WIP's Takeover of 94 WYSP Will Impact Union Down The Road
by Ben Feldman on Aug 18, 2011 9:00 AM EDT
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Reports have been circulating for several weeks now that CBS Radio would be permitting SportsRadio 610 WIP to take over classic rock station 94 WYSP (also a CBS Radio property), and later today, the news will become official, a local media source confirmed to the Brotherly Game. This move is being made almost in direct response to a move made nearly two years ago by the then-obscure local ESPN Radio affiliate, 950 AM, who moved their primary operations to the FM dial and renamed themselves as "97.5 The Fanatic" in attempt to tap into a younger demographic and compete with the long-time local juggernaut. And their rise, thanks to a combination of their move to FM and successful talent hires, has been nothing short of meteoric: what was once a WIP monopoly for local sports talk has quickly become a duopoly between WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic, and 97.5 looks to still be on the rise. (Our source intimated that long-time WIP host Howard Eskin's announcement three days ago that he will no longer have a daily show starting in September is not unrelated to their struggling ratings and upcoming move to FM.)
WIP simply cannot compete effectively with 97.5 The Fanatic from a ratings perspective if they remain on the AM dial, and it appears that management within both WIP and CBS Radio agreed that they needed to make the switch. Unfortunately, there's only a certain amount of interference-free FM spectrum available for use, and, like in other major markets, there is no room in the Philadelphia region for an entirely new FM entry. So CBS Radio has been forced to cannibalize one of its two pre-existing FM properties to give WIP a space on the dial, and it picked the lower-rated WYSP over classic hits station WOGL. WYSP has been, in its own right, slowly but surely losing its battle for Philadelphia rock radio to WMMR (which is ironically owned by the same group as 97.5 The Fanatic), and our source believes that the possibility of WIP taking over WYSP would not have even been considered if CBS Radio thought that they stood a chance of competing against WMMR over the long-term.
As an added benefit to choosing WYSP, 94 already has a deep connection to sports among many Philadelphians. WYSP has been the Eagles Radio Network flagship station since 1992, and has been used as an overflow station for Flyers and Sixers broadcasts when both WIP and WPHT have other commitments. All indications are that, like 97.5 The Fanatic, the new SportsRadio 94 WIP (just feels weird to write it like that) will keep its old AM frequency operational and use it for overflow programming.
From the perspective of the Union, though, this news could not be any worse.
The Union -- and, really, the sport of soccer -- seem to be wholeheartedly rejected by the on-air talent on both WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic. There are certainly a few exceptions on both stations, but anytime a caller manages to sneak through and try to talk about soccer to them, they're all but peer-pressured out of having a serious discussion about soccer. It's important to note that a lot of these same soccer haters are often just as unwilling to talk about the Philadelphia Flyers and the sport of hockey, which probably tells you all you need to know about them.
WYSP -- a non-sports talk station -- actually gave the Union the most attention of any station on the AM or FM bands (though it must be said that KYW Newsradio 1060, another CBS Radio property, does give Union scores and reports just as it does for the Phillies, Eagles, Sixers and Flyers, thanks to Union advocates Greg Orlandini and Matt Leon). Right from the beginning of the team's inaugural season, Union players, coaches and executives were regularly welcomed on the station's main morning program, The Danny Bonaduce Show. In addition, WYSP host Gordon Mays produces web content about the Union for the station's website, has often hosted his evening show live from Union home matches, and produces the excellent Union Sound podcast in conjunction with the team with interviews from players and coaches.
To have the Union's biggest advocate on the radio absorbed by arguably their biggest critic will not help the only Major League Soccer team without any official radio partners. If the Union were ever interested in doing English radio broadcasts for some or all of their matches, WYSP would have unquestionably been their first choice. There is, frankly, next to no chance that WIP or 97.5 The Fanatic would be interested, and as our source put it, the only reason that WIP is even listed in the Union's media directory is the desire of team executives to be courteous to them. WIP doesn't give "a flying [you know what] about soccer", our source reiterated, but the Union are trying to stay in touch with WIP to make sure that communication lines are always open, just in case they have a change of heart somewhere down the line.
In terms of the team's local media presence, this shake-up by CBS Radio will make the Union even more dependent on television partners 6abc and Comcast SportsNet for any sort of team coverage outside of match broadcasts. Unless they can their way onto WMMR's top-rated Preston and Steve show and other local programs (both radio and television) on a more consistent basis, they're about to find themselves in a situation where there is a decreasing amount of ancillary discussion about the team in the Philadelphia media, at a crucial time in the franchise's development where they are trying to piggyback on the team being in a position to contend for a playoff berth for the first time ever. If the Union remain in playoff contention as the season draws to a close, the front office will be trying to hype up the team and build a bit of a buzz throughout the city (at least, as much of a buzz that can be created at the same time as the MLB playoffs), and having a decreasing number of outlets to try and do that through is not what they've been hoping for.
Of course, however, the people that this will impact the most is those who work at WYSP, both on- and off-the-air. The Brotherly Game would like to wish everyone at WYSP the absolute best going forward.
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Listeners' Responsibility?
The pressure should, then, be on us as listeners or potential listeners to let them know that we are a large audience, we’re in all media outlet’s target demographic, and we are passionate and want to be be potential listeners. The trick is to find ways of making this known that don’t come across as being belligerent or argument-seeking. The knee-jerk reaction is: let’s all pick a day and time and get everyone to call in to clog up their phone lines. This just makes us look like we’re trying to fight them rather than integrate ourselves into their lineup. The decision on their end won’t be a quick and easy one. For many of these guys, you’re talking about a total psychological shift for them to even acknowledge us, let alone embrace us. I think the best thing that we can do is to have set short, intermediate, and long term goals for how we can show them what value we add as listeners and contributors for their stations.
Phase 1: Call routinely with an ulterior topic. Call to say that you think Halladay looked shaky last night, that you still just can’t get yourself to root for the Eagles since Vick is QB, that Ian Laperriere is your favorite Flyer of all time, (insert relevant Sixers topic here). Have that discussion, then almost as a second thought once you’ve established that you actually are a knowledgeable Philadelphian sports fan, have a small-talk point about the Union like asking why they don’t include scores in their updates, if any of them have been to a game yet (lie and tell them you hated soccer, went to a game, and it totally blew you away), mention that they look like a great squad and could make the p layoffs this year. If the hosts come at you, don’t argue with them, just say “you don’t know what you’re missing” and move on. We need to demonstrate that we’re not these elitist hipsters that people falsely assume we are. We’re Philly sports fans too. We’re the guys sitting next to you at Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers games.
Phase 2: Start calling and listening any time you’re stuck in traffic leaving PPL Park. Usually, this occurs during the quieter shows on weekend nights which works out well. After every other team’s games in the city, the fans call in to have a discussion while exiting the parking lots. We shouldn’t be any different. It gives us more exposure, establishes us as a more credible fan-base, and helps them get accustomed to talking about soccer – which is something that is very important because I think that a lot of their reluctance is due to the fact that they have no idea how to talk about this sport – we need to be the drivers of these conversations for now, and that scares them.
Phase 3: Apply off-the-air pressure to the stations, the hosts, the producers, the interns, the marketing department, and anyone else who will listen. We all probably know people who know people. Some of you probably run into Angelo Cataldi in Sea Isle every summer. Maybe you bump into Glen Macnow at the Flyers games. Maybe Anthony Gargano is your neighbor. Keep reminding these guys that we’re here, and with our attendance figures the way they are, we’re not going away any time soon. Don’t be combative, but be persistent.
Phase 4: Keep supporting local blogs and podcasts. If you don’t think that social media and its implications keep the marketing folks from old-school media outlets awake at nights, you’re wrong. A very close eye is kept on what happens on the internet, what is successful, what isn’t. If we keep sites like this one active and contribute active conversations in comments sections on Kerith Gabriel and Marc Narducci’s articles, people will notice. This will help us carry-over into those “more mainstream” media outlets as well.
I can’t stress enough to not be combative, though. That’s the worst thing that we can do. You can’t enter the situation saying that Union games are great because the crowd is awesome, and the crowds at (insert other local team here)‘s games suck. All you’re doing there is making enemies. People already have this weird preconception that, as soccer fans, we somehow think we’re better than or completely different from fans of other sports. In my experience, that’s not the case. Yes, we’re very passionate and show that passion in different ways than many of the other sports fans do, but in many instances, we’re those other fans as well.
I know this was long, and I apologize.
Thanks for the space to rant,
by sully127 on Aug 18, 2011 9:38 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
No need to lie
lie and tell them you hated soccer, went to a game, and it totally blew you away
No need for me to lie on that point, actually. I disliked soccer, mostly because I didn’t understand it. Then my daughter started playing, and basic comprehension began seeping through my thick skull. Then she asked to go to the home opener. We went, and I fell in love with the atmosphere and the singing and found the game more fun than any game I had ever paid attention to. I came home from that game and purchased season tickets that night.
Whenever I talk to anybody about the Union now, I make sure to mention this story. I’ve managed to get a few people – including my father – interested in the U.
And for whatever it’s worth, I have heard some chatter on 97.5. Not a lot, but some, on the shift after Mikey Miss I think it was. . And Anthony Gargano was really into the Women’s World Cup. So maybe those are the places to start.
I actually sat in-studio with Gargano and Macnow for a few hours earlier this year (one of those things you can win at a charitable auction, and one of my friends won it). At some point, we were talking during a commercial break, and soccer was brought up — Gargano was interested enough, but you should have seen Macnow’s face. It’s definitely an opening, though, and with the news that Barkann will be doing 10-1 with Ike Reese, that may mean that Gargano and Macnow are moving to Eskin’s spot. A least on CSN, Barkann’s more like Les Bowen than Dick Jerardi when it comes to the Union. So we could have a couple of openings to start with come September.
Contributor at The Brotherly Game, SBN's Philadelphia Union blog
by Ben Feldman on Aug 18, 2011 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Totally on board with this.
Finding ways to show that their is a sizable and interactive audience for Union and soccer in general is very important. And excellent point on the combative issue. Staying above the fray is necessary so as not to give anyone a reason to dismiss Union fans as bitter, classless, uneducated, etc.
Two Unmentioned Options
There are two things not mentioned in the otherwise insightful article above that might mitigate the negative consequences of the WIP takeover of WYSP.
WYSP Refugees – It is likely that someone will capitalize on the demise of YSP by hiring a bunch of their talent. It might not have been working out great by CBS standards but I’m sure there is another station somewhere for whom the YSP numbers would be an improvement. Hopefully as the ex-WSP talent settle into new homes (at MMR or elsewhere), they will bring the Union-love with them as part of the effort to attract the ever-coveted 17-34 male demographic.
Competition – If the battle is really being joined between The Fan and WIP then at some point, one of them will decide to go after the soccer market not because they become soccer lovers but for the same reason the ESPN mothership did, because there are ratings to be had. The fact that guys like Bill Simmons and Tony Kornheiser both former mockers of the game in a pretty big way have been convinced to make it a bigger part of their respective rotations means that anyone can change if there is a ratings and/or cash incentive thrown at them. As @Sully127 indicated that’s on the Union fans. We’re in a media world where revenue is hard to come by so if there is money to be made the bosses will tell the personalities to get on board or get out if MLS/Union is the way to some of that revenue.
Great article.
Cheers – Neal
“Never Manage Alone” (coming soon to an SBNation site near you.
Excellent points. WMMR will probably try and pick up who they can from WYSP, and that would be great. Preston and Steve have certainly been receptive to the team when contact has been made on occasion, but the team was really focusing on giving Danny Bonaduce most of the appearances, and the tickets to give away, etc. (Hell, there was a WYSP night at PPL Park during a recent home match.) Maybe now they’ll work on moving some of that stuff over to Preston and Steve and whomever they bring in from WYSP. And since 97.5’s an ESPN Radio affiliate, they’ve had a lot of soccer forced on them over the past year or so — all of the men’s World Cup matches and the women’s World Cup final were forced to be on their airwaves, so they haven’t been able to totally avoid it like WIP. I do think that after the women’s World Cup final, 97.5 talked about it a bit, which is a good sign — I mean, it was hard to ignore all of the interest from the country.
Contributor at The Brotherly Game, SBN's Philadelphia Union blog
by Ben Feldman on Aug 18, 2011 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions
Typical
I’m allready getting sick of non stop eagels and phillies talk. To think there will be another sports talk radio show on my fm dial really stinks. I’ve always wanted to call into the Fanatic to talk about the UNION but I reall don’t feel like being made fun of on my way home from work.
I’d say try like hell to convince Howard Eskin and his son about the Union. Donate tickets to them for the River End, let them bang the drum, whatever it takes. Howard will end up somewhere else, and while he’s a bit of a jerk sometimes, he’s the type of guy who seems like he would passionately support something he believed in…if you could convince him to believe in it.
Cataldi’s show remarked briefly after the Union/Real Madrid match, in almost a “wow, they had that many people attend?” fashion. Honestly, American sports have been scared of soccer, and the typical reaction from “haters” is conditioned. They believe what they’ve been told, and it goes all the way back to the reason why Lamar Hunt got involved with NASL. As the saying goes, “Keep your friends close and enemies closer.” It’s no coincidence that a guy like Robert Kraft is so influential within US Soccer.
Anyway, these guys will change their tune, but it may take people inviting them to PPL and giving them a taste. Many of them are in bed with Comcast Sportsnet as well, which is strange seeing that WIP is CBS and Comcast is now NBC. In any regard, Comcast does the production for the Union, and thus there has to be a certain amount of knowledge within these circles that there is a loyal fanbase. Again, if you can pry the personalities away from their learned stereotypes of the sport, and get them to experience it firsthand, I think you could see them begin to respect the Union and the sport in general.
Yeah, and I can tell you that the Union and Nick Sakiewicz have done everything they can to get WIP interested. That it may just take time for them to come around is why they’re making sure to keep in contact, etc. (even if it’s kind of awkward since WIP doesn’t really want to hear from them), so that they don’t feel spurned by the team if/when they start to warm up to talking about the team.
Contributor at The Brotherly Game, SBN's Philadelphia Union blog
by Ben Feldman on Aug 18, 2011 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
As someone who doesn't listen to sports talk radio
I’m amazed at how much verbiage you folks have laid down here. Honestly, I think the Union can survive and thrive without “endorsements” from loudmouth “personalities” with tired show formats. If the Union continue to succeed, they will force their way into the conversation. We don’t need clandestine strategies to make sure the team is mentioned on these stations. Honestly, I don’t think these stations are as powerful or influential as these posts make it seem, and I’m not sure attracting the “sports talk” type of fan is all that important to the long-term viability and success of the club.
You really can’t mention the Flyers. They might not get as much talk as you’d want but they get a ton of time during the playoffs and during the off season when they traded Richards and Carter.
xEgan on Twitter
Yeah, I know they did. I didn’t mean to put them as equals in not getting time, because the Flyers certainly get attention when they make a move, but remember when Laviolette went onto Missanelli last January and lambasted him for not talking about the Flyers regularly despite them being in first place and everything?
Contributor at The Brotherly Game, SBN's Philadelphia Union blog
by Ben Feldman on Aug 18, 2011 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
At the end of the day you still have to realize that hockey and soccer are niche sports in this country and even in this city. The majority of people would rather talk football and baseball. Is it fair? No. But being a fan of a team that isn’t as popular as you like it to be isn’t everyone’s fault. Its not like I’m biased here towards the big teams because I’m a huge Sixers fan and they get barely any attention and when it is it’s negative.
The only way people are going to begin to talk about the Union on sports talk radio is for them to make a deep push in the playoffs or win an MLS cup. Look at the attention that the Women’s World Cup got on those stations. As much as Macnow hated it people were calling in to talk about those games. If they make a run in the playoffs casual fans will begin to watch and start to call up.
xEgan on Twitter
Hockey is not a niche sport in Philadelphia, nor in many parts of this country. Just because it isn’t big in flyover states or the deep south doesn’t make it “niche”
Flyers, Phillies, Union, Eagles, Phantoms, Wings.
It is and you’re just biased towards it. Look at your thing.. “Flyers, Phillies, Union, Eagles, Phnatoms, Wings”. It may be popular with you and your circle of friends but it doesn’t make it popular compared to the numbers in the NFL, MLB, and NBA.
xEgan on Twitter
Oh I definitely prefer hockey. But the bias comes from Sixers fans that can’t deal with their lack of relevance in this market. And I know that the NHL isn’t on the same level as MLB or the NFL, but neither is the NBA. That’s just the ESPN/NBA hype machine trying to justify their absurd tv contract.
Flyers, Phillies, Union, Eagles, Phantoms, Wings.
by Pelti on Aug 18, 2011 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You also may want to consider another approach ….. ratings help determine the rate that the stations charge, and certainly entice advertisers to purchase commercial time, but you may want to consider the reverse approach…….go to the people advertising on those stations now and inform them that if they want to have any hope of you purchasing their goods or services, they should exert pressure on the stations to include more soccer talk. If it’s the 17-34 male demographic they want, and you fit that description, call up the advertiser directly and tell them. The radio stations will only change on their own as a result of poor ratings….advertisers can pressure them will change to if they understand that it can increase their business. Of course, that does carry the responsibility of actually doing business with those establishments who are sympathetic
by Pocono Flyers Fan on Aug 18, 2011 12:56 PM EDT reply actions
I rarely listen to sports radio, because when I do it seems like their priority is:
Eagles > Eagles > Eagles > Sixers > Phillies > College Basketball > College Football > Flyers > Union. That’s a big part of why I don’t listen, because that clashes with my priorities of Flyers > Phillies > Union > Eagles.
Overall, I think the city is Eagles > Phillies > Flyers > College Basketball > College Football > Union > Sixers.
And please, PLEASE remember that the backlash against soccer is as much a backlash against soccer fans as the sport itself, if not more so about the fans. Guerrilla tactics and self righteous rants can do more harm than good. Remember that you need to promote soccer, not to attack mainstream sports, not to deride mainstream fans. If you start talking about soccer or soccer fans being “better”, you’re just reinforcing the elitism and arrogance that perpetuates this backlash against soccer.
Flyers, Phillies, Union, Eagles, Phantoms, Wings.
now is the time
now that the city’s two sports stations are broadcasting on AM & FM it is time for Union fans and soccer fans to let the stations know it is time for them to jump on the band wagon!
like many i was never a soccer fan – i got interested about 5 years ago when my son started playing soccer – maybe three years ago i started watching MLS games – just a little at the start – but the games interested me enough that i wanted to watch more.
last year when the U came to town my son went from being a soccer fan to a fanatic – i watched all of the games that i could on TV and we went to one game at PPL – I WAS HOOKED after seeing it live.
now both my son and i are fanatics and we have really bonded over soccer – and the best part it is me getting involved with him in an interest of his and learning and growing together! watching soccer has made my son a better soccer player too!
money is what really matters to all businesses – if the Fanatic or WIP could make more money because of soccer they would be on board!
with both AM & FM stations they have extra airtime that can be filled – most Union games are on weekend nights where most aren’t listening to sports radio – the AM station of the Fanatic or WIP would be the perfect place for Union broadcasts to start off! here in Delaware WIP comes in better so i would love to see it there on 610!
the local paper – the Wilmington News Journal had ZERO Union and soccer coverage. i sent a few e-mails to the sorts editor – and it was the same old argument – limited space and resources. i would e-mail him every few months to keep the Union issue fresh in his mind – always nice polite e-mails. and nothing happened.
a few months ago i sent him an article that pointed out the attendance at MLS games – and how it was greater than half of the MLB teams and how the U had an average attendance greater than the Sixers. i pointed out that they were missing out on a wave – and how in the past kids playing soccer wouldn’t follow soccer because they didn;t have anything to follow – but now with the MLS and cable tv they were following soccer – i also copied his bosses for the first time.
i don;t know if that last e-mail with data and copying his superiors had anything to do with it – but in the past few months the WNJ has started coverage of the U!
we need to let management at the all sports stations to know that we are out here in numbers – if they think they can make a dime on soccer they will carry it~
Less air time
Odds are WIP and WYSP will be a simulcast, much like ESPN radio, to save money. They’ll probably only go to separate signals if 3 teams are playing simultaneously
Flyers, Phillies, Union, Eagles, Phantoms, Wings.
here it is
here is the article that i sent to the Wilmington News Journal:
Soccer Beating Baseball to Ticket-Buyers
By Jason Notte
The Street—June 27, 2011
NEW YORK— Depending on where sports fans live, the Boys of Summer may not be on the diamond but on the pitch.
So far this season, nine of the 18 teams in Major League Soccer are outdrawing Major League Baseball teams in average attendance. The Houston Dynamo’s more than 17,000 fans per game, the Philadelphia Union’s 18,180 average and the New York Red Bulls’ 18,200 regular attendees are all a better draw than the Florida Marlins, who are drawing an average of only 16,975 to their home games. Toronto FC has been in the league for only four years, but its average attendance of 19,900 is 1,000 per game shy of baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays, while the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 22,200 puts it ahead of eight teams in Major League Baseball.
The MLS attendance figures are even more impressive in places where soccer is outdrawing major league baseball teams in their own city. Since moving to their new home at soccer-specific LiveStrong Sporting Park earlier this year, Sporting Kansas City has drawn nearly 19,200 fans to every home game. The same can’t be said for the Royals, who are struggling to bring roughly 18,600 fans out to games.
“Major League Soccer is the new kid on the block. We’ve only been around 16 years compared to Major League Baseball, which has been around for 142 years, and other leagues that have been around for decades,” says Dan Courtemanche, executive vice president of Major League Soccer and Soccer United Marketing. “We don’t necessarily have the tradition in all of our markets that some of the major sports leagues in this country do, but we are fortunate that in some of our markets, including Seattle and Portland, there’s a tradition dating back to the North American Soccer League that’s carrying over into MLS.”
One of those former NASL teams getting a big boost is the Portland Timbers, which had its initial run from 1975 through 1982, hung on as F.C. Portland in the Western Soccer League from 1985 through 1990 and re-emerged as the Timbers in the USL from 2000 through last year. The team was bought by Merritt Paulson and his father, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, and has been averaging 18,627 fans per game during its first MLS season at refurbished and soccer-specific Jeld-Wen Field. That average attendance figure is already better than the crowds of fewer than 18,600 that attend Marlins, Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays games.
The MLS’ other newcomers this year, the Vancouver Whitecaps, also date back to the NASL and took the league’s championship back in 1979. The team brought in more than 29,000 per game during its height in 1983 and, like the Timbers, spent much of the past 26 years in the lower-division United Soccer League. This year, however, they already are bringing in more than 20,000 fans per game while playing at their temporary home in a Canadian Football League stadium. The Whitecaps are slated to move to soccer-specific BC Place later this year, but their current attendance is more than either the American League Central-leading Cleveland Indians or the AL East’s last-place Baltimore Orioles have been able to manage.
A fan base that has your back even before you hit the MLS doesn’t hurt. A big, green reason for the Timbers’ early success is the team’s 3,600-member group of Timbers Army supporters, which have backed the team for nearly a decade and carry on Timbers traditions such as former mascot Timber Jim’s chainsawing of a log each time the team scores a goal. The more than 530 members of the Vancouver Southsiders, meanwhile, have not only helped make the Whitecaps’ home field sound like a European pitch, but been featured prominently in the team’s marketing.
MLS’ most popular teams usually come with boisterous booster groups, including the 5,200 members of the Sons of Ben who sit behind the goal in the “river end” of Philadelphia’s PPL Park cheering the Union, the La Barra Brava and Screaming Eagles groups that crowd around midfield at RFK Stadium for DC United and the longest-serving group of supporters in MLS, the Empire Supporters Club.
“The supporters groups for Major League Soccer clubs are the lifeblood of the experience in the stadium,” Courtemanche says. “The clubs with the larger supporters groups are leading the league in attendance.”
That’s certainly the case in Seattle, where the Sounders are bringing in a league-leading 37,000 per game while playing in the reduced-capacity CenturyLink(CTL) Field, which normally hosts the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. They get 2,000 fans a night just from their Emerald City Supporters group, with firms such as Gorilla FC adding to the Sounders’ loud and lively base. They’re the only team in MLS with a marching band, the Sound Wave, and that group leads a march through the city to the stadium before every home game.
Like their Pacific Northwest rivals, the Sounders’ NASL tradition (1974-83) and longstanding lower-level rivalries gave the club a bit of a head start when it joined MLS in 2009. That was no guarantee that they’d be more popular than their next-door neighbor at Safeco Field, but baseball’s Mariners are bringing in nearly 15,000 fewer fans per game than the Sounders. Considering neither the Sounders, Whitecaps or Timbers were in the league three years ago, MLS’ Northwest-navigated attendance boost seems well overdue.
“The passionate fan base has always been there, but in some cases it was the stadium or an ownership group,” Courtemanche says of the teams, which count Microsoft(MSFT)-founder and Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen, former Yahoo!(YHOO) Chief Operating Officer Jeff Mallett, Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash and Price Is Right host Drew Carey among their owners. Qwest Field in Seattle, now CenterLink Field, wasn’t built until the late 1990s and Jeld-Wen park, formerly Civic Stadium, was more of a baseball facility and underwent a $35 million renovation to host a Major League Soccer team, he says.
It’s only fair to note that the Mariners and other major league baseball teams play 162 games per season compared with 34 for Major League Soccer. That said, the Sounders would have the ninth-highest attendance in baseball if they managed the same average in the majors.
It’s no small feat for a league that contracted its counterparts to baseball’s Marlins and Rays — the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny — in 2001, had no television contract and shrunk to 10 teams playing mostly in outsized football stadiums. Today, the league has 18 teams; television deals with ESPN, Fox Soccer(NWS) and Univision; and a fan base that’s growing in all the right demographics.
Roughly a third of MLS fans are Hispanic, Courtemanche says, and are increasingly drawn to the league as it brings in stars from 60 countries — including New York defender and Mexican national team captain Rafael Marquez, 19-year-old Colombian forward for FC Dallas Fabian Castillo and his countryman and Seattle Sounders striker Fredy Montero, who’s given Seattle a lot to cheer about lately. It also benefits from a coveted 18-to-24-year-old fan demographic that’s a lot more familiar with Major League Soccer than the generation before.
“We have 20-year-olds who don’t know life without Major League Soccer because they were 4 when the league started,” Courtemanche says. “It’s a generational aspect that’s starting to change for us.”
The size and scope of the MLS is continuing to change as well. When the league adds a franchise in Montreal next year and the Houston Dynamos move off the University of Houston campus, 15 of its 19 teams will be playing in soccer-specific stadiums with a capacity of 27,000 or less. The downsizing keeps fans from being dwarfed by half-empty football facilities, keeps teams from losing control of scheduling or revenue from parking or concessions and moves teams toward profitability. There are notable exceptions to this rule, as the Sounders have a more equitable agreement with the Seahawks than teams including D.C. United and the New England Revolution have with their NFL landlords.
“It’s a combination of the appropriate-sized stadium to produce an environment where fans can celebrate soccer vs. being maybe the third tenant in an American football stadium where an MLS team maybe isn’t in charge of the revenue streams,” Courtemanche says. “CenturyLink field is not soccer-specific, but it’s downtown and part of the ownership group is the Seahawks organization, so the Sounders are on even par — but in a place like RFK Stadium, DC United is just renting, has very little control over dates and revenue and isn’t ever going to be successful from an economic standpoint until they have their own facility.”
Much like in baseball, however, a new stadium isn’t a guarantee people will actually show up. The Columbus Crew built the league’s first soccer-specific stadium in 1999, but the 20,455-seat Columbus Crew stadium is drawing slightly fewer than 10,500 per game this year even as the team holds on to third place in the Eastern Conference. By comparison, Vancouver draws nearly twice as many and is dead last in the league.
FC Dallas is in third place in the Western Conference, but regularly plays to a half-full house at Pizza Hut(YUM) Park. The Chicago Fire moved from Soldier Field in downtown Chicago to 20,000-seat Toyota™ Park in the suburb of Bridgeview five years ago and still draws only 14,000 per game. It takes more than small stadiums to hang with the big leagues.
“With any professional sports league, it’s not a case of ‘If you build it, they will come,’” Courtemanche says. “You have to build the appropriate stadium in a location that appeals to your fan base and you need to continue to produce a product that’s compelling on the field and market it appropriately to increase demand.”
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