Opportunities for Major League Soccer Franchise in Miami

A major league soccer franchise in Miami would really be successful. One of the major reasons would be that there isn’t a team in Miami. Soccer is becoming a major sport in the United States. There are leagues beginning in a lot of cities around the country.  Soccer is becoming more popular in the United States it is now the third most popular sport in the country. It is projected that in the next few years it will be the second most popular sport in the United States behind basketball. In 2016 over 60 professional teams will be playing in North America. The 2015 Women’s World Cup generated $40 million in ad revenue for Fox. That is more than double the projections. It outperformed the Stanley Cup Final, World Series and NBA Finals (Huffington Post 2016). The money that a soccer league would bring to the city would benefit businesses around the city. A soccer league would boost the economy in the city due to all the visitors that come to the city for games. The hotel industry would also see an increase in room sales and rental properties. With the growing population of Hispanics in the city, the popularity of soccer is steadily increasing. The popularity of soccer is not going unnoticed. Major sponsors are investing in soccer infrastructures for the long term. Major U.S. sponsors including AT&T, Visa, Anheuser-Busch, Nike, Nestle, General Motors, Marriott, Allstate, Pepsi, McDonald’s are donating millions of dollars to soccer training, building infrastructure, facilities for children, youth, coaches, pros and the national team (umbel 2015). A major league soccer team in the city of Miami would be a major contribution to the city in every aspect. It would create employment, thereby, decreasing the unemployment rate in the city. I think this would be beneficial to the city and everyone that invests in it. 

Another Opinion

While the rest of the world calls it football, a Major League Soccer franchise based out of Miami would have huge potential for success.  Some of the factors that would setup the MLS franchise for success include the local climate, the local population diversity, and the growing popularity of soccer in the United States. 

                The local climate for the franchise is ideal: warm all year round.  Many professional sports teams from different sports have their training camps located in the lower peninsula of Florida.  With soccer being able to be played anywhere with a ball, the warm weather will encourage he team to practice or play all year round. 

                The local population of Miami is composed of a diverse group of all ethnicities and nationalities.  Some 70% are part Hispanic.  (Miani, 2017)  Soccer is the number 1 most popular sport in the world(Total Sportek, 2017), with an estimate 4 billion fans/followers, that is more than half of the world’s population!  I digress, one way people unite is through common ground, sports like soccer, help communities come together and unite.  With the immigrants from Central and South America and the Gulf of Mexico, Miami has a huge population to support the soccer franchise.  With having a local sports team that one can equate with, the more likely the team will be a success.  A coworker of mine went to San Diego and was walking around and was approached by a local and stated the Padres were having a game and the tickets were dirt cheap!  The local stated “well, it is the Padres.”  If the team doesn’t have the local support, they have a harder time being successful.

                Soccer is growing in the United States in popularity.  All you need is a ball.  Kids can play in the street, in a field, in a backyard, any open space.  Boundaries and goals can be trees, cars, benches, sticks, whatever the players decide.  After that, it is game on and everyone runs their hearts out and has a good time.  New comers to the area don’t need to speak the language to play the game and most people enjoy playing sports.  With the growing popularity, a sports franchise can shoot to the top or crash and burn, the potential for both is out there. 

An MLS franchise in Miami would have a great chance for success.  Success isn’t guaranteed but it has great potential.  With other major sports teams there, making a little room for one more wouldn’t be a big deal.