and it’ll only get more popular as the country continues to diversify.

I look at my household where my son is an Arsenal fan #1, Syracuse hoops #2 and then Celtics #3. After that it's curiousity. The big one he isn't that into is Patriots football. Not sure how that happened.

Again, miniscule data set but it's eye opening that his buddies all have an EPL they root for and are super into it. It doesn't hurt that I lived in London and was a huge fan (and imported my interest full on).

Just think things happen slowly and then suddenly. The soccer popularity is between slowly and suddenly in this country finally.

 

[upperdeck]

I look at my household where my son is an Arsenal fan #1, Syracuse hoops #2 and then Celtics #3. After that it's curiousity. The big one he isn't that into is Patriots football. Not sure how that happened.

Again, miniscule data set but it's eye opening that his buddies all have an EPL they root for and are super into it. It doesn't hurt that I lived in London and was a huge fan (and imported my interest full on).

Just think things happen slowly and then suddenly. The soccer popularity is between slowly and suddenly in this country finally.

will he be an arsenal fan when they suck?

 

[FrancoPizza]

will he be an arsenal fan when they suck?

Oh no, they might get boatraced 2-0!

 

[SU68]

Meh

 

[orangecuse]

Attention spans are getting worse. A sport where 0-0 draws happen is not going to cut it.

I couldn't agree more. And, for the life of me, I'll never get the soccer deal.

About a month back or so, my wife was offered 4 tickets to a Charlotte FC game at BoA Stadium here in Charlotte against Montreal. My mid-twenties nephew is pretty into it, so she was taking him along with our teenage niece...I reluctantly tagged along.

Good lord...I was bored out of my mind, and yes, the game ended in a 0-0 draw. It's a complete disconnect for me how so many folks can get so excited during a game with simply 'an almost,' or potential of something happening 99% of time. Only for that moment to quickly vanish, and, the reality of nothing truly happening at all.

 

[Cuse181]

Boy you can tell the general age of posters on this forum…


Soccer is easily one of the more popular sports for the younger generations and is absolutely surging.

It currently isn’t the most popular in the United States. But it’s progress is very steady.

For many people over the age of say 40, they will never understand the thrill of Soccer.

There’s a reason these media companies are paying big dollars to show soccer in America and it’s not for the aging population in America. It’s for the younger generations.

With COPA and World Cup coming to the US over the next few years, you’re going to see a massive SPIKE especially if the United States can perform very well.

I dont disagree entirely, but I will say that companies are paying out the wazoo for soccer because there is a finite amount of live sports broadcast rights.

 

[Cuse4455]

Two years ago I went to a UNC football game, they have seats similar to what we are getting... They are somewhat comfortable, but if you have a boney butt bringing a seat cushion might help. The worst seats were the ones on the corners, if your current seat is one of those good luck, your knees and the person next to you will be banging together lol.

 

[UnknownOrange]

hey guys -- what are we doing here lol take the soccer chat elsewhere

 

[upperdeck]

I couldn't agree more. And, for the life of me, I'll never get the soccer deal.

About a month back or so, my wife was offered 4 tickets to a Charlotte FC game at BoA Stadium here in Charlotte against Montreal. My mid-twenties nephew is pretty into it, so she was taking him along with our teenage niece...I reluctantly tagged along.

Good lord...I was bored out of my mind, and yes, the game ended in a 0-0 draw. It's a complete disconnect for me how so many folks can get so excited during a game with simply 'an almost,' or potential of something happening 99% of time. Only for that moment to quickly vanish, and, the reality of nothing truly happening at all.

hockey has 0-0 scores with 100 chances to score.. soccer often has 2-3.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Attention spans are getting worse. A sport where 0-0 draws happen is not going to cut it.

Club soccer rarely has zero zero matches.

Soccer is the quickest sport to finish a game in real time and has no timeouts. Wouldn’t that help with low attention people?

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Boy you can tell the general age of posters on this forum…


Soccer is easily one of the more popular sports for the younger generations and is absolutely surging.

It currently isn’t the most popular in the United States. But it’s progress is very steady.

For many people over the age of say 40, they will never understand the thrill of Soccer.

There’s a reason these media companies are paying big dollars to show soccer in America and it’s not for the aging population in America. It’s for the younger generations.

With COPA and World Cup coming to the US over the next few years, you’re going to see a massive SPIKE especially if the United States can perform very well.

US participation rates have always been high. Can’t use that as a factor.

Again no one wants to see minor leagues. If MLS can become a Top 5 league, it could take off. But we are very very far from that, especially in a one owner system. The World Cup won’t change that.