(12-19-2017 10:31 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  

(12-04-2017 05:34 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(12-04-2017 05:23 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 11:06 AM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  MLS is 5th in a 4 man race. NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL are 4 of the 5 highest revenue leagues in the world. MLS is about 15-18, somewhere around the Russian league and 2.Bundesliga. Are they sustainable? Sure, but they need to grow by nearly an order of magnitude before being compared to the other 4 American sports leagues.

Not doubting you, but would love to see the list.

Where does NCAA football & NCAA basketball fall on that list? WNBA?

Hard to get recent data, but the NCAA (the organization itself) generated about $1B in 2014. This article says 231 schools generated over $9B for all sports. Football generated $3.4B in 2013 - right behind the NHL. Couldn't find a credible number for NCAA basketball but their March Madness TV contract is about $1B per year. Now that's NCAA money but of course it's shared with member schools and I've got to imagine the sport brings in another several hundred million from ticket sales, etc. - so somewhere around France's Ligue 1? And I'm getting the impression the WNBA doesn't want to report their revenue but for context: WNBA TV contract is $25MM/year. The NBA contracts total $2.6B. Two freaking orders of magnitude. They aren't on that chart.

Hum US Soccer (MLS) is 11th behind Turkey, Mexico, and the Netherlands, but still just ahead of Japan (barely). They are even behind the English and German 2nd leagues (so really 13th).

To be honest how can anyone watch a MLS game? All you have to see is a couple Premier League games (MSNBC covers almost all of them) or Bundesliga or LaLiga, Sere A, or Ligue 1 on TV to realize the MLS product is a complete joke, played at half speed. It's referred to in Europe as a retirement league, where players who no longer have the legs to stay in the Premier League or other Euro League, can come to America and make a ridiculous salary.

What makes basketball and football watchable in America is what makes soccer watchable in Europe; top athletes with speed and strength and amazing skill, in their prime, going at it full speed. MLS has none of that. It's a worse level of play than the NBA G-League (which is getting much better, and already has been a transition for a quarter of the NBA players).

Soccer in the US will continue to suck for at least another two decades. No top athlete will play the sport because the money is not there. Whatever. IMO it could be the 6th or 7th ranked sport by revenue in the not too distant future. Crap product just wont sell in the US.