MLS is about to take over the NHL in average attendance

[salsadancer7]

Soccer and Seattle was brought up and while doing a little search, I found this:

To a casual observer, MLS appears to be a second-tier professional league in the American sports sphere, behind the “major” professional sports leagues, more apt to be grouped with the likes of the UFL, WNBA or Major League Lacrosse.

Ten years ago, that thought might have been true. But as the Census is showing, a lot can change in a decade.

The truth is, MLS is on the verge of overtaking the NHL as the fourth-most popular professional sports league in the United States – if it hasn’t already.

In 2010, MLS average attendance was 16,675 spectators per game, a 4 percent increase over 2009. The NHL drew an average of 17,072 fans per game last season, a 3 percent drop from the year prior.

Among the largest crowds, the Seattle Sounders’ average of 36,173 MLS fans a game dwarfed the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, who drew an average 21,353 fans. The L.A. Galaxy also surpassed that figure, averaging 21,437. As MLS stadiums continue to expand and as the league continues to grow, so too should the league’s attendance numbers.

And for MLS, growth continues virtually across the board. Sixty percent of clubs – or 9 of the league’s 15 returning teams (not including the expansion Philadelphia Union) – experienced an increase in attendance.

Meanwhile, the NHL experienced a 66 percent decrease in average attendance with 20 of the league’s 30 teams posting lower attendance numbers in 2009-10 than 2008-09.

Read more: Major League Soccer is Poised to Overtake the NHL as the 4th Most Popular Professional Sports League in the U.S. - Fox News Latino

 

[Claude Greiner]

Soccer sucks

 

[Jimbo]

Can you HONESTLY say you watch Soccer on a regular basis ?

ANYONE ?

I don't even know when the seasons run.

NHL doesn't have GREAT attendance in some markets, but the major markets are doing very well.

 

[riffjim4069]

The average hockey arena holds perhaps 20K and yet hockey remains the most popular sport in North America (south of the Mason-Dixon line doesn't count because it's not really North America). Should the Border Patrol ever decide to deport all the illegals then MLS will wind-up with four (4) fans remaining in the stands. Like most people, I will watch soccer when the U.S. girls team makes the World Cup finals.

I cannot wait for global cooling so kids south of the Mason-Dixon line will know the joys of lacing-up a pair of skates in the winter, grabbing a stick and slashing their buddies legs and forearms, throwing elbows after a hard check into a snowbank, getting their first stitches, and spitting-out teeth like chicklets should they fail to keep an eye on the puck. After all...they will be playing a real sport.

 

[televisionarchives]

I watch it every night. It helps me fall asleep

Sent from the Planet Earth

 

[yaz96]

Teams
The following is a list of the average attendance for each of the eighteen MLS teams at their regular-season games. It
includes the team, the season average for the 2011 season as of 07 August, the average for the 2010 season, the home
venue, and the home venues capacity.

+Not a soccer-specific stadium
* Stadium has its capacity artificially reduced for soccer matches

Team 2011 2010 Arena Capacity
Seattle Sounders FC 37,187 36,173 +CenturyLink Field 35,700*
Los Angeles Galaxy 23,077 21,437 The Home Depot Center 27,000
Toronto FC 19,997 20,453 BMO Field 21,800
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 19,997 — +Empire Field 22,500
Portland Timbers 18,627 — Jeld-Wen Field 18,627
Philadelphia Union 18,262 19,254 PPL Park 18,500
New York Red Bulls 18,248 18,441 Red Bull Arena 25,189
Sporting Kansas City 17,810 10,287 Livestrong Sporting Park 18,467
Real Salt Lake 17,365 17,095 Rio Tinto Stadium 20,008
Houston Dynamo 17,031 17,310 +Robertson Stadium 32,000
D.C. United 15,413 14,532 +RFK Stadium 46,000
Chivas USA 14,425 14,576 The Home Depot Center 27,000
Colorado Rapids 14,409 14,329 Dick's Sporting Goods Park 18,086
Chicago Fire 13,918 15,814 Toyota Park 20,000
FC Dallas 12,993 10,815 Pizza Hut Park 21,193
San Jose Earthquakes 12,251 9,659 Buck Shaw Stadium 10,300
New England Revolution 12,092 12,987 +Gillette Stadium 22,385*
Columbus Crew 10,882 14,642 Columbus Crew Stadium 20,455

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php...r=rl&return_to=Major+League+Soccer+attendance

Formatting didn't stay. See link.

 

[DodgerKing]

Can you HONESTLY say you watch Soccer on a regular basis ?

ANYONE ?

I don't even know when the seasons run.

NHL doesn't have GREAT attendance in some markets, but the major markets are doing very well.

I thought it went on all year. At least it seems like it does

 

[Hart5150]

I guess this dumbass "journalist" doesn't realize that the Blackhawks were sold out a 108% to capicity? Seattle plays in a 67,000 seat stadium.

The NHL had league wide 90%+ capacity.
2010-2011 NHL Attendance - National Hockey League - ESPN

 

[yaz96]

I guess this dumbass "journalist" doesn't realize that the Blackhawks were sold out a 108% to capicity? Seattle plays in a 67,000 seat stadium.

The NHL had league wide 90%+ capacity.
2010-2011 NHL Attendance - National Hockey League - ESPN

Why are you so uptight about these figures? If it's true, it's true. Seattle's stadium capacity is 35700 for soccer.(see the chart posted above).

Avg Sounders attendance - 37,187
Avg Blackhawks attendance - 21,423

That's the facts, Jack. Big deal.

The average attendance for the Sounders and the Galaxy is above the average attendance of every single NBA and NHL team.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Soccer_attendance#Teams


2010-2011 NBA Attendance - National Basketball Association - ESPN

http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance

 

[Jimbo]

I watch it every night. It helps me fall asleep

Sent from the Planet Earth

I can't find it every nite .... what channel do you find this stuff on ?
I'm not signing up fcor an exclusive package just to fall a sleep !
Also, how many games do these Soccer leagues show/play ?
Do they show/play 80 games a year ?
That also can change the attendance % ....
In most cases a team that plays a few games vs one that plays 3-4 times a week wil have different results too.


Sent from my Samsung Epic using SatelliteGuys

 

[cosmo_kramer]

Capacity is an important factor. Especially when the listed capacity for the Sounders is as you quoted, "artificially reduced", not the 67K it should be.

Sounders FC artificially limits the stadium's capacity for MLS games with certain seating sections covered with tarpaulins to provide "a more intimate atmosphere"

You know they're not covering up sections in the United Center, Joe Louis, or any other NHL arena...

Seattle Sounders FC - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[salsadancer7]

You guy are are somewhat off topic, it is not about capacity because quite frankly, the NHL CAN have more at the games, but they don't. It's not a matter of whether it sucks or not, the fact remain that it is outdrawing the NHL.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

You guy are are somewhat off topic, it is not about capacity because quite frankly, the NHL CAN have more at the games, but they don't. It's not a matter of whether it sucks or not, the fact remain that it is outdrawing the NHL.

When a team's attendance is already at or above the arena's capacity, how can they have more at the games??

 

[salsadancer7]

The average hockey arena holds perhaps 20K and yet hockey remains the most popular sport in North America (south of the Mason-Dixon line doesn't count because it's not really North America). Should the Border Patrol ever decide to deport all the illegals then MLS will wind-up with four (4) fans remaining in the stands. Like most people, I will watch soccer when the U.S. girls team makes the World Cup finals.

I cannot wait for global cooling so kids south of the Mason-Dixon line will know the joys of lacing-up a pair of skates in the winter, grabbing a stick and slashing their buddies legs and forearms, throwing elbows after a hard check into a snowbank, getting their first stitches, and spitting-out teeth like chicklets should they fail to keep an eye on the puck. After all...they will be playing a real sport.

I don't know what to say about the 1st portion because you do the only wink, but you do mean it to a certain extent.

The highlighted portion, we did playing street basketball. And if we were lucky, we would have a little shootout to spicen things up....something you wont find in any ice skating rink.

 

[salsadancer7]

When a team's attendance is already at or above the arena's capacity, how can they have more at the games??

That just it, the NHL is not and that is the point to the story....."average attendance". This is not a story of the Seattle Sounds vs. the Chicago Blackhawks attendance.

 

[SandraC]

OK I am a huge fan of both sports, so my opinion is totally unbiased.

That is an EXTREMELY misleading article by a source, Fox News Latino, and a writer, Maria Burns Ortiz, who are obviously trying to lead people to a certain belief that soccer is more popular than hockey...and they attempt to do so by stating some facts and leaving out others.

A hockey writer can take all of the data and totally rearrange it to state that hockey is much more popular than soccer.

Very disappointed in that article and that writer, who obviously has an agenda and molded facts to fit that agenda.


Sandra

 

[cosmo_kramer]

That just it, the NHL is not and that is the point to the story....."average attendance". This is not a story of the Seattle Sounds vs. the Chicago Blackhawks attendance.

Actually, it is. It was mentioned in the article you posted.

It's the old apples/oranges comparison. If you don't think it is then, NASCAR is more popular than the NFL, right??

 

[salsadancer7]

Actually, it is. It was mentioned in the article you posted.

It's the old apples/oranges comparison. If you don't think it is then, NASCAR is more popular than the NFL, right??

Not it is not because the portion where it stated Seattle's attendance and Chicago attendance was but a small portion of the story because those two are the league biggest drawns. In general, the story is simply stating that in the last 10 years, soccer is drawing more and hockey is drawing less. Soccer's popularity is growing and hockey has not. THAT is what the story is trying to say, not the Sounds vs the Blackhawks....unless you are trying to state the Blackhawks are the representative of the NHL and the Sounds represent MLS.

 

[salsadancer7]

OK I am a huge fan of both sports, so my opinion is totally unbiased.

That is an EXTREMELY misleading article by a source, Fox News Latino, and a writer, Maria Burns Ortiz, who are obviously trying to lead people to a certain belief that soccer is more popular than hockey...and they attempt to do so by stating some facts and leaving out others.

A hockey writer can take all of the data and totally rearrange it to state that hockey is much more popular than soccer.

Very disappointed in that article and that writer.

Sandra

In the US, in the last 10 years, soccer HAS become more popular the hockey. Doesn't the growth of attendance proves that when it shows one is declining and one is growing? Does it show with more soccer content on cable and satellite TV and less hockey content?

 

[salsadancer7]

Actually, it is. It was mentioned in the article you posted.

It's the old apples/oranges comparison. If you don't think it is then, NASCAR is more popular than the NFL, right??

I cannot comment about NASCAR because I do not watch it at all. But you tell me, is there MORE football content added on TV in the last 10 years or more NASCAR? I would say there is MORE NFL than NASCAR.