XFL, USFL TV ratings rank 3rd, 4th among pro sports leagues, over NHL, MLB, MLS

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

From a tweet by Yahoo! Sports... and counting only nationally televised games. The Yahoo! tweet only counts the Big Four plus MLS. But we know that the XFL and USFL both averaged 600,000 viewers each. For comparison:

NFL: 9.2 million
NBA: 711,000
NHL: 398,000
MLB: 378,000
MLS: 113,000

MLS's numbers are anemic. Couple it with them starting to run out of expansion options and tensions with US Soccer over the US Open Cup, and you have to start thinking they're in deep trouble.

[4th&long]

From a tweet by Yahoo! Sports... and counting only nationally televised games. The Yahoo! tweet only counts the Big Four plus MLS. But we know that the XFL and USFL both averaged 600,000 viewers each. For comparison:

NFL: 9.2 million
NBA: 711,000
NHL: 398,000
MLB: 378,000
MLS: 113,000

MLS's numbers are anemic. Couple it with them starting to run out of expansion options and tensions with US Soccer over the US Open Cup, and you have to start thinking they're in deep trouble.

Agreed on MLS - we had a thread on spring FB vs MLS ratings and looked at the numbers there - recall this is with Apple having all rights and TV being a simulcast really. Having said that MLS rating last year were only in 200's.

And the ponzi is running out of track

[GDAWG]

From a tweet by Yahoo! Sports... and counting only nationally televised games. The Yahoo! tweet only counts the Big Four plus MLS. But we know that the XFL and USFL both averaged 600,000 viewers each. For comparison:

NFL: 9.2 million
NBA: 711,000
NHL: 398,000
MLB: 378,000
MLS: 113,000

MLS's numbers are anemic. Couple it with them starting to run out of expansion options and tensions with US Soccer over the US Open Cup, and you have to start thinking they're in deep trouble.

I wouldn't say that MLS is running out of expansion options. They have one, and it's part of a growing epidemic in sports known as "Vegas Fever" or (if you want an alliteration) "Vegas Virus." The NHL had it when they added the Golden Knights, NFL had it when the Raiders moved. MLB is dealing with it right now with the A's. MLB and MLS are going to have it too. That's too bad, because if MLS goes to 32, then it should be two of Phoenix, Indy or Louisville, but one of them is going to be Sin City for sure. The XFL has the Vegas Virus this past season, something that thankfully this merged league has gotten rid of.

There are some Anti-MLS fans among the USL Fanbase that want the second tier USL Championship to compete with the MLS, but that itself has its own issues. First, the USL Championship saw two teams fold in San Diego Loyal and Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. San Diego Loyal folded because the MLS added San Diego FC with its bland and generic naming and awful logo. RGVFC Toros folded because the stadium they had been playing in, HEB Park was sold to University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley for their upcoming football team (the soccer team did not own the stadium). Two teams folding isn't going to help the USL Championship's case to compete against MLS.

Second, USL Championship will need the cash to sign some of the best soccer players in the World, and they don't have the cash to be able to outbid MLS to do that.

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

From a tweet by Yahoo! Sports... and counting only nationally televised games. The Yahoo! tweet only counts the Big Four plus MLS. But we know that the XFL and USFL both averaged 600,000 viewers each. For comparison:

NFL: 9.2 million
NBA: 711,000
NHL: 398,000
MLB: 378,000
MLS: 113,000

MLS's numbers are anemic. Couple it with them starting to run out of expansion options and tensions with US Soccer over the US Open Cup, and you have to start thinking they're in deep trouble.

I wouldn't say that MLS is running out of expansion options. They have one, and it's part of a growing epidemic in sports known as "Vegas Fever" or (if you want an alliteration) "Vegas Virus." The NHL had it when they added the Golden Knights, NFL had it when the Raiders moved. MLB is dealing with it right now with the A's. MLB and MLS are going to have it too. That's too bad, because if MLS goes to 32, then it should be two of Phoenix, Indy or Louisville, but one of them is going to be Sin City for sure. The XFL has the Vegas Virus this past season, something that thankfully this merged league has gotten rid of.

There are some Anti-MLS fans among the USL Fanbase that want the second tier USL Championship to compete with the MLS, but that itself has its own issues. First, the USL Championship saw two teams fold in San Diego Loyal and Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. San Diego Loyal folded because the MLS added San Diego FC with its bland and generic naming and awful logo. RGVFC Toros folded because the stadium they had been playing in, HEB Park was sold to University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley for their upcoming football team (the soccer team did not own the stadium). Two teams folding isn't going to help the USL Championship's case to compete against MLS.

Second, USL Championship will need the cash to sign some of the best soccer players in the World, and they don't have the cash to be able to outbid MLS to do that.

NASL came close about a decade ago. But US Soccer squashed it.

[super390]

The impression I got when I was following the NASL story was that US Soccer ganged up with MLS and USL to wreck the NASL. Which was a shame because I wanted Cosmos to get the new MLS franchise in New York and move up from NASL, but MLS refused to deal with Cosmos because MLS claims all intellectual property rights on all teams and the entire point for Cosmos' owners was that they owned the IP of the most famous soccer team in American history. I don't follow soccer closely, but I really hate NYCFC because MLS chose a foreign brand over Cosmos.

For a moment, NASL was fighting back against the MLS-USL alliance with an alliance of its own, with Division 3 NISA. So you had a kind of ridiculous war with Division 1 and 2 leagues colluding to shut out owners moving up from Division 2 and 3 leagues. But once NASL was gone, USL started letting clubs like Detroit and Oakland move up from NISA and then its relations with MLS turned bad and now its owners are shut out from moving up the way so many USL and NASL teams once did.

I also understand that ultimately US Soccer controls who wins these conflicts, because it and FIFA control the flow of touring foreign clubs that American soccer depends on for lucrative exhibition matches. It's a racket all the way down.