Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!
The reason you aren't following me is that you think I'm criticizing MLS and your knee jerk response is to defend your league regardless. I'm proud of you for that. If you enjoy MLS soccer, great enjoy it. I don't want to diminish your enjoyment.
The reason we get in cyber fights is that
other people start talking about how MLS can gain a larger foothold in the American sports market and/or increase its international soccer reputation. Then I point out how MLS can't do that following its current business model. Then you think I insulted MLS when I didn't. I don't think MLS is a bad league. It's basically the J -League with names I can pronounce.
Well, it would help me distinguish the thoughts of others from your own if you cited some of these ideas from other people. The way you've written them makes them seem like your own thoughts.
There are plenty of reasons to criticize MLS, but it's also worth noting the raw amount of misinformation out there about the league, its health, and its structure.
Also, if you can't see that league expansion is stripping the league's future ability to attract increased TV revenue by spreading the limited talent too thin to interest a general television audience, I won't argue the point with you.
MLS teams don't move the needle on ratings. There aren't many stars, they don't drive the TV ratings. Beckham moved the needle. Blanco, to a lesser extent, moved the needle. The talent pool MLS has to worry about in terms of depth is the Americans, and frankly none of them (even a Donovan) have been major TV draws. Sure, expansion spreads that domestic talent a little thin, but it wasn't thick to begin with. Quite frankly, when people are watching a game at Seattle with a full house cheering, chanting, and singing wildly, they'll tune in for that more than for the individual players on the field.
MLS knows this, which is why they push teams and rivalries and fanbases as a means to build ratings rather than via individuals.
They also know they need to gradually improve the quality of play, which is why they're looking to increase the salary cap in the long term and have increased the numbers of designated players per team (which allowed for this Henry signing) in the immediate future.
Just remember that there's a global talent market out there. Spreading the American talent thin won't matter, they don't drive TV ratings for the league. Opening up more slots for players and offering them more money will eventually improve the product, not diminish it. This isn't the NHL, where you're expanding the top league in the world - this is a league that has targets ahead of it that they can pick off.
