The least viewed MLS Championship ever

[Titty Meat]

http://worldsoccertalk.com/2013/12/1...-mls-cup-ever/



Saturday’s live broadcast of the 2013 MLS Cup on ESPN had an average viewing audience of 505,000, which is the least-viewed MLS Cup ever on English-language television.
The previous record low was the 748,000 viewers who watched the 2010 MLS Cup between Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas. That game had a 0.44 TV rating, but the viewing audience was greater than the 2013 MLS Cup due to the 2010 game being shown at night instead of the 4pm ET broadcast between Sporting KC-Real Salt Lake.
The 2012 MLS Cup between between LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo had a 0.7 TV rating and was viewed by an average of 797,000 people. The 2013 MLS Cup viewership was down 44% from 2012.
The disappointing 505,000 viewing audience figure for the Sporting Kansas City against Real Salt Lake game follows the 29% decline in regular season MLS TV ratings on ESPN compared to last year, as well as a 8% decline on NBCSN.
The 505,000 number is the same as the viewing audience for a repeat of Everybody Loves Raymond, which was shown on TBS at the same time as the second half of the 2013 MLS Cup. In contrast, 514,000 viewers watched MLS Cup 2013 on UniMas.
In comparison to Premier League matches, the 505,000 people who watched MLS Cup 2013 was fewer than the 507,000 who watched Chelsea-Southampton on Sunday, December 1 at 11am ET on NBCSN but slightly greater than the 499,000 viewers who watched Arsenal versus Everton (played on Sunday at 11am ET on NBCSN).
Read: Why Major League Soccer Has Bigger Issues Than Just Poor TV Ratings
TV ratings for MLS’s premier game, MLS Cup, from 1996 to 2013 are:
0.5 2013: *Sporting Kansas City-Real Salt Lake (ESPN)
0.7 2012: Los Angeles-Houston (ESPN)
0.8 2011: Los Angeles-Houston (ESPN)
0.4 2010: Colorado-FC Dallas (ESPN)
0.8 2009: Real Salt Lake-Los Angeles (ESPN)
0.6 2008: Columbus-New York (ABC)
0.8 2007: Houston-New England (ABC)
0.8 2006: Houston-New England (ABC)
0.8 2005: Los Angeles-New England (ABC)
0.8 2004: D.C. United-Kansas City (ABC)
0.6 2003: San Jose-Chicago (ABC)
0.8 2002: Los Angeles-New England (ABC)
1.0 2001: San Jose-Los Angeles (ABC)
0.7 2000: Kansas City-Chicago (ABC)
0.7 1999: D.C. United-Los Angeles (ABC)
1.0 1998: Chicago-D.C. United (ABC)
1.4 1997: D.C. United-Colorado (ABC)
1.4 1996: D.C. United-Los Angeles (ABC)

Read more at http://worldsoccertalk.com/2013/12/1...ebkM75kppwd.99

[Demonpenz]

I count FF as betting.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

FYP (Note: Thoughts are not necessarily my own, just representing popular southern thought)

Something I've been wondering about of late: Is the MLS REALLY doing that much better and growing in the U.S.? Or is it just doing a better job of marketing itself to its hardcore fanbase?

Every Southern city and every Southern college town has a ton of dedicated soccer fans. You can't throw a rock in suburban Alabama without hitting a Messi jersey.

The MLS expansion into Orlando (and Miama and maybe Atlanta) is going to be a big deal for the league.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

It won't be long before it's an official HS sport.

Wow, it isn't already? I guess I'm surprised by that for some reason.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Soccer is on the verge of a windfall.

I live in rural America and even here, in towns of 1000-4000 people, kids are playing soccer 2:1 over all the other youth sports combined.

It won't be long before it's an official HS sport.

Where the hell do you live that soccer isnt already a HS sport?

[-King-]

Originally Posted by chiefsfan987

I can't. I don't really understand why anyone pays attention to all those Monday/Thursday games the Chiefs aren't playing to be honest. 3 hours a week of Chiefs games is enough for me.

Cause football is the best thing on tv 99.999% of the time. Love it.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Exactly. I mean, we all can watch the random Thursday or Monday night football game or even college. Who the hell watches a random Chivas USA vs. FC Dallas?

I agree, but you also do not watch a random aaa baseball or minor league football if it were on tv. Soccer fans watch European, that is the big leagues. As great as MLS is going towards skill level it will never overtake Europe..

It is dumb to compare viewership of the MLS to the big 3 or even college. Just like Bo, tons of stupid people just pass judgement without ever going to a game. Most of them I have a feeling learned it from their drunk dad who claimed he could throw a football over a mountain and soccer players are all bundle of stickss. Go to one sporting game and you will enjoy yourself.

On that, I love watching football over futbol. Playing is even more fun, oder Americans playing indoor soccer is basically football. If you try flopping I will hammer you the next time.

And even though I love sporting, I was watching MU football and basketball. I agree it would have done better the next weekend.

[Eleazar]

Why the need to run the MLS down since Sporting won the cup, anyway? They are a Kansas City team. They are successful. Why the hate?

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by -King-

Where the hell do you live that soccer isnt already a HS sport?

I am hoping that was sarcasm or maybe he lives in towns where they play 7v7 football.

Hell even in HS in the 90s girls started getting teams from IX.

[Deberg_1990]

Where was all this excitement back in 2000 and 2004 when KC played for the cup?

I dare someone to find me a thread on here from back then.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Where was all this excitement back in 2000 and 2004 when KC played for the cup?

I dare someone to find me a thread on here from back then.

If the thread is found, it shows people care then.

If it is not found, that means soccer is growing?

I kind of remember talking about the championship, not the loss though..

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Where was all this excitement back in 2000 and 2004 when KC played for the cup?

I dare someone to find me a thread on here from back then.

The new ownership group really revitalized the organization. This city has learned to love and understand soccer, in large part, only after the Hunts sold the team.

I want to pinpoint the win over Manchester United in a friendly as a turning point in the fanbase.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by jd1020

It's a race to see which sport is more irrelevant in the US... Soccer or Hockey? And soccer just took the lead.

Hockey has 3 times the ratings soccer does. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals was a 4.7 rating. Hell it averaged 3.3 rating.

The Blues regular season games are getting a 3.5 rating in St. Louis. Sporting KC for their championship game got a 4.5 rating in Kansas City.

[tredadda]

Pretty sure that has to do with the MLS's stupid decision to broadcast it on CFB Championship weekend. They literally started at almost the same time as the SECCG.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Soccer has been the #1 youth participation sport for decades. Literally...decades.

Of course, if you're to believe Chuck Klosterman (and I happen to in this case) it's because youth soccer is geared towards an outcast culture that doesn't like sports, and soccer is the least reprehensible of all options because you can float through the season anonymously, whereas uncoordinated people in other sports are singled out--batting in baseball, shooting/ball-handling/defense in basketball.

In most of the towns I have lived in Soccer is for the ones that are either too little to play another sport or aren't athletic/coordinated enough to play another sport. Which I believe skew those numbers making it the #1 youth sport.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by -King-

Where the hell do you live that soccer isnt already a HS sport?

It is not a high school sport in most rural or smaller towns. Springfield is the only city that I have lived in where soccer was a high school sport. IIRC not all the schools up there had soccer teams either. Springfield is the only city/town that I have lived in that was larger than 50,000 in population.