The lot of you are foolish if you don't think a South Florida team is going to do well...
I've had a whole lot of thoughts on this thread but this particular part struck up two for me.
A) In terms of hockey, the most important thing that's happened to the growth of hockey in the US is professional players staying in the non-traditional markets they made their money in. There's a reason that St. Louis has become a hockey hot-bed in recent history. Dallas has an elite youth hockey program, South Florida has an elite youth hockey program, Los Angeles has TWO. A common thread between almost all of these organizations has been the backing from former pros who stayed in the area. Keith Tkachuk's influence on hockey in Missouri can't be overstated. As more players do this, the sport will grow. Football has not had this influence from its former pros yet.
B) While you're 100% correct on this, don't you think it's still part of the problem for football fans in the US? I used to drive 5 minutes for some shit NASL games before they moved, but the 90 minute drive to my MLS team almost never feels worth it. I've gone to one game in the last 3 years (to see a specific player from the opposing team, no less), because the distance and corporate feel of MLS is a turn off. I truly think you underestimate the amount of football fans in England and Europe for whom the distance and culture of their football club is extremely important for them. I also think you underestimate how many football fans in America hate the way our sports operate.
We've got the most successful and lucrative ice hockey league in the world, the one in which all the best talent in the world plays. No one outside of the northeast/midwest cities (and briefly occasionally, somewhere else if the team is good) gives a fuck. You could put Ronaldo, Messi, Kane, Dele, Pogba, Mbappe, Bale, and Modric all in the MLS tomorrow and itd still be a niche sport. Because it's a cultural divide. And the vague, completely ludicrius and unattainable dream that Shittsvilletown Rovers could win their way through 15 tiers and one day win the MLS cup isnt't going to make little Johnny Americunt decide he prefers football over basketball.
I understand that in Europe there's much more localized and insular culture, local clubs and the like, but Americans in general are used to driving 3 1/2 hours on a weekend morning to go see "our team" play. It's a more vast land mass with the cultural habits that go along with that. Theres no European solution to an American problem any more than there's an American solution to a European problem.
I've had a whole lot of thoughts on this thread but this particular part struck up two for me.
A) In terms of hockey, the most important thing that's happened to the growth of hockey in the US is professional players staying in the non-traditional markets they made their money in. There's a reason that St. Louis has become a hockey hot-bed in recent history. Dallas has an elite youth hockey program, South Florida has an elite youth hockey program, Los Angeles has TWO. A common thread between almost all of these organizations has been the backing from former pros who stayed in the area. Keith Tkachuk's influence on hockey in Missouri can't be overstated. As more players do this, the sport will grow. Football has not had this influence from its former pros yet.
B) While you're 100% correct on this, don't you think it's still part of the problem for football fans in the US? I used to drive 5 minutes for some shit NASL games before they moved, but the 90 minute drive to my MLS team almost never feels worth it. I've gone to one game in the last 3 years (to see a specific player from the opposing team, no less), because the distance and corporate feel of MLS is a turn off. I truly think you underestimate the amount of football fans in England and Europe for whom the distance and culture of their football club is extremely important for them. I also think you underestimate how many football fans in America hate the way our sports operate.