The Big Four Are in Trouble

Major League Soccer is on the rise in America and it seems like most people haven’t noticed. The age old argument of soccer being boring is a copout for people who don’t want to try new things. With the economy being what it is today, it is no longer feasible to bring your entire family out to a “ball game” without spending a ton of money, and even then you’ll most likely end up in the bleachers, far away from all the action. Even if you don’t have a family, it will cost you a good chunk of change to go by yourself because you know you want to have a tasty food or beverage to be a part of the culture. So how close is MLS to breaking into the top four sports and when will you jump on board?

By far, the Earthquakes have the smallest venue (10,525) of the major Bay Area sports. This means you get a much more intimate experience for what you pay. Home games at Buck Shaw Stadium at Santa Clara University is only a temporary solution until Lew Wolff builds his new stadium by the San Jose Airport. Wolff promised the new venue will maintain that intimate feel of a smaller venue, just like Buck Shaw. The Earthquakes’ star, Chris Wondolowski, is currently leading MLS in scoring this season and has won the Golden Boot award for most goals in the league the last two seasons. He also just got called up for a US Men’s National Team tryout. These accolades didn’t keep him from walking by both the north and the south sides of the stadium to easily give high fives, sign autographs and take pictures with adoring fans (see photo above). What other sport has their star player (and best in the league) do that on a game-by-game basis? Imagine the effect of being that close to the star player on a 7 year-old and even getting a picture taken with him.

As for the attendance of games, here is a great site tracking all MLS games across the league and comparing them to last year’s numbers. Let’s see where MLS ranks with the other four big sports:

1. NFL 2011 Average – 67,358
2. MLB 2012 Average* – 30,084
3. MLS 2012 Average* – 18,592
4. NHL 2011-2012 Average – 17,455
5. NBA 2011-12 Average – 17,273

Now I know the NBA and NHL play in arenas so their seating is somewhat limited, but let’s take a look at how their percentage of capacity ranks amongst each other:

1. NHL: 95.3%
2. NFL: 95.2%
3. NBA: 90.2%
4. MLS: 88.3%
5. MLB: 69.7%

Well that puts some things into perspective, doesn’t it? I am actually surprised that the NHL leads all leagues in terms of filling their stadiums and I imagine that number going up once the Phoenix Coyotes are eventually moved. As for MLS, more and more teams are building soccer specific stadiums that will make both the attendance numbers and percentages go up. I can only guess that the rising price for Major League Baseball tickets is making the ball clubs lose the everyday fans with families, bringing their attendance statistics into basement. So go on out to Buck Shaw to watch your San Jose Earthquakes because the big four better watch out – Major League Soccer is on the rise!

*Stats were taken on 5/21/12

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