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Soccer spinnoff -- where do you see both baseball and (US) soccer in 20 years?
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:24 am
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:24 am
Honest question for people on both sides of the soccer debate -- given the apparent increase in popularity in soccer and seeming decrease in popularity and ratings for baseball, where do you see both of them in 20 years, either as standalone sports or relative to each other?
I heard something on Cowherd's show this morning about how advertisers are shifting focus from the MLB to soccer (both foreign leagues and the MLS) because of the demographic diversity of viewership of soccer compared to baseball. Given how baseball has seemingly lost a lot of steam in the last 20 years and all we hear is that soccer is on the upswing in the US, what says the MSB?
I heard something on Cowherd's show this morning about how advertisers are shifting focus from the MLB to soccer (both foreign leagues and the MLS) because of the demographic diversity of viewership of soccer compared to baseball. Given how baseball has seemingly lost a lot of steam in the last 20 years and all we hear is that soccer is on the upswing in the US, what says the MSB?
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Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:25 am to Feral
Where? At about the same spot - dead last.
Between September - June, there are far better sports to watch.
Between September - June, there are far better sports to watch.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:34 am to Feral
Baseball will be fine, attendance isn't hurting.
Soccer will keep to grow in popularity and $$, I could see MLS potentially getting up to top 5 or 6 sports in the USA.
Soccer will keep to grow in popularity and $$, I could see MLS potentially getting up to top 5 or 6 sports in the USA.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:34 am to Feral
Unless there are major societal shifts between now and 2034:
Soccer will be more popular than it is right now.
Baseball will be less popular than it is right now.
Younger demos are watching and playing soccer. The 18-35 age group is what advertisers and corporations want. The United State will also have more clout in the global "soccer-sphere" due to the viewing numbers of the WC and increased popularity of domestic and international leagues in the global giant that is the US.
Baseball needs to find ways to attract a younger audience.
Soccer will be more popular than it is right now.
Baseball will be less popular than it is right now.
Younger demos are watching and playing soccer. The 18-35 age group is what advertisers and corporations want. The United State will also have more clout in the global "soccer-sphere" due to the viewing numbers of the WC and increased popularity of domestic and international leagues in the global giant that is the US.
Baseball needs to find ways to attract a younger audience.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:39 am to Billy Mays
quote:
Baseball needs to find ways to attract a younger audience.
Without this baseball will struggle in the near future
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:40 am to Col Reb is my mascot
baseball is a dying sport with a dying fanbase
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:42 am to the_dude
quote:
baseball is a dying sport with a dying fanbase
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:42 am to Billy Mays
quote:
Baseball needs to find ways to attract a younger audience.
Agreed, and it's largely what's killing baseball.
As someone with a background in statistics, I know better than to use my own experience as a generalization to prove a point, but I'm under 30 and none of my friends or my wife's friends have any interest, either casual or otherwise, in baseball.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:43 am to the_dude
Yet all the metrics say otherwise.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:54 am to LSUBoo
quote:
Baseball will be fine, attendance isn't hurting.
I think people read too much into this, though. Attendance figures aren't necessarily reflective of the health of a sport, whereas television ratings are. If baseball keeps pulling in bad ratings, especially for marquee events like the world series and the All-Star game, TV contracts will start drying up.
Heck, last night, Fox's game of the week last night was outrated by a re-run of The Blacklist. That can't be good.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:55 am to cubsfan5150
World Series ratings are half of what they were a decade ago, and that's not a one-year fluke. They have plateaued between an 8 and a 10.
The NBA dipped to the 6-8 level post-Jordan and is back up to about a 10 in the LeBron era. But once LeBron stops going to finals, I'm guessing their numbers go down again. NBA ratings seem so star dependent.
The MLS/EPL are nowhere near this level (in the US). The World Cup was in the 11-12 range, but that's a specialty event, more akin to the Olympics. The MLS is trending in the right direction, but I do think there's a cap on how much ground it can gain. Soccer draws from a lot of non-traditional sports fans. I don't think its on pace to dethrone baseball, but I do think its establishing itself as a viable summer alternative.
Football crushes everything. Baseball and basketball are on the next level, followed by niche sports like hockey and soccer. To their credit, those niche sports tend to have great attendance numbers and can beat the local MLB/NBA team in local ratings. Well, the NHL can, but MLS hasn't shown that ability yet. The MLS needs to focus on local TV and building loyalty to the clubs. Right now, people are soccer fans, but it is harder to find die hard FC Dallas or Philadelphia Union fans. Seattle-Portland is a great new rivalry, but it needs to build on that for decades.
The NBA dipped to the 6-8 level post-Jordan and is back up to about a 10 in the LeBron era. But once LeBron stops going to finals, I'm guessing their numbers go down again. NBA ratings seem so star dependent.
The MLS/EPL are nowhere near this level (in the US). The World Cup was in the 11-12 range, but that's a specialty event, more akin to the Olympics. The MLS is trending in the right direction, but I do think there's a cap on how much ground it can gain. Soccer draws from a lot of non-traditional sports fans. I don't think its on pace to dethrone baseball, but I do think its establishing itself as a viable summer alternative.
Football crushes everything. Baseball and basketball are on the next level, followed by niche sports like hockey and soccer. To their credit, those niche sports tend to have great attendance numbers and can beat the local MLB/NBA team in local ratings. Well, the NHL can, but MLS hasn't shown that ability yet. The MLS needs to focus on local TV and building loyalty to the clubs. Right now, people are soccer fans, but it is harder to find die hard FC Dallas or Philadelphia Union fans. Seattle-Portland is a great new rivalry, but it needs to build on that for decades.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 10:56 am to Baloo
quote:
The MLS/EPL are nowhere near this level (in the US). The World Cup was in the 11-12 range, but that's a specialty event, more akin to the Olympics. The MLS is trending in the right direction, but I do think there's a cap on how much ground it can gain. Soccer draws from a lot of non-traditional sports fans. I don't think its on pace to dethrone baseball, but I do think its establishing itself as a viable summer alternative.
Football crushes everything. Baseball and basketball are on the next level, followed by niche sports like hockey and soccer. To their credit, those niche sports tend to have great attendance numbers and can beat the local MLB/NBA team in local ratings. Well, the NHL can, but MLS hasn't shown that ability yet. The MLS needs to focus on local TV and building loyalty to the clubs. Right now, people are soccer fans, but it is harder to find die hard FC Dallas or Philadelphia Union fans. Seattle-Portland is a great new rivalry, but it needs to build on that for decades.
True, but I'd almost posit the argument that baseball has been relegated to being a niche sport in the present day.
This post was edited on 7/14/14 at 10:57 am
Posted on 7/14/14 at 11:01 am to Feral
You could posit the argument, but then EVERY sport other than football is a niche sport. Baseball is still ahead of the NBA, and its real strength is local TV ratings. People don't follow "baseball" as much, but the local teams crush in the ratings. The NBA does better in casual fans and national fandom, but MLB's strength is in deep ties to the local team.
That's also where MLS is weakest and EPL, by its foreign nature, can't compete. Hell, the NHL does better ratings than the local NBA squad in many cities where they go head to head. They just lack a national brand.
Local TV is a cash cow. And that's where the MLB rules.
That's also where MLS is weakest and EPL, by its foreign nature, can't compete. Hell, the NHL does better ratings than the local NBA squad in many cities where they go head to head. They just lack a national brand.
Local TV is a cash cow. And that's where the MLB rules.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 11:08 am to Feral
quote:
As someone with a background in statistics, I know better than to use my own experience as a generalization to prove a point, but I'm under 30 and none of my friends or my wife's friends have any interest, either casual or otherwise, in baseball.
I'm 23 and all of my friends and most people i know watch pretty much every game of our local MLB team together at bars, someone's house, or actually attend the game. We all play fantasy baseball and come up with trade senarios to debate with each other and rosterbate.
We aren't the exception either because we see many people our age also at the bars to watch the games and when I was in college I saw a ton of people streaming the MLB playoffs on their computers while sitting through night classes.
Just because your group of friends or people you know doesn't watch it, doesn't refelct if the sport is actually dying or not, just as I know what my experience is doesn't actually reflect it either.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 11:12 am to Feral
America is going to be a lot browner in 20 years, so soccer will continue to rise.
Heard a probably meaningless stat, but still thought it was interesting. If you add up the twitter followers of all of the 2014 MLB all stars, it was I think half as many as Lebron has.
Heard a probably meaningless stat, but still thought it was interesting. If you add up the twitter followers of all of the 2014 MLB all stars, it was I think half as many as Lebron has.
This post was edited on 7/14/14 at 11:13 am
Posted on 7/14/14 at 11:12 am to Kenny Wu
quote:
Just because your group of friends or people you know doesn't watch it, doesn't refelct if the sport is actually dying or not, just as I know what my experience is doesn't actually reflect it either.
And again, I wasn't citing my experience as a generalized fact, just relaying it.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 11:25 am to Baloo
quote:imo part of the reason for the increase in football ratings is because the tv product of football is better than the attendance product of it. HDTV, ticket prices, concessions, parking, etc.
Football crushes everything.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 11:28 am to Baloo
MLB It is declining nationwide except in urban areas that actually have teams. It's fan base is now more "urban" than ever before. People in rural areas and non major markets just aren't very interested in it.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 11:30 am to Kenny Wu
quote:
Just because your group of friends or people you know doesn't watch it, doesn't refelct if the sport is actually dying or not, just as I know what my experience is doesn't actually reflect it either.
A lot of people still watch it but it is "dying" in places without teams. You apparently have a local team in your area so your experience doesn't reflect the parts of America without teams.
Your product is really strong when people without really any rooting interest still want to watch it. MLB is losing that slowly.
Posted on 7/14/14 at 11:31 am to Pilot Tiger
quote:
imo part of the reason for the increase in football ratings is because the tv product of football is better than the attendance product of it. HDTV, ticket prices, concessions, parking, etc.
Well of course but that is pretty much the same with every sport.
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