Sporting KC Mellinger: Sporting is a microcosm of what Major League Soccer wants to be. - Page 2

|Zach| · 05-07-2013, 09:43 PM

By SAM MELLINGER
The Kansas City Star

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/07...m-of-what.html

Don Garber is sitting at the head of a long table in a big conference room talking about the future of his league. The commissioner of Major League Soccer could be here all day, really. This is his passion. His life. What he’ll be remembered for.

Growing soccer in America is a tricky proposition, of course. For most of the last 30 years, soccer has always been The Next Big Thing, but always next, not yet now. There are signs that this is changing. Slowly. Subtly. Without the major party-crashing of our country’s so-called established major pro sports — football, baseball, basketball and hockey — and even if that label needs updating, it’s a bit irrelevant to Garber’s vision of a bigger MLS.

Stop comparing his league to the NBA, NHL or major-league baseball. In terms of what Garber is trying to do, you might as well be talking about the movies or Angry Birds. Garber’s league is focused on converting non-MLS soccer fans, not nonsoccer sports fans.

“One-hundred percent focus is converting global soccer fans to MLS fans,” Garber says. “When that happens, and the market is bigger, then we can go after the (nonsoccer) sports fan.”

Garber cites World Cup television ratings among the factors that say America has enough soccer fans already to grow MLS into a much more popular league. And actually, Garber has a good model for what he’s talking about.

You can see it here Wednesday night, when Sporting Kansas City plays Seattle in front of another sellout crowd at Sporting Park.

This long-term growth strategy for the league is awfully similar to what Sporting has done and continues to work on: grow a passionate fan base through those who already like soccer, then let that energy bring in fans of other sports who will get behind the local team.

In this way, MLS’s model is already working in Kansas City.

“Oh, yes,” says Howard Handler, chief marketing officer for MLS. “Definitely.”

Sporting’s ascension from circus sideshow playing awkward games crammed into a minor-league baseball stadium to a worthy member of the major local sports scene packing a gorgeous new stadium may have started when European power Manchester United played the then-Wizards at Arrowhead Stadium three years ago.

It was a preseason game for Man U, which wasn’t playing its best roster, but it was still a monumental day for the local soccer team. Many of the 55,000 or so fans were wearing Man U red, but once the game got going and the Wizards took the lead, you could feel the energy shift.

Those were non-MLS soccer fans switching sides, and there are always more factors involved than the obvious, but Kansas City’s MLS team took a big step forward that day.

In the three years since, Sporting has essentially lived a microcosm of the growth strategy Garber describes for the entire league — a process he says might take a decade or more.

Through a wicked combination of rebranding, surgically targeted marketing, a beautiful new stadium and — most importantly — a winning team, Sporting has crashed the local sports scene and become what Garber has repeatedly called the league’s greatest success story.

The club took momentum from the Man U game and continued to convert non-MLS soccer fans with World Cup watch parties and other events. Boulevard and Grinders are on the in-stadium menu; pregames often include live music outside. That’s part of specific marketing toward a young and hip demographic, hopefully convincing them that Sporting is a local team worth their time and money.

Nearly 20,000 fans are at every game, and it’s hard not to wonder how many of them even know this team used to be called the Wizards? That it played games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, and before that Arrowhead Stadium?

Sporting doesn’t have empirical data on this, but there’s overwhelming circumstantial and anecdotal evidence to suggest the long-term MLS model is playing out here already. You can find a lot of global soccer fans in the Cauldron, and other twenty-somethings at Sporting Park.

That makes for a live atmosphere, and has helped attract more casual fans to the scene. This includes — Garber’s end-goal here — sports fans who haven’t been interested in soccer but want to be at the party and cheer on the local team. The team used to print off lyrics for chants. Now they’re all done by the fans. Sporting has invested in bringing those fans back, with an oversized video board and powerful sound system that makes the stadium feel bigger than it actually is.

Toronto was the first MLS team to target this younger demographic in this way; Sporting has been among the most successful. Every game this season is expected to be sold out. The club has a season-ticket waiting list. There has been talk of expanding the stadium in the next four or five years. Sporting debuted a black and argyle kit during their last home game and sold more jerseys at halftime than they did in entire seasons back in the day.

This is the outcome Garber wants to see in every MLS market, and in so many ways, Sporting has written the playbook. The hopeful future of the MLS plays out in real time here in Kansas City.

AussieChiefsFan · 05-07-2013, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

Soccer sucks

Kidd Lex · 05-08-2013, 05:47 AM

I've always been an MLB, NFL, college basketball guy, but this year I bought SKC tickets with my brothers and a close buddy and we have absolutely caught the bug. MLS may not be the best brand on the planet, but the games are entertaining as hell and the atmosphere is like none other in sports. I'm definitely re-upping next year, and the local ownership is actually in it to win it. Gasp!! Can you imagine?!

BlackHelicopters · 05-08-2013, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Figures that KC is the gold standard in a sports league that 5 people actually care about.

That many?

Agent V · 05-08-2013, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Figures that KC is the gold standard in a sports league that 5 people actually care about.

Are you delusional?

**Mr. Flopnuts** · 05-08-2013, 06:27 AM

Great article. I love seeing it in KC. Seattle was super hyped over the Sounders, and I think it's an interesting model that they allow their fans to vote on keeping the coach and GM at the end of every year. I'd love to see Soccer jump up. I think it already has. I mean shit, are we really saying the NHL is more popular in this country right now over MLS? That would shock the ever living **** out of me.

**J Diddy** · 05-08-2013, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Figures that KC is the gold standard in a sports league that 5 people actually care about.

This is the part where I would normally call you stupid, however, that is too harsh. I'm going to say illiterate because printed in the article above was this:

Quote:

Sporting has been among the most successful. Every game this season is expected to be sold out. The club has a season-ticket waiting list.

**J Diddy** · 05-08-2013, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

Great article. I love seeing it in KC. Seattle was super hyped over the Sounders, and I think it's an interesting model that they allow their fans to vote on keeping the coach and GM at the end of every year. I'd love to see Soccer jump up. I think it already has. I mean shit, are we really saying the NHL is more popular in this country right now over MLS? That would shock the ever living **** out of me.

I never got hockey's allure. Perhaps it was growing up in an area that didn't have any way to play hockey. However, I can follow soccer because I've played it and actually have an idea of what's going on.

**DaFace** · 05-08-2013, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

Great article. I love seeing it in KC. Seattle was super hyped over the Sounders, and I think it's an interesting model that they allow their fans to vote on keeping the coach and GM at the end of every year. I'd love to see Soccer jump up. I think it already has. I mean shit, are we really saying the NHL is more popular in this country right now over MLS? That would shock the ever living **** out of me.

It probably depends on what part of the country you're in and how you define it. There are only 19 MLS teams in the country, meaning that a lot of the country doesn't even have a team to root for. KC is also VERY atypical from what I can tell. If you watch games in a lot of other stadiums, they're far from sold out.

As for the definition of what is more popular, I think I read that MLS average attendance was higher than NHL and NBA attendance last year, but that's like using the fact that NFL games have higher average attendance than MLB games to claim that the NFL is more popular than the MLB.

On the other hand, you can't really use TOTAL attendance either since that would have the opposite effect. My guess is total attendance for an NHL team rivals total attendance of an NFL team, but that's because hockey teams play 82 games per year.

Really, about the best way to do it would be to just conduct a national poll about it, and it's probably not worth anyone paying money to do it.

**DaFace** · 05-08-2013, 07:48 AM

I googled around a bit, and here's an article about just such a poll in 2011. Things may have shifted slightly since then, but it ranked the most popular "favorite" sports as:

1. Pro football - 31%
2. Baseball - 17%
3. College football - 12%
4. Auto racing - 7%
5. Men's pro basketball - 6%
6. Hockey - 5%
7. Men's soccer - 4%

If I were to guess, I'd say that soccer and hockey are probably in a statistical dead heat. However, (as the OP alluded to), I'd bet that the NHL is still quite a bit more popular than MLS since many "men's soccer" fans are primarily fans of international teams rather than MLS teams.

tredadda · 05-08-2013, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agent V

Are you delusional?

That's the norm here. Anything positive about SKC ends up with a few having to talk about how soccer sucks, no one cares etc......

tredadda · 05-08-2013, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Hope they do well. Soccers not my thing but I do watch some of the World Cup. One hurdle te league would have is the knowledge everyone has that the best players are in the best leagues and hence not here. I saw Kamera(?) came back after not working out in EPL so fans intuitively know this is a AAA farm system type deal. Our other leagues are the clear best in the world

This will continue to be the case for a while as the MLS continues to grow their fanbase and their homegrown talent. The key is to draw larger crowds where they do play and try to keep the top American players. Then they need to poach the top Mexican league for their stars since we can pay them more. If it continues to grow the MLS could eventually go after the top players in the world. Something like that though is many, many years away.

teedubya · 05-08-2013, 10:20 AM

I don't really like or follow soccer... but the SKC experience is amazing at Sporting Park. It's really incredible, actually.

|Zach| · 05-08-2013, 01:11 PM

Breaking down a KC goal.

|Zach| · 05-08-2013, 01:17 PM

The calls from a Spanish broadcast crack me up.

Demonpenz · 05-08-2013, 02:34 PM

I watched an entire broadcast in spanish Chivas vs Galaxy. It was pretty entertaining.

05-07-2013, 09:43 PM
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5096768	Mellinger: Sporting is a microcosm of what Major League Soccer wants to be. By SAM MELLINGER The Kansas City Star http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/07...m-of-what.html Don Garber is sitting at the head of a long table in a big conference room talking about the future of his league. The commissioner of Major League Soccer could be here all day, really. This is his passion. His life. What he’ll be remembered for. Growing soccer in America is a tricky proposition, of course. For most of the last 30 years, soccer has always been The Next Big Thing, but always next, not yet now. There are signs that this is changing. Slowly. Subtly. Without the major party-crashing of our country’s so-called established major pro sports — football, baseball, basketball and hockey — and even if that label needs updating, it’s a bit irrelevant to Garber’s vision of a bigger MLS. Stop comparing his league to the NBA, NHL or major-league baseball. In terms of what Garber is trying to do, you might as well be talking about the movies or Angry Birds. Garber’s league is focused on converting non-MLS soccer fans, not nonsoccer sports fans. “One-hundred percent focus is converting global soccer fans to MLS fans,” Garber says. “When that happens, and the market is bigger, then we can go after the (nonsoccer) sports fan.” Garber cites World Cup television ratings among the factors that say America has enough soccer fans already to grow MLS into a much more popular league. And actually, Garber has a good model for what he’s talking about. You can see it here Wednesday night, when Sporting Kansas City plays Seattle in front of another sellout crowd at Sporting Park. This long-term growth strategy for the league is awfully similar to what Sporting has done and continues to work on: grow a passionate fan base through those who already like soccer, then let that energy bring in fans of other sports who will get behind the local team. In this way, MLS’s model is already working in Kansas City. “Oh, yes,” says Howard Handler, chief marketing officer for MLS. “Definitely.” Sporting’s ascension from circus sideshow playing awkward games crammed into a minor-league baseball stadium to a worthy member of the major local sports scene packing a gorgeous new stadium may have started when European power Manchester United played the then-Wizards at Arrowhead Stadium three years ago. It was a preseason game for Man U, which wasn’t playing its best roster, but it was still a monumental day for the local soccer team. Many of the 55,000 or so fans were wearing Man U red, but once the game got going and the Wizards took the lead, you could feel the energy shift. Those were non-MLS soccer fans switching sides, and there are always more factors involved than the obvious, but Kansas City’s MLS team took a big step forward that day. In the three years since, Sporting has essentially lived a microcosm of the growth strategy Garber describes for the entire league — a process he says might take a decade or more. Through a wicked combination of rebranding, surgically targeted marketing, a beautiful new stadium and — most importantly — a winning team, Sporting has crashed the local sports scene and become what Garber has repeatedly called the league’s greatest success story. The club took momentum from the Man U game and continued to convert non-MLS soccer fans with World Cup watch parties and other events. Boulevard and Grinders are on the in-stadium menu; pregames often include live music outside. That’s part of specific marketing toward a young and hip demographic, hopefully convincing them that Sporting is a local team worth their time and money. Nearly 20,000 fans are at every game, and it’s hard not to wonder how many of them even know this team used to be called the Wizards? That it played games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, and before that Arrowhead Stadium? Sporting doesn’t have empirical data on this, but there’s overwhelming circumstantial and anecdotal evidence to suggest the long-term MLS model is playing out here already. You can find a lot of global soccer fans in the Cauldron, and other twenty-somethings at Sporting Park. That makes for a live atmosphere, and has helped attract more casual fans to the scene. This includes — Garber’s end-goal here — sports fans who haven’t been interested in soccer but want to be at the party and cheer on the local team. The team used to print off lyrics for chants. Now they’re all done by the fans. Sporting has invested in bringing those fans back, with an oversized video board and powerful sound system that makes the stadium feel bigger than it actually is. Toronto was the first MLS team to target this younger demographic in this way; Sporting has been among the most successful. Every game this season is expected to be sold out. The club has a season-ticket waiting list. There has been talk of expanding the stadium in the next four or five years. Sporting debuted a black and argyle kit during their last home game and sold more jerseys at halftime than they did in entire seasons back in the day. This is the outcome Garber wants to see in every MLS market, and in so many ways, Sporting has written the playbook. The hopeful future of the MLS plays out in real time here in Kansas City.
Posts: 53,518

05-08-2013, 05:47 AM	#17
Kidd Lex Veteran Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $4792608	I've always been an MLB, NFL, college basketball guy, but this year I bought SKC tickets with my brothers and a close buddy and we have absolutely caught the bug. MLS may not be the best brand on the planet, but the games are entertaining as hell and the atmosphere is like none other in sports. I'm definitely re-upping next year, and the local ownership is actually in it to win it. Gasp!! Can you imagine?! __________________ You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your ****ing khakis. -Fight Club
Posts: 4,159

05-08-2013, 06:27 AM	#20
Mr. Flopnuts FINALLY! The wait is over. Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Future Is Now!!! Casino cash: $19947565	Great article. I love seeing it in KC. Seattle was super hyped over the Sounders, and I think it's an interesting model that they allow their fans to vote on keeping the coach and GM at the end of every year. I'd love to see Soccer jump up. I think it already has. I mean shit, are we really saying the NHL is more popular in this country right now over MLS? That would shock the ever living **** out of me.
Posts: 56,649

05-08-2013, 07:48 AM	#24
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $1466899	I googled around a bit, and here's an article about just such a poll in 2011. Things may have shifted slightly since then, but it ranked the most popular "favorite" sports as: 1. Pro football - 31% 2. Baseball - 17% 3. College football - 12% 4. Auto racing - 7% 5. Men's pro basketball - 6% 6. Hockey - 5% 7. Men's soccer - 4% If I were to guess, I'd say that soccer and hockey are probably in a statistical dead heat. However, (as the OP alluded to), I'd bet that the NHL is still quite a bit more popular than MLS since many "men's soccer" fans are primarily fans of international teams rather than MLS teams.
Posts: 52,054

05-08-2013, 10:20 AM	#27
teedubya Most Valuable Poster Join Date: Oct 2003 Casino cash: $9460002	I don't really like or follow soccer... but the SKC experience is amazing at Sporting Park. It's really incredible, actually.
Posts: 36,664

05-08-2013, 01:11 PM	#28
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5096768	Breaking down a KC goal.
Posts: 53,518

05-08-2013, 01:17 PM	#29
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5096768	The calls from a Spanish broadcast crack me up.
Posts: 53,518

05-08-2013, 02:34 PM	#30
Demonpenz Woman should only make babies Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $2672136	I watched an entire broadcast in spanish Chivas vs Galaxy. It was pretty entertaining. __________________
Posts: 54,361