Growth of Soccer in America

The Rise of Soccer in America


Soccer has been the world’s game for longer than anyone can remember. Forms of the game have been played for at least 3000 years. Nations eat, sleep, dream, and, to put it simply, live soccer (or as any other nation would call it, futbol). How is it then that the people of the United States have whole-heartedly ignored this seemingly eternal pastime of the world? More attention is given to sports such as tennis, golf, and even NASCAR in the United States than what is given to Major League Soccer (MLS). The quality and popularity of this upstart league seams to be a type of applause-o-meter for soccer in America. As MLS goes, soccer goes. Success of a sport in America can generally be gauged by the attendance of its professional events. As attendance increases the amount of media coverage that it receives, and level of competition that it achieves, will also increase. This leads me to ask the question, “What are the consequences of increased growth, both in size and attendance, in Major League Soccer on the overall popularity of soccer in the United States?”
According to the league's website, Major League Soccer was officially announced on December 17, 1993 by World Cup USA 1994 Chairman and CEO Alan I. Rothenberg. This was in fulfillment of promises made by US soccer to FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) that they would have their own Division 1 soccer league either before the World Cup was held, or at the very least soon thereafter. The 1994 World Cup was held and turned out to be a monumental success. The success of the World Cup led directly to the foundation of Major League Soccer and the start of its inaugural season on April 6, 1996. MLS has had its ups and downs, which is to be expected with any type of new business, but from the 2002 World Cup to the present day Major League Soccer has begun to experience a season of growth. Both a steady stream of successful expansion teams and a healthy attendance rate amid rough economic times are seen as stepping stones to the future success of soccer in the United States.
Major League Soccer opened its inaugural season in 1996 with ten teams. In 1998 teams in Miami and Chicago were added to bring the total teams in the league to twelve. However, the league would go through a rough time as attendance numbers began to see all time lows. It seemed that the initial euphoria that came with the new league was beginning to wear off. The league was becoming like that new, anxiously awaited for toy that you got for Christmas. You played with it for a little while, but then the toy lost its appeal and you never played with it again. MLS was losing its appeal in the eyes of the American public, and due to the drop in attendance numbers MLS was forced to cut out the two teams based in Florida, the Tampa Bay Mutiny and the Miami Fusion. This brought the league back to its original ten teams and was considered a major regression for the future of the league. Attendance numbers were on the decline and the loss of the Mutiny and the Fusion was a big step backwards, but it has not seen anything but growth and expansion from that point on.
The 2002 World Cup brought new life to soccer in America. The United States team unexpectedly pulled out wins against traditional powerhouses Mexico and Portugal and advanced to the quarterfinals. The success of the United States on the global stage seemed to trigger a renewed interest in soccer across the nation. The average league attendance in 2001 was 14,312, and in 2002 it had risen to 15,822, an increase of 6% (all attendance numbers were retrieved from the official MLS website). The rise in attendance numbers was not dramatic, but it was significant in that the decline had been stopped and interest was back on the rise.
In 2005 the league expanded again from ten teams to twelve. Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA (Carson, CA) were added to the league and attendance numbers for Real Salt Lake were the second highest in the league at 18,037. In 2006, the San Jose Earthquakes moved to Houston, Texas and became the new Houston Dynamo. 2007 brought expansion beyond the American borders when Toronto FC became the thirteenth team in MLS. In 2008 the San Jose earthquakes returned to the league, and in 2009 the Seattle Sounders entered the league, immediately setting the standard for attendance with an average attendance of 30,943. With the 2010 season underway the Philadelphia Union are now the newest team in the league, and in 2011 the league will expand to a total of 18 teams with the addition of the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Since 2001 the league has seen a tremendous amount of growth, growth that is evident by the addition of 8 new teams located across the United States and Canada.
Since December of 2007 the United States economy has been in a state of recession (1). A recession is generally classified as a period of time when the GDP (gross domestic product), employment, household income, and consumer spending all fall while bankruptcies and the unemployment rate rise. One of the key indicators of a successful sport in America is the attendance that it receives at its events. From the time the league was organized until the time the recession was declared in 2007 the average attendance had risen from 14,619 to 16,770. From 2007 until the end of the last season in 2009 the average attendance has only dropped from 16,770 to 16,039. This dip represents a 4% decrease in attendance since the beginning of the recession.
MLS is not the only league that has been affected by the current economic crisis. In 2007 the National Basketball Association (NBA) posted an average attendance of 22,543. The attendance of the NBA dropped in 2009 to an average of 17,497. Over the same 2-year period the NBA experienced a 22% decrease in average attendance numbers. Additionally, Major League Baseball’s (MLB) attendance was down more than 2,000 fans a game, representing a 6.5% decline. The National Football League, easily the most popular league in America, experienced a record number of television blackouts that were a direct result of low ticket sales. Raymond Sauer, a professor of economics at Clemson said, “with the sudden emergence of the budget-conscious consumer in the midst of the recession, MLS was well placed relative to the big four professional leagues…the fact that the decline was so modest is another piece of evidence pointing to the long term growth potential of soccer in the North American market” (2). Major League Soccer has been able to withstand the effects of this major recession and will assuredly continue to see an increase in attendance when our nation comes out of its current economic crisis.
In order for a sport to be successful in America it needs exposure to the public. Access to media coverage is a crucial factor in increasing the popularity of Major League Soccer. Increased exposure of the sport by local and national media has brought even more success to MLS, and subsequently soccer in general. On March 15, 1994, MLS announced a three-year broadcast agreement with ABC Sports and ESPN that 10 games would be televised on ESPN, 25 games on ESPN2, and the championship game on ABC during the inaugural season. On November 17, 1999 the most comprehensive television package in the history of the league was announced by its new commissioner, Don Garber. This major breakthrough would feature “Soccer Saturdays” on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and a weekly highlight show on ESPN2.
The television contracts would begin to expand to other nations when on April 1, 2003 Fox Sports International reached a four-year agreement with MLS to nationally televise 25 regular season games and eight playoff games per season on Fox Sports World. This agreement would extend beyond American borders and would broadcast games in Latin America and the Middle East. On July 27, 2006 another five-year agreement was made between MLS and Fox Soccer Channel, which would include a Saturday night game of the week to be broadcast nationally. In addition to this announcement, on August 4 of the same year the league announced a new eight-year agreement with ESPN and ABC, an agreement that would include MLS Primetime Thursdays.
The continued agreements between nationally recognized sports media authorities, such as ESPN and ABC, ensured that MLS matches would be seen across the country. As the league progressed, the length of these agreements increased. Just as is the case with any long-term agreement, it was made on the basis of stability and future prospective growth. The 2007 season was the first in league history that saw every single regular season match televised live, and many of them were shown nationwide. It was also the first season since the league’s onset that television rights were sold to networks for a profit. Prior to this season MLS had paid to have its games televised.
The quality of the league was improving, and that quality was being recognized not only by television networks across America, but also by international networks. In 2008 MLS signed a new international television broadcast contract with MP & Silva through 2013. It was reportedly an eight-figure deal that would cover the “rights to all MLS games, tournaments and events, MLS Cup playoffs, and MLS Cup…” (3). As the quality and popularity of the league began to increase, the amount of media coverage that it received also began to increase. Not only was soccer gaining recognition in the American media, but it also began to garner attention internationally. The CEO of MP & Silva (an Italian based company), Carlo Pozzali, said that, “high profile, international players who were lured to MLS by the designated player rule have raised the international awareness and potential for popularity of MLS in international markets.” (3).
In an effort to increase the quality of soccer that was being played, and the level of competition in the league, MLS passed a regulation in 2007 called the “designated player” rule which has been nicknamed the Beckham rule. This rule allows each team in the league to sign one player whose salary would not count towards that teams salary cap. This rule allows teams to compete for the opportunity to sign lucrative top-tier international talents to their teams, players like David Beckham. These top players, the league hoped, would bring international attention to the league. In addition to raising the level of competition on the field, a number of these stars peaked the interest of soccer fans that had not yet bought into MLS. Followers of the European leagues would come to matches to see David Beckham, while those who followed Mexican leagues would come out to see Cuauhtémoc Blanco. Efforts to bring international flare, talent, and attention to the American people did not end with the designated player rule.
Not only did MLS attract individual players to the U.S., but it also began attracting entire international teams to come play exhibition games against MLS rosters. In the summer of 2009 four of the top soccer clubs in the world (Chelsea FC, AC Milan, FC Internazionale Milano and Club America) came to the U.S. in the first ever World Football Challenge. In six games in stadiums across the United States these exhibition games drew an average attendance of 56,136. The American people are ready for soccer. As MLS continues to grow the potential for soccer in the United States is limitless.
The expansion of Major League Soccer, both in size and attendance, increases the popularity of soccer in the United States, because MLS growth increases the demand for media coverage and improves the level of competition. The reason that Americans love football, basketball, baseball and even hockey so much is because when you go to one of those games you are getting the very best quality. MLS is a very young league, but as the quality continues to improve, and the league continues to grow, the popularity of soccer in the United States will continue to rise.


References

1. Isidore, Chris (2008). It's official: Recession since Dec. '07. CNNMoney.com. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/01/news/economy/recession/index.htm

2. Dyer, Kristian (2009). MLS remains well-positioned despite recession. ESPN.com. MLS Notebook. Retrieved from http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=687260&cc=5901

3. Mickle, Tripp (2008). MLS sells international TV right to MP & Silva. Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal. Retrieved from http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/61013

History of US Soccer

The U.S. Soccer program began in 1913 as the United States Football Association and it has been known by 3 different names. From 1913-1944 it was known as the U.S. Football Association, from 1945-1973 as the U.S. Soccer Football Association, and from 1974 to the present as the U.S. Soccer Federation.

The US Soccer Federations Mission Statement is simple: to make soccer, in all its forms, a preeminent sport in the United States and to continue the development of soccer at all recreational and competitive levels.

The U.S. National team has had a long string of success in its history. From its inception the team has qualified for 19 consecutive FIFA outdoor world championships before the Under-23 national team missed out on the Olympics in 2004. Despite this success they have had very little success in the World Cup. In 1989 the Mens team hadn't played in a World Cup in 40 years and the Womens team was only 4 years old. From these early, rough, beginnings the team and US Soccer have seen a lot of overall growth. Currently the men's team is currently ranked 16th in the world, 1st in the CONCACAF region, and has appeared in the last 5 World Cup competitions.

The History of US Soccer has seen few wins on the National Stage, but there are a few that stand out to me:

In 1950, the United State defeated England 1-0 in what is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in the history of soccer. This video is in German, but it is the only one I could find. (Enjoy it Kalle!!)




The next historic event in US Soccer would be the surprise run to the 2002 World Cup Quarterfinals.



I think that this next video really shows just how far the US has come in the eyes of the world. The German powerhouse was thoroughly outplayed. The US showed that they belonged on the national stage.




In recent years, the US has continued to show that they can not only compete with the elite teams of the world, but beat the elite teams of the world. In 2009, the United States defeated Spain, the #1 team of the world, in the Confederations Cup in South Africa.



America has come a long way from its small beginnings, but big wins on even bigger stages have brought consistent success to American soccer

Soccer Specific Stadiums

Stadiums Beginning to Dot North America

Major League Soccer is growing. Another evidence of this growth is the continued increase in the number of soccer specific stadiums across the US (and Canada). One the league was first organized they borrowed fields from other leagues. Many teams would play in NFL and college football stadiums. As the league began to mature and develop the recognized the increasing need for their own identity, which included the neccasary construction of soccer specific stadiums.

Their are now 8 venues that were designed and constructed specifically for soccer matches:

On May 15, 1999, Columbus Crew stadium became the first soccer specific stadium in the league. Built in Clumbus, Ohio Columbus Crew Stadium cost $28.5 million to construct and was covered entirely by private funds from oil billionaire Lamar Hunt. It seats 20,455.

In June of 2003, the Home Depot Center was opened in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by the Anschutz Entertainment Group. For a meager $150 million this stadium is home to both the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA. It seats a capacity crowd of 27,000 and is one of the finest stadiums in the league.

On August 6, 2005 City of Frisco opened their new $80 million Pizza Hut Park. It is home to FC Dallas and has a capacity of 21,193.

June 11, 2006 saw the opening of the 20,000 seat Toyota Park in Chicago, IL. This $100 million stadium is home to the Chicago Fire.

On April 7, 2007 the doors opened in Dicks Sporting Goods Park located in Commerce City, CO. This $131 million stadium can seat 18,086 and is home to the Colorado Rapids.

On April 28, 2007, just a few weeks after Dicks Sporting Goods Park was opened in Colorado, a 21,800 seat gem was opened in Toronto, Canada. BMO Field is home to Toronto FC and was built for $62.5 million.

Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah was opened on October 9, 2008 after a long $115 million construction process. It is home to Real Salt Lake and has a capacity of 20,008.

On March 20, 2010 the newest soccer specific stadium, Red Bull Arena, was opened to a raucous crowd and a 3-1 victory for the NY Red Bulls over Brazil's Santos squad. This massive $180-$200 million undertaking that can seat 25,189 is located in Harrison, NJ.

In addition to these 8 soccer specific stadiums the league has plans for 3 more stadiums to be completed in Philadelphia (2010), Kansas City (2011), and Portland (2011).


The commissioner of MLS, Don Garber, has been very adamant that expansion teams must have plans for a soccer-specific stadium in place before being granted a franchise in the league. These soccer specific stadiums are bringing fans into an atmosphere that is much easier to enjoy the game. New stadium designs are beginning to equal or even surpass many other world class soccer stadiums. Rio Tinto Stadium and Red Bull Arena, both designed by Rossetti architects, have a heavy European flare to them and are drawing large crowds.

As the league continues to grow the number of soccer specific stadiums will continue to increase. Each team needs a place to call home, a place to call their own. These spccer specific stadiums are adding character and flare to the league in addition to a place to play.