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Started By
Message
re: Miami does not deserve another MLS team
Posted on 8/7/13 at 9:32 am to Nimbus2000
Posted on 8/7/13 at 9:32 am to Nimbus2000
quote:
Birmingham vs Atlanta would be an instant rivalry.
yeah, but one that no one in the country would care about except those 2 cities...
0
Posted on 8/7/13 at 10:01 am to DriveByBBQ
quote:
I forget where I read it but someone mentioned Bham as the "Portland of the south"
Whoever said that was high.
Posted on 8/7/13 at 11:20 am to DriveByBBQ
quote:
The shite would work for many reasons....
Except for market size, TV audience, competition from college football and overall area interest in the sport.
I'd like to see your reasons why it WOULD work.
Compared to the true contenders in the expansion race (Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Nashville, Orlando), Birmingham would be a tough sell for the lower leagues.
This post was edited on 8/7/13 at 11:22 am
Posted on 8/8/13 at 9:46 pm to WarSlamEagle
quote:
WarSlamEagle
quote:
I'd like to see your reasons why it WOULD work.
Hey man, sorry it's taken me so long to respond....work....
I few reasons I think it would work....
quote:
market size
quote:
TV audience
Ratings for US/MEX game...
quote:
Birmingham, Ala. was the top market for the match telecast, delivering a 2.9 rating. Rounding out the top five were: Austin, Texas (2.6), Seattle-Takoma, Wash. (2.4), Columbus, Ohio (2.4), and three markets – Los Angeles, San Diego, Hartford-New Haven, Conn., – were tied for fifth place (2.3).
A bigger market isn't always a better market...
quote:
competition from college football
What's one thing Alabama and Auburn have in common? Neither has a division 1 soccer team. I think the absence of the "Bama/Auburn" dynamic is an advantage. Everyone can support the team. (Not that die hard college football fans are necessarily the target market)
Also, there isn't a schedule conflict. Soccer is played during the "dead time" of the college football season.
A few other random reasons:
Home of 1996 olympic soccer
Decent size international community from UAB
We just got an AO chapter...
Every professional team Birmingham has ever had has done well, it was the LEAGUES that failed...
PLENTY of naysayers said moving the Barons back to the city was going to be a mistake....We lead the southern league in attendance
I've lived in Bham for almost 10 years and have never felt a buzz like there is in the city right now. We are the renaissance city of the south...
The city is peaking and ripe for a professional team. It may be a pipedream but a lot of people are starting to say "why not us?" The city is trending upward.
These guys started a non-profit to get a team in Birmingham and it's garnered some attention. They have a facebook page if you want to check it out...
Also, the people who called Birmingham the Portland of the South were two professors from my Alma Mater...so...yes, they probably were high...
scroll down to see a photo from a course they taught called "Birmingham the Portland of the South?"
Posted on 8/8/13 at 10:03 pm to DriveByBBQ
Well I feel that if Atlanta gets a club it will shut out any other city in the south outside of FL from getting a club. If they decide to go beyond 24 clubs I think the only other southern city that would be considered would be Charlotte.
Posted on 8/8/13 at 10:45 pm to itawambadog
quote:
Atlanta
would be my last choice...quite possibly the worst sports town in America...if it weren't for the Braves there would be no doubt...
Posted on 8/8/13 at 10:49 pm to DriveByBBQ
quote:
Also, there isn't a schedule conflict. Soccer is played during the "dead time" of the college football season.
End of the MLS season and playoffs coincides with college football season. Sorry.
quote:
A bigger market isn't always a better market...
Yeah, but who is going to show up to the games? I know they had great TV ratings for that US-Mexico game, but that city is not big enough to put enough fans in the seats to me. Can that city realistically put 15,000-20,000+ week in and week out when places like DC and Chicago with charter clubs can't?
And yes, I've seen the "Birmingham Hammers" guys. Terrible name, but I applaud their effort.
quote:
quite possibly the worst sports town in America...
Lulz. What city was this thread all about? There's the worst city.
Bottom line: Birmingham is nowhere near MLS's radar, and they don't have a prayer. If you want to talk a USL Pro team, maybe.
You listed several reasons, but none of those stood out when compared to Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte or even New Orleans.
I know it's your city, and Atlanta is mine in a way, but you've got to be realistic.
This post was edited on 8/8/13 at 10:57 pm
Posted on 8/8/13 at 10:55 pm to WarSlamEagle
Probably not 20k and maybe not ready for the MLS but we could support a professional team on some level. Admittedly, I'm a casual soccer fan and not terribly knowledgeable. Didn't Portland start in a smaller league and get promoted to the MLS?
quote:
Terrible name, but I applaud their effort.
couldn't agree more...
quote:
What city was this thread all about? There's the worst city.
It's such a terrible sport town I completely forgot about it...You're right Miami is the worst sports city in America...
This post was edited on 8/8/13 at 11:05 pm
Posted on 8/8/13 at 11:05 pm to DriveByBBQ
quote:
but we could support a professional team on some level.
And I think that would be great for this state, I really do. And I have nothing against Birmingham, I think it's a good city on the rise.
But if this is about MLS, then absolutely no. Maybe, maybe, maybe a USL Pro side down the road.
As for Portland, all those PNW teams had NASL predecessors...and that area is soccer crazy. Alabama, on the other hand, as much as this hurts...could be the worst soccer state outside of Big Sky country.
I'm working on a column about soccer in the state of AL, how the lack of a major D-I program hurts, how the state is just now catching the fever, stuff like that. A pro team in Birmingham or even a MLS one in Atlanta would help tremendously, but there are large sections of the state that don't have HS soccer at all. That sucks.
This post was edited on 8/8/13 at 11:08 pm
Posted on 8/8/13 at 11:17 pm to WarSlamEagle
quote:
how the lack of a major D-I program hurts
Nail on the head. I also think this hurts the USMNT. There is an abundance of athletic talent in the south and very little goes to the soccer pool. If some of these kids had incentive (scholarships) to play soccer at the D-1 level it would do wonders for the sport in America. I blame title IX. Plus, soccer is the cheapest sport in the world to play and hence the most popular...
We need those kids in North Miami and the like, playing soccer if we ever want to win a world cup...
Who do you write for if you don't mind me asking?
Edit: I also think over the next 10-15 years as we learn more and uncover the true damage that football does to the brain we will see a decline in football and a rise in soccer.
This post was edited on 8/8/13 at 11:20 pm
Posted on 8/8/13 at 11:26 pm to DriveByBBQ
quote:
Who do you write for if you don't mind me asking?
I write for a couple of papers in Auburn and contribute a little bit at Soccer By Ives.
This post was edited on 8/8/13 at 11:27 pm
Posted on 8/8/13 at 11:47 pm to WarSlamEagle
Wait, so UAB doesn't have a soccer team? I know it's a CUSA sport but I didn't know how many schools play it. I don't think Southern Miss has a team either. Most of the community colleges in MS have mens and womens soccer and as well as some of the private schools but that's about it on the college level.
Posted on 8/9/13 at 6:43 am to itawambadog
quote:
Wait, so UAB doesn't have a soccer team?
They do
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