I enjoy soccer, especially the Premeir League and the international games, and I don’t seem to be the only one. A report released today suggests that America’s pro soccer league, Major League Soccer, will soon overtake the National Hockey League as the United States’ fourth most popular pro sports league…if they haven’t already.
In 2010, MLS average attendance was 16,675 spectators per game, a 4 percent increase over 2009. The NHL drew an average of 17,072 fans per game last season, a 3 percent drop from the year prior.
With regard to ratings, MLS also is making a surge. The league’s televised 2011 opener between the Galaxy and Sounders on ESPN was up 129 percent in ratings and 112 percent in viewership, drawing 604,000 English-language viewers. The game’s Spanish-language broadcast on ESPN Deportes drew another 79,000 viewers, an increase of 84 percent from a year ago.
Also more popular than the NHL on television: everything. While the American soccer product pales in comparison to the skill level, prestige, and national passion of the European leagues, MLS seems to be getting stronger while the NHL and even NASCAR appear to be losing fans and TV viewers. If only we could get Gary Bettman to run MLS, and sign Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to the Columbus Crew.
![[image]](http://cdn.wl.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/Broken-Leafs-TV-180x180.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.wl.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/ottawa-senators-pesky-back-180x180.png)
![[image]](http://cdn.wl.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/jimmy-fallon-nhl-awards-180x180.png)
![[image]](http://cdn.wl.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/James-Reimers-Wife-180x180.jpg)
I was told there’d be no math….
That said, what is the PERCENTAGE of capacity in attendance for NHL v. MLS? I know the MLS has built some “small” stadiums, but isn’t 17K still about 50% or less capacity? Whereas, the NHL at 17K per game would be about 85%?
And yet one league plays 41 home dates with $100 ticket prices and the other plays less than 20 dates with $25 tickets. Only an idiot would think increasing average attendance would mean it’s close in popularity.
Average NHL arenas hold about 18,000 fans. The numbers in that write up are misleading.
On a related note, soccer in for pussies.
^ also pussys.
Eriq LaSalle thinks it’s real “cute” how y’all bounce that ball off your heads.
i think an re-run of american pickers get more english-language viewers than that… not even close to the same ballpark as the NHL which is sad
haha… that’s right, MLS is doing better. And good on ya punte for saying MLS and not “the MLS.”
As a hockey fan, I sincerely hope Bettman does go and run the MLS.
If more Mexicans played hockey the NHL would be huuuuge. FACT.
Yeah, the average attendance comparison doesn’t mean a thing when you compare stuff like revenue and TV money/time. The NHL is a way bigger deal, MLS is still pretty rinky-dink.
I’d give yeatdog +1, but I go to a lot of hockey games AND I’ve got season tix to my local MLS club. So no Bettman for MLS, pretty please. Garber’s a big enough jacka$$ as it is.
I’m borderline retarded but the Caps are sold out almost every game and are incredibly popular and D.C. United literally gives their tickets away in order to get people there.
Punte you’re retarded. Love soccer and hate hockey all you want but get your fucking facts together….. shit.
Wow, 600000 people out of 300 million watched a soccer game. So less than 1 in 3 million. I’d be jumping for joy at those numbers too. 2 million in Canada alone watched tonight’s Leafs vs Red Wings game. Yeah, hockey’s in trouble. Move the souther teams to places that actually like hockey like Milwaukee or Seattle and some back to Canada and we’ll have an even stronger league. Plus NASCAR is drawing more than in years past. The decline has stopped and with the end of the recession business has picked up again.
MAN did this put people on the defensive. Good on MLS