Sometimes we’re so busy starting at trees in this soccer forest, we miss the broader, more general impact of news - impacts that likely mean more for the growth of Major League Soccer than minutiae like whether Manchester City will be able to loan players to New York City FC.
Thankfully, Michele Beadle and friends have us covered, using The Crossover segment on The Hype to talk about the bigger picture. For example, will that huge pinstriped monolith in the Bronx be able to move new butts into seats? Take some of the millions they draw to Yankee Stadium each year and get them to see an MLS game?
As the panel discusses, Major League Soccer is a much more affordable ticket than most sports entertainment. Take your family to see the Giants, Jets, or even the Knicks or Nets? Casseroles for weeks. At a Major League Soccer game, however, you get professional sports atmosphere at reasonable rates. While some might not consider MLS a big four sport yet, at least you can afford to buy your kids a hot dog before kickoff.
It’s something MLS prides itself on: the game day experience. Television ratings are struggling, and the big money from broadcasters has yet to roll in. But one thing the league can do (or, at least strongly encourages its franchises to do) is to make good on match day.
The big question is whether the Yankees will get more people to the park ... and whether those people are new fans, or ones being drawn from New Jersey?