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The Daily Cardinal Est. 1892
Friday, March 29, 2024
Jonah Beleckis

Column: MLS expansion not the best thing for American soccer

Americans are starting to watch soccer, but now what?

This season marks the beginning of NBC’s colossal $250 million investment over the next three years for broadcast rights of the English Premier League.

According to a Businessweek article, the first three games aired on NBC networks opening weekend drew a combined 0.5 rating. To put this in perspective, last year's opening weekend secured a 0.3 rating combined from ESPN and Fox Soccer.

To put things in a slightly different perspective, NBC's America's Got Talent regularly has a rating roughly 10 times this season's opening games which included the world's most popular team, Manchester United.

This NBC deal will surely amplify popularity with regards to the EPL, but how well will that extrapolate to furthering an original American brand of soccer?

As many of you are probably unaware of, the Major League Soccer semifinals will wrap up this weekend between Real Salt Lake and Portland as well as between Houston and Kansas City.

What has become a bigger story than the games themselves, is that two expansion teams will be introduced into MLS starting in 2015. Orlando City SC is expected to premiere with New York's second team, New York City FC, after next season as MLS's 20th and 21st teams.

A buzz was also created because of former Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, L. A. Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain player David Beckham's continuous escalation toward starting a MLS franchise in Miami.

For those who don't know much about world soccer, every team Beckham played for is arguably the most popular teams in their respective countries. Three of those teams crack Forbes' top-50 World's Most Valuable Sports Franchises of 2013 with No. 1 Real Madrid and No. 2 Manchester United topping all teams in the world.

The story had legs when it involved an icon like David Beckham, but it became Usain Bolt after it was confirmed Beckham was collaborating with Miami Heat superstar LeBron James.

James already owns a piece of Liverpool which is one of England's most storied franchises and has mentioned his growing interest in the sport before.

As evident by his career in major world cities, Beckham is a remarkable global brand name for soccer. And attaching a figure like James' to a franchise will certainly draw a lot of eyes. His involvement in MLS after his playing career should be a top story.

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Some would argue any top story regarding MLS is beneficial for the league, but expansion like this is not going to further American soccer as much as some might think.

MLS expansion is designed to increase profit, not increase the quality of the product.

Every time a new team is added the quality becomes more and more diluted. Is the NBA really a better league with the perennial lottery contending Charlotte Bobcats?

A vital way to increase the quality of play is to increase the competition. This season, the MLS was as competitive as it has ever been. In the Eastern Conference, the No. 8 Columbus Crew had 12 wins and the No. 1 New York Red Bulls had 17. In the Western Conference, the No. 8 FC Dallas had 11 wins and the No. 1 Portland Timbers had 14.

A strong component of competition in European soccer is promotion and relegation. This means the three teams that finish at the bottom of the league are demoted or relegated into a lower division, losing millions and millions of dollars. Unfortunately, MLS has not reached a point to where they can afford multiple divisions if people are not even content with the top one.

The money-hungry sports culture we live in is not patient enough for MLS to grow into a top league for world soccer.

MLS Expansion should be saved for when you already have a reliable on-field product. Buying multiple teams and trying to spend your way to the top is not a sustainable idea for the league. Soccer's popularity in America has grown significantly in the past decade but the quality of play is not something that can grow nearly at that pace.

Look at where MLS has the most dedicated fan bases in the United States. Portland, Seattle, Columbus, Kansas City and Salt Lake City all have built great support systems. These teams reached that point through growth and development.

The National Football League has the best players in the world. The National Basketball Association has the best players in the world. Major League Baseball has the best players in the world. These are all the best leagues in the world for their sports because they boast the best talents.

Buying a franchise and attaching attention-grabbing names to them is enough to add popularity which is already on the rise, but if MLS wants to ever be considered a top league in the world with top-tier players, they cannot do so by simply writing a check.

Do you think MLS expansion is a good idea? Let Jonah know what you think by emailing jonah.beleckis@dailycardinal.com.

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