Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It will be a long time before any league challenges the NHL for #4, probably never.
Soccer need to defend its market share against Lacrosse, which at least in the Northeast seem to be on roughly equal footing.
Soccer (MLS) will probably beat out the NHL in the next decade or so. Is hockey getting anymore popular than it is now? It'll never gain popularity in the south, yet soccer will continue to grow, much to do with our changing demographic.
Soccer (MLS) will probably beat out the NHL in the next decade or so. Is hockey getting anymore popular than it is now? It'll never gain popularity in the south, yet soccer will continue to grow, much to do with our changing demographic.
I would say Hockey is getting more popular in the South, Arizona in the last 20 years has gotten an NHL team, and in 2015-16 got a DI College Hockey Team, and the Coyotes may be moving their affiliate to Tucson.
Nashville is a pretty strong market, as is Tampa Bay (who has hosted 2 frozen 4's in 5 years) for the NHL.
Just saying, the Revolution for example have made multiple MLS cups, and you only hear of it after the fact, basically nobody cares about MLS, at least in the Northeast. The Revolution are more on par with the Boston Cannons (MLL) than the Bruins or Celtics.
What is the 4th sport if people don't count MLS..? I guess if you live up north you might make a claim for the NHL.
The NHL is popular in a lot of places.
Quote:
Originally Posted by annie_himself
Soccer (MLS) will probably beat out the NHL in the next decade or so. Is hockey getting anymore popular than it is now? It'll never gain popularity in the south, yet soccer will continue to grow, much to do with our changing demographic.
Um...nope. Americans that are into soccer follow the EPL and or the Bundesliga and in the case of Mexicans the Mexican League. The MLS is just kind of there to get their fill of soccer during the off-season for the big boy leagues.
Sports teams in general aren't a necessity. I don't know why anyone makes THAT much of a big deal about it. It's mostly just for civic pride and really only benefits the owner(s) of the team and not the people. And don't get me wrong, I am NOT "anti-sports". Hell, I wish Fort Worth had an NBA team. But sports aren't really a need to make a city better. It's just a bonus.
And there are four major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) with Major League Soccer basically being the 5th Beatle.
Sports teams in general aren't a necessity. I don't know why anyone makes THAT much of a big deal about it. It's mostly just for civic pride and really only benefits the owner(s) of the team and not the people. And don't get me wrong, I am NOT "anti-sports". Hell, I wish Fort Worth had an NBA team. But sports aren't really a need to make a city better. It's just a bonus.
And there are four major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) with Major League Soccer basically being the 5th Beatle.
Some times though, the fans really take ownership of the team. For example in 2000 or so the Red Sox wanted to leave Fenway and the Fans basically told management "NO" and then they didn't leave.
It will be a long time before any league challenges the NHL for #4, probably never.
Soccer need to defend its market share against Lacrosse, which at least in the Northeast seem to be on roughly equal footing.
As a lacrosse fan, I would love the MLL/NLL to become the set #6 sport/league. But the NLL has been stuck at 9 teams for several seasons thanks to folding, plus several teams have been relocated the past few seasons. Meanwhile the MLL had a record championship game attendance last year but still averaged like 4,300 fans per game, one of their lowest averages in league history.
As a lacrosse fan, I would love the MLL/NLL to become the set #6 sport/league. But the NLL has been stuck at 9 teams for several seasons thanks to folding, plus several teams have been relocated the past few seasons. Meanwhile the MLL had a record championship game attendance last year but still averaged like 4,300 fans per game, one of their lowest averages in league history.
That's why I said "at least in the Northeast" because that is where
1) Lacrosse is most popular
2) Soccer is least popular
For example the Boston Cannons (MLL) draw about 9,000 per game. The New England Revolution are about 15,000. They both have similar TV presence, as opposed to Celtics/Bruins/Sox which have their own Television Channels and the Patriots who are nationally televised for every game.
The Buffalo Bandits (NLL) draw about 15,000 per game (and often sell out against Rochester)
Overall, Lacrosse is probably 10 years behind Soccer, but it varies by region.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
