MLS: Over Land... and Sea?

MLS: Over Land... and Sea?

The USA have a wide variety of professional sports played across the year to entertain their large population. Sports such as American Football (NFL), Basketball (NBA) and Ice Hockey (NHL) all take a large likening to. The MLS is also among these sports and is becoming more popular not just in America but across seas also, especially in England. So just how far of an audience can The MLS reach in years to come?

I personally love The MLS and the way it is organised. Having systems such as the pre-season drafting and the MLS Play-Offs at the end of the season make it that little more interesting and entertaining. Since forming in 1993, and kicking off in 1996, The MLS has come a long way and only looks to continue in its progression to boost its reputation. The 22 teams that are split into Eastern and Western leagues are set to expand to 24 teams come 2018 with Los Angeles and Miami set to form new teams. The league’s long term ambition is to have 28 teams competing in The MLS at a later date. This just shows how much potential this league has and how much expansion is possible.

With the soccer season having their spring to fall schedule, it fits in nicely for us over here in the UK when our football seasons finish in May. Pre-season is every football fan’s worst few months of the year. If there are no International competitions such as The World Cup or European Championships taking place that year, there is no real competitive football taking place over our summer. This is where for me, The MLS can break through over here in the UK. People can take a new interest and perhaps start supporting another team as well as their current English one. Sky Sports agreed a four-year deal back in 2015 with The MLS which allows them to broadcast live matches. This is great. It is allowing The MLS to branch off and open up to a wider audience. Albeit, the time difference can be a pain with games being played at the earliest hours of a Saturday and Sunday morning in UK time. But it hasn’t stopped me from watching some live games. They now also do a weekly ‘MLS Highlights Show’ some time during the week. So if the time difference is inconvenient for fans, they can catch up later on in the week anyway.

Since penning their four-year deal with The MLS to broadcast live games here in the UK, Sky Sports have helped build a nice starting point for it to reach global audiences. With more funding being made available to the soccer teams through this TV deal as well as sponsorships, clubs are able to bring in world class players which then attracts more viewers and more publicity. Legends such as David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, David Villa and most recently, Bastian Schweinsteiger, have had the privilege to play in The MLS. When Beckham made the switch to LA Galaxy from Real Madrid back in 2007 fans all over the world showed an interest and I can assure you that shirt and merchandising sales went through the roof for Galaxy. Another legend of the game is Mr Patrick Vieira, ex Arsenal and French International player. He’s currently the manager for New York City FC which helps the club and the league boost their potential audience. He’s a world famous icon still involved in the game but taking on a different role.

Another factor that increases The MLS’ audience is social media. Social media is currently at its all-time highest. Websites and apps such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and now even Snapchat, allow The MLS and the clubs involved to go that one step further. Social media is nowadays a part of day to day life. People are constantly on it from the minute they wake up in the morning, until they shut their eyes of a night time. It is essentially free advertising for the soccer clubs, allowing them to broadcast tweets and snapchats out there across the world, gaining more followers and more fans.

There is the argument that The MLS isn’t taken seriously and there are a number of people who believe that it is a bit cringe worthy, with our English expectations of the beautiful game taking over. But that for me is what makes The MLS different. It’s not your pre 3pm burger and a pint ritual after putting on your weekly acca down your local bookies, which don’t get me wrong, is brilliant. It’s a new novelty that is still at its birth and over time will grow and continue to get bigger and better as the years go on.