MLS Tied with MLB for Popularity Amongst 12-17 Year-Olds

[Toro]

That's pretty stunning IMHO.

For the first time in the 20-year history of the ESPN Sports Poll, Major League Soccer has caught up with Major League Baseball in one significant marker of popularity.

In the survey, both leagues can claim 18 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds as avid fans of their sport, the poll said. ...

The NFL led the poll with 39 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds saying they are avid fans. The NBA, NCAA football and NCAA basketball were all over 23 percent.

MLS catches MLB in popularity with kids, says ESPN poll - ESPN FC

 

[Montrovant]

That is pretty surprising. Of course, I consider either of those sports having 18% as 'avid followers' to be a stunningly high number; those are a couple of boring sports to watch!

I'd like to see all the results, to see where the other sports ranked.

It was also a fairly small poll (1500 people) so I'm not sure just how indicative it is of the entire nation.

You can look at the results of this poll when you answer the questions. These numbers have MLS much further back, although you don't see a breakdown as to which ages voted where :

SportsNation Polls - SportsNation - ESPN

 

[JWBooth]

Disappointing

 

[JimH52]

Shows you how far baseball has fallen....uuughhh

 

[Unkotare]

Yes, soccer is a fine game for children.

 

[TruthSeeker56]

Unfortunately for soccer, 12-17 year olds don't have any money to pay for the tickets to see men in shorts run around kicking a ball.

Soccer will NEVER be a major sport in this country, no matter how hard ESPN tries to cram soccer down our throats.

 

[Toro]

Unfortunately for soccer, 12-17 year olds don't have any money to pay for the tickets to see men in shorts run around kicking a ball.

Soccer will NEVER be a major sport in this country, no matter how hard ESPN tries to cram soccer down our throats.

F*cking liberals always shoving communism down our throats!

 

[DGS49]

Not surprising, considering the massive brainwashing that has been taking place over the past 30 years by our soccer moms and Euro-weenies.

After all, in football you might get hurt, and basketball and baseball are sports in which you actually have to have some talent in order to succeed.

Soccer? Everybody gets a trophy. The perfect sport for White, suburban America.

 

[rightwinger]

I think it is more a reflection of baseball losing support among youngr Americans than Soccer gaining a fanbase

 

[Unkotare]

I think it is more a reflection of baseball losing support among youngr [sic] Americans than Soccer gaining a fanbase [sic]

It's neither.

 

[DGS49]

Any thoughts why baseball would be losing support?

My guess is that there is an explosion of other sports, with everyone trying to find one that their kid can excell at. So you see increased support for hockey (several varieties), lacrosse, crew, soccer, softball, etc., and a lot of this erodes baseball's position as the historical All-American boys game of Summer.

It's actually quite Darwinian, which turns a lot of people off.

 

[ogibillm]

not gonna lie - a few years ago i would have thought i'd never be interested in soccer. then i married a soccer fan, began to understand the game, went to a few sporting kc games and us mens games...

it's fun. the fan atmosphere at a soccer game is better than any baseball game i've been at, and it's a lot more affordable to attend.

hell, sporting kc has $2 beers! (or had, they may be more expensive now) and they were good beers! weston brewing company drop kick ale!

 

[Merchant_of_Meh]

MLS is a farcry from European soccer. That stereotype died long ago. It has successfully implemented and stuck with a business model that has seen it grow exponentially over the past 19 years. This report highlights a generational shift from the traditional classic American sports. MLS is a distinctly American flavored take on the sport. The style of how these teams play the game, how the media covers it, how the fans support it and how the local communities have embraced it are all quintessentially American and tailored towards a generation that will be the first to have had it around them their whole lives. As fans of the sport now, they'll pass this on to the next generations, continuing the growth of the sport.

So as much as many want to believe it'll never be as big as the other sports, reports such as this have become more and more common and that's only going to continue as it continues to gain popularity with Millennials who grew up with the game from its infancy, as they pass it down to their children.

For my part, I'm quite impressed with the league and the opening matches of this season. The quality is obviously still not up to the par of the European leagues, but the talent many of these teams have brought in has been very impressive. The talent coming out of the universities now and are now entering the MLS has been equally impressive. Most impressively, the league's ability to hold onto its best young talent (Diego Fagundez, Harry Shipp, Luis Gil, Walker Zimmermann, Andrew Farrell etc) and keeping them from walking in the ill-fated footsteps of Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore has been crucial to drawing in younger fans.

More food for thought is that the current US Men's national team will now boast its 2 best players as members of MLS instead of being European-based. That also signals a significant shift in the direction this league's going in. It's only going to get bigger and better.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Proof positive that American kids are a bunch of pussies today.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Proof positive that American kids are a bunch of pussies today.

You have to be in better shape to excel in soccer than any of the other major sports imo. So, I would wholeheartedly refute that notion.

 

[Dot Com]

soccer is a sport? i thought it was a hobby

 

[Unkotare]

Proof positive that American kids are a bunch of pussies today.

You have to be in better shape to excel in soccer than any of the other major sports imo.

I don't think you can say that with any credibility. There is a different sort of "in shape" for different sports and even different positions on different sports, so that kind of comparison is all but meaningless.

 

[Unkotare]

soccer is a sport? i thought it was a hobby

It's a nice way for children and women to play and pass the time. Which is fine.

 

[GHook93]

Where is hockey? The sport is growing in popularity. I think baseball is dropping due to the fact that kids like everything fast and instant and baseball is anything it fast and instant. I still think football, basketball, hockey and baseball beat soccer!

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Proof positive that American kids are a bunch of pussies today.

You have to be in better shape to excel in soccer than any of the other major sports imo.

I don't think you can say that with any credibility. There is a different sort of "in shape" for different sports and even different positions on different sports, so that kind of comparison is all but meaningless.

You have to run for the full 90 in soccer. No other major sport comes even close to that cardiovascular level of fitness.