Minnesota joins MLS

And do you want to drive six hours, round trip, twice a week for six months? Possibly 20-25 times a year, including playoffs, exhibitions, friendlies, etc.? Can you afford to take off work to do that? Can the families you say will flock from the Carolinas to form a huge chunk of the crowd do that, given the constraints of time and money?
Be honest.

 

I never said I was going to make it to every game...

 

In four years, living 2 hours away from a MLS franchise and I am what I consider a fan of the team. I have apparel, I follow news online, I follow the beat writers on twitter, I watch when they are on TV, ect. ...and I have been to one match.

 

But you expect your Carolina brethren to do it?
What we're all saying is there are very large logistical hurdles to overcome if you expect people from two, three hours away or more to form any significant portion of the ticket-buying fan base. Even regional franchises in the NFL draw most of the ticket base from within an hour of the home city.

 

I said a good number of sc soccer fans will go to a good number of games, thats a fair opinionated statement.

 

If, by good number of fans you mean a few hundred, and by good number of games you mean one of two, then yes.

 

What's the TV structure for MLS? I know there are national games on NBC, but can and do teams have regional cable deals? That's the only reason to talk about the Carolinas in terms of an Atlanta franchise.

 

I guess we will have to wait...

 

You know what middle class families who like soccer that much and can afford to travel are doing instead of driving six hours to an MLS game? They are going to their kids' travel team games.

 

Most MLS teams have regional TV. Some with Fox Sports regional, some with Time Warner regional and others with Comcast Sports Net. A few have online streams with good announcers as well, especially out west.

 

Answer to the second question is because no one wants to go to Columbia.

As for your first statement, are you trying to tell me you think people will fly from Columbia to Atlanta to go to a soccer game? Like, fly on an airplane?

 

Soccer fans can, theyre middle class...