Detroit Sports News: Will an MLS team work?
By Mike Rizzo
Last month, Dan Gilbert and Tom Gores announced a partnership to bring a Major League Soccer team to Detroit. Will a team be successful?
In late April, a couple of the richest people from Michigan announced they are trying to bring a Major League Soccer team to Detroit.
It’s a very good idea on the surface but the question to think about is, will a Major League Soccer team work in Detroit? There’s a lot of competition in the entertainment field here already, and would another team here be successful?
Another question is where will the stadium be? The rumor is the stadium will be located at the failed jail site in Detroit. I think that would be a very good location. Another issue obviously is who is paying for this new stadium?
Working in the favor of an MLS team in Detroit is that the season begins in March and ends in October. That’s a positive in my opinion as really the only full-time competition is the Detroit Tigers.
Detroit City FC has seen attendance increase every year since they started back in 2012. Attendance has grown so much that the team out-grew the capacity at Cass Tech High School. That shows that the fanbase is passionate about this team.
Another important part is Dan Gilbert and Tom Gores are owners that want to win. They will spend money to get the best players and also to get the best soccer people to run the team.
Now the negatives. Soccer in this country has never been more than a niche sport. The ratings for last year came in and for the MLS Playoffs, the highest viewership was 339K. Attendance, though, is up so fans are going to games.
When the National Team and Manchester United have been at Ford Field and The Big House, they’ve drawn very well. That’s only one game though. Will fans pack the house every single game for the MLS season?
Final negative, as I mentioned above, is the competition the new MLS team will face. The Red Wings, Pistons, Tigers, Lions, Michigan and MSU football already get our money and attention. Are there enough eyeballs and money to spend on another team?
That’s a lot of questions to be answered. I believe an MLS team WILL work here. This is a top three sports market in this country and we love all of our sports here. Even the WNBA Detroit Shock drew pretty well when they were here.
A competitive MLS team would be huge especially if the Tigers struggle. Fans would have another team to focus on until football season starts.
On my Twitter I ran a poll and while its a small sample size, people overwhelmingly voted YES that a team would work here. 75% to 25% as of this writing.
What do you guys think? Comment or tweet us @detroitjockcity or @mikerizzo87.