Colin Cowherd believes that MLS will be more popular than NHL in 2 yrs.

[Phantomphan]

This argument comes after every World Cup, that soccer is going to have a big boom in the US. Never happens.

Can anyone really see the MLS filling the Big House in Ann Arbor Michigan with 105,500 people? Nope.

Bingo.

 

[davnlaguna]

Other than the world cup in the break room at work, I don't think I have looked at espn in years.

 

[Comeds]

Laugh all you guys want...but it's already happening in middle and high school. It's not because we like soccer better....it's because of the cost of equipment and liability.


Unfortunately....American Football and Canadian Hockey are being threatened. Liberal media is pushing us that direction.

I have been hearing that kind of stuff for 30 years. Well, minus the liberal media blame.

Espn has a broadcast rights package with mls and not with the nhl

This is where the cowherd trolling is coming from

Yep, most likely.

And really, who cares? While I see no way it will happen, if it does I don't see it hurting the NHL so much. Also whether it does or doesn't I can see ESPN skewing some poll or some numbers to show they were right. Maybe they will use ratings in major markets like San Diego and San Antonio to "prove" their point.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Aren't you guys building a billion dollar cricket pitch?

Private money. They can do what they want so long as not a single dollar of mine goes into it.

And, on a personal level, stadium construction has been a boon work-wise. My company did BMO Field, we're currently doing the new Ti-Cats stadium, and we got a whole whack of other crap for those pointless Pan-Am Games. Here's hoping they build the cricket stadium as well as a NFL barn soon, not to mention reno Skydome.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Espn has a broadcast rights package with mls and not with the nhl

This is where the cowherd trolling is coming from

Keep in mind that ESPN no longer has the World Cup rights, though they still have the rights to Euro.

 

[Swamp Dragon]

Laugh all you guys want...but it's already happening in middle and high school. It's not because we like soccer better....it's because of the cost of equipment and liability.


Unfortunately....American Football and Canadian Hockey are being threatened. Liberal media is pushing us that direction.

Yes and that'll be a couple generations before that takes place not a couple years like the clown stated

 

[RP-29]

Hockey will be taken over in popularity by soccer...and it won't be because we like it. It will be because we are forced into it because the schools won't be able to afford to participate. These save the world types are starting at the very bottom and time is on their side.

Neither public nor private school districts in my remote corner of the globe have ever had hockey programs. Hockey runs through private organizations. Every school district around here has soccer programs. Yet the NHL is still light years ahead of MLS in popularity and Wisconsin doesn't even have an NHL team.

Note: I don't completely disagree with your opinion that soccer will eventually trump hockey in US popularity, I'm just posting a counterpoint to your reasoning.

 

[Slimpikins]

Well if there is two things that Cowheard knows nothing about it's hockey and soccer.

 

[forty_three]

Keep in mind that ESPN no longer has the World Cup rights, though they still have the rights to Euro.

But he's not talking about World Cup, he's saying MLS.

Neither public nor private school districts in my remote corner of the globe have ever had hockey programs. Hockey runs through private organizations. Every school district around here has soccer programs. Yet the NHL is still light years ahead of MLS in popularity and Wisconsin doesn't even have an NHL team.

It's the same way here, all private organizations but nearly every "school" has a team.

The MLS team here has won a championship, but soccer is still clearly a distant third behind OSU anything and the Blue Jackets. That's not to say the Crew fans are not extremely passionate and the games are not a metric ass load of fun to go to.


Bottom line is futbol will never really take off in the states and it has nothing to do with how many people play or watch. It's advertisers. They will never get on board when you don't get 3 minutes of commercials for every ten minutes of air time.

 

[ckhokie]

This argument comes after every World Cup, that soccer is going to have a big boom in the US. Never happens.

Can anyone really see the MLS filling the Big House in Ann Arbor Michigan with 105,500 people? Nope.

Well the argument at least holds some water, as American viewership for this world cup was up 400% vs. WC 2002, and MLS viewership has risen year over year since league inception.

Also, those outdoor games are novelty games. There are PLENTY of cases where soccer games in America have had approaching or >100,000 in attendance.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

But he's not talking about World Cup, he's saying MLS.

I know, but it's worth mentioning. Cowherd is saying this and yet in the past five years ESPN has lost EPL, La Liga (on Deportes), the Champions League and now the World Cup. If soccer is going to surpass hockey, it sure seems like his own network doesn't give a flying fuck about it.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Bottom line is futbol will never really take off in the states and it has nothing to do with how many people play or watch. It's advertisers. They will never get on board when you don't get 3 minutes of commercials for every ten minutes of air time.

I agree with you, but for the love of god unless Spanish or Portuguese is your first language please don't call it futbol. It's football, or it's soccer.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Well the argument at least holds some water, as American viewership for this world cup was up 400% vs. WC 2002, and MLS viewership has risen year over year since league inception.

Also, those outdoor games are novelty games. There are PLENTY of cases where soccer games in America have had approaching or >100,000 in attendance.

Bullshit argument. The games in 2002 aired in the States anytime from 2-8 in the morning. The fact anybody at all was up watching it was a miracle.

Also, MLS ratings have been stagnant in the past few years - they got a bump when the secondary package was moved from Fox Soccer to NBCSN which was to be expected given FS was available in 7 million homes and NBCSN 70 million, but it's remained level since, and the ratings for the final match has gone down the past two years to the point where only half a million watched last year.

 

[forty_three]

I agree with you, but for the love of god unless Spanish or Portuguese is your first language please don't call it futbol. It's football, or it's soccer.

It's more fun to pronounce phonetically that way though.

fut = cut
bol = bowl

 

[dash]

I hope the MLS continues to gain in popularity and expands into more cities (Calgary please) and is seen as a way for young Canadian soccer players to continue playing the game they love.

Also, just because something is popular doesn't necessarily mean it is better. I would like to submit Justin Bieber and One Direction as exhibits 'A' and 'B'.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Keep in mind that ESPN no longer has the World Cup rights, though they still have the rights to Euro.

yup ... already know this and already considered this

I know, but it's worth mentioning. Cowherd is saying this and yet in the past five years ESPN has lost EPL, La Liga (on Deportes), the Champions League and now the World Cup. If soccer is going to surpass hockey, it sure seems like his own network doesn't give a flying fuck about it.

ESPN is all in on MLS at this point ... and back to my point, because of this ... Cowherd and ESPN are not done pumping MLS's tires ... of course they are gonna fluff up that league any chance they get

 

[RP-29]

Also, just because something is popular doesn't necessarily mean it is better. I would like to submit Justin Bieber and One Direction as exhibits 'A' and 'B'.

I completely agree, but you don't even need to cross entertainment lines. Hockey is very clearly much better than basketball, yet basketball holds a significant popularity advantage.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

I hope the MLS continues to gain in popularity and expands into more cities (Calgary please) and is seen as a way for young Canadian soccer players to continue playing the game they love.

Also, just because something is popular doesn't necessarily mean it is better. I would like to submit Justin Bieber and One Direction as exhibits 'A' and 'B'.

Agreed. Except for that Calgary part. Charlotte first please!

 

[forty_three]

I hope the MLS continues to gain in popularity and expands into more cities (Calgary please) and is seen as a way for young Canadian soccer players to continue playing the game they love.

Also, just because something is popular doesn't necessarily mean it is better. I would like to submit Justin Bieber and One Direction as exhibits 'A' and 'B'.

Also 'NASCAR' and foods with "cilantro"

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I hope the MLS continues to gain in popularity and expands into more cities (Calgary please) and is seen as a way for young Canadian soccer players to continue playing the game they love.

Also, just because something is popular doesn't necessarily mean it is better. I would like to submit Justin Bieber and One Direction as exhibits 'A' and 'B'.

just with the changing demo's, its a given that MLS will continue to grow ... just look at the quadrupling MLS franchise expansion fees in the past couple years ... people want in as owners ... Id say in 10 to 15 years it might be on par with the NHL in terms of industry revenue ... might require a future USMNT world cup victory for anything more than that