The face of MLS fans, and what it means
by denz on Apr 19, 2010 8:26 PM MDT
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PrintSo I have wanted to tackle this topic for a while and the final piece came into focus today as SBJ (Sports Business Journal) released some interesting numbers about fans and "avid fans"
There are two things that stick out to me, first is that growth of 7% among men 18-34 over the last decade is exactly what so many of us have tried to say was happening. To see that the 7% is tops among all major sports is a huge factor that validates the investment of MLS owners and should speak loudly to both TV and league sponsors.
The numbers also show while the Hispanic market is important to MLS, the league is far less important to them, soccer is important to them, but it is clear that twice as many continue to support teams in Mexico over MLS. This despite years of attempting to market the league to them.
After the jump we look at what I believe is the key to long term MLS success.
So for me the question is how to turn the 27.8% of people who said they were MLS fans into a larger number of "Avid Fans"? No sport has a higher number of "Avid Fans" than the NFL that have 31.9% using that title vs. 67.1% who simply say they are NFL fans. If MLS can convert a higher percentage (currently 20%) then we will be moving in the right direction, if MLS were able to turn half of their fans into "Avid Fans" it would give them a higher percentage than NASCAR, the NHL, and have them close to the numbers of the NBA and College Basketball
So ask yourself what kind of fan are you, if your not sure click here to take the Octagon "Passion Driver" quiz, it is just 5 questions and could reveal something you didn't know about your passion level for the sport.
I like the list of the more detailed Octagon survey which measures passion by:
- Team Devotion
- All Consuming
- Talk & Socializing
- Personal Indulgence
- Sense of Belonging
- Nostalgia
- Gloating
- Player Excitement
- Love of the Game
- Active Appreciation
- Player Affinity
- TV Preference
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Cool find
Nice article too. The avid fan numbers are sad to look at, but the 7% increase is cool to see. I hope those numbers are true. Aside from the few good markets MLS has ahold of, the rest look pretty dismal or uninspiring. Count me as an avid fan.
by chrisperry1983 on Apr 19, 2010 10:43 PM MDT reply actions
It's a fun time to follow MLS.
Branching out into multiple markets that include some natural rivalries, getting more DP slots, the World Cup right around the corner plus in December the accouncement that the US could get a World Cup again in 2018 or 2022. I think 2011 will see a big jump in MLS popularity overall. If we can average 18K over this season, that would be absolutely fantastic. I
The biggest bummer was seeing the MLS salary cap only increase by 5% over the next 4 years after this one. I was really hoping to see a big jump to the like the $5 million dollar range.
Good find!
by soundersfcfanboy on Apr 20, 2010 12:01 AM MDT reply actions
The 5 question quiz is too simple. Apparently I fit the profile of someone who would rather sit at home and watch the games, forever considering a subscription to Setanta.
Is there a way to take the longer one?
Yes
But I don’t think any of us have the funds to get Octagon to do a full survey of MLS fans, it is a bit generic but they are a UK company and that is basic look at soccer fans in particular. I am looking at some other research that has been done and I may try to create my own version of a longer more in depth survey over the next few weeks.
It seems
Some of the more avid general soccer fans will need another generation to become fans of their local MLS team. When there are already ties to teams one grew up with, then it can take the kids who grow up with an MLS team to become a strong fan of the local team.
But wouldn't their kids follow the same
I like the thought but I have a feeling many of the Hispanic youth will follow the teams of their father, maintaining ties with teams from Mexico and National team soccer. Since most of the USMNT players are from Europe the exposure of MLS players is really limited to things like CONCACAF Champions League, and if a MLS team can win that, and teams consistently beat Mexican sides then maybe we can sway them to watch more MLS.
I firmly believe that growth for MLS is that male 18-34 demographic, a lot of them are fed up with the poor behavior of the spoiled NBA and NFL players who now make headlines for wrong reasons more than for good plays. MLS offers a chance to identify with the world’s favorite sport (a very PC thing) and a chance to see athletes who still tend to play for their passion more than their paychecks.
It is the main demographic of the supporter group, where a new fan can jump into the mix with fans of the sport and instantly become a part of something bigger. Just look at the Sons of Ben or the ECS in Seattle, there is a very attractive nature to the supporter group, it really is a tribal thing and MLS needs to work harder to ensure that it continues to grow. More on this topic coming soon.
The numbers give reason for more optimism on Hispanics
The rate of avid fandom among Hispanics may compare unfavorably with other leagues, but it’s still two and a half times the rate in the general population—and this is for a league that has only existed for 15 years, and is still demonstrably inferior to the better Latin leagues.* They are in that sense perhaps surprisingly high, and suggest growth potential as these two problems slowly fade away.
- (Though I’ll note some of these fans may be from Central American countries whose home leagues are perhaps not several times better than MLS.)
'Gentlemen' he said,
'I don't need your organization,
I've shined your shoes,
moved your mountains and marked your cards,
but Eden is burning.
Either get ready for elimination,
or else your heart must have the courage,
for the changing of the guards.'
But I think your larger point is right-on
(And thanks for posting it, I can’t get but a preview of the original SBJ piece).
The 18-34 demo is the biggest trend here. One of the first things to point out is that 18-34 must be (considering how its grown) skewed towards the younger end, say 18-24. I’m 34 myself, and everything I’ve seen both in the studies and personal experience convinces me I’m at the old end of the avid fans of the league.
MLS was founded on the presupposition that unlike in the NASL days, millions of kids were playing organized soccer fairly frequently and would grow into fans. As of say 2001, this supposition was the object of scorn, but I think in some ways it’s been partially true. I think the reason it didn’t work sooner than that was that kids don’t grow into fans if the league looks like it’s marketed as kids’ stuff. You know the way the league was branded and marketed itself back then.
In many ways, the way to market to teens especially is to market to young adults, and trust that the teens will want to follow along. The biggest thing the league needs now is just to survive and grow long enough for those under 34 (and like I say, probably mostly under 24 too) to represent the entire fan demo.
'Gentlemen' he said,
'I don't need your organization,
I've shined your shoes,
moved your mountains and marked your cards,
but Eden is burning.
Either get ready for elimination,
or else your heart must have the courage,
for the changing of the guards.'
SBJ
I will be using a few more pieces from the SBJ article, the good part of having a subscription to the weekly is that you get full access to their online materials.
You are right, I still think that the Hispanic fan base is important as they are “native” fans of the sport. I can say the same thing about working on the “family” approach since many have kids who play the sport.
I believe the growth in the 18-34 male demo is huge and I think it represents a very interesting dynamic that MLS is starting to understand, that is the “supporter element”. I will go a bit more in depth on this topic later this week, but beyond that I think the generational attitudes and awareness of the sport have helped. We live in a day and age where a good chunk of the population (even more so in the key demo) are under pressure to be more “world” aware. Being a soccer fan gives them a credibility as being more aware of things not labeled as “American” something that for many reasons is “In” right now.
I think the understanding of the 18-34 group is one of the keys to growing the league, I also was very impressed by some other numbers that I will share tonight.
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