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When I lived in the United States I would actually watch MLS games all season and in the postseason, would even attend games at home when I had time.
The MLS is a very infant sports league, you can tell by just watching 1 game in person, the level of talent and the coaching is FAR behind other countries. If you want a sample, try watching some of the Mexican soccer league teams once in a while and then an MLS game and you'll automatically notice the difference. There's a reason why the MLS has a reputation for attracting washed up European and Latin soccer players when they are no longer productive in their respective leagues in their respective countries, they make their way to the MLS because it extends their careers some because the level of competition and talent they have to go up against is generally much weaker in the MLS and the United States. The other thing is, teams that are dead last in their conference in the MLS can still pull up to get the #1 seed or #2 seed before the end of the regular season through the course of the season and then win the championship in the postseason (the MLS Cup). That sort of thing doesn't happen in the MLB or NBA, at all, as that would be too much ground to make up but in the MLS almost every team is only separated by a thin hair with regard to production capabilities.
I really like soccer but the MLS is still in its infancy stage. That isn't to discredit it as the MLS is only 20 years old (or 20 years young) and the other major sports leagues in contrast have been around for a lifetime in comparison. In many ways MLS is ahead of them at where it is at in year 20 than where those sports leagues were in year 20 but it will take decades more for the MLS to ingratiate itself into the American consciousness and become a substantial league.
Since moving to London, I've stopped watching MLS games through the course of a full season. Now I watch maybe 1-2 games a season, usually the MLS Cup, because our soccer league here is more talented and exhilarating. You get your times worth watching real professional caliber soccer in a competitive matchup here, you still don't get much of that in the MLS in the United States. It will come, someday, but it will take a while for it to get there.
Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
2,014 posts, read 5,098,986 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dallasgoldrush
Correct on both counts.
First year attendance figures are misleading. Once you get past the "honeymoon" phase of finally having a much-desired franchise, attendance levels out. The attendance figures after a few years are a more reliable indicator of the fan base.
Plus Atlanta does have a reputation as a fickle sports town. Their passion for their sports franchises just doesn't seem to be as strong as it is in many other places. I know they have a lot of transplants, but other places with large numbers of transplants still have rabid fan bases for certain sports, e.g. Denver with the Broncos, Dallas with the Cowboys, Los Angeles with the Lakers, New York with the Yankees, San Antonio with the Spurs, etc.
That stereotype about Atlanta only really applies to the Hawks IMO. They may not be the Yankees or Cowboys, but the Braves and Falcons have a passionate, visible amount of fans. There is a clear noticeable difference between those 2 fan bases and the Hawks fan base when it comes to interest, visibility, and "heated debates."
Actually what you meant to say was "Thanks for buying all those Wiz tickets 20 years ago and getting us through the lean years"
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