Comments on: Relax, “big-time soccer” is on the way

By: KT

KT — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 21:52:52 +0000

“And a PS… most teams in the MSL need 16,000-17,000 per game to break even.”

No, that’s not even remotely true. Not if you have your own stadium. An MLS team can be profitable at a lower average attendance than that. You’ve got a shocking lack of understanding of the league. And of jersey sponsorships. And in saying that MLS is like the seventh or eighth best league in the world. Would that that were true. But if it WAS the 7th or 8th best in the world, yessir, it would be “bigtime” because the 6 or 7 that would be ahead of it are huge.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 06:24:53 +0000

All big European clubs have ads on jerseys, Dwight.

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 06:14:09 +0000

Ben-

you can get an FC Portland shirt now, but it will have to be purchased from Clive Charles’ old youth club system. It might take a deal for a pro team to use it.

That $85 bucks might go towards a nice scholarship for a low income kid, though.

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:13:54 +0000

FC Portland with, say, a Les Schwab logo on the front of the jersey? Sign me up for an $85 replica!

I love soccer as much as the next guy (well, maybe not as much as Larry) but I don’t think I could bring myself to support one financially on a consistent basis.

Given that I’m a sports nut, that doesn’t bode well.

By: Dwight

Dwight — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:25:24 +0000

Sorry, Larry… a baseball stadium costs about HALF as much as a huge football stadium and can be used about 10 times as often… the football thing doesn’t pencil out. But nice try. By the way, you would not believe how many people said the NBA wouldn’t work in Portland. Said it would never draw.

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:16:43 +0000

Dwight-

Well, you live in a fantasy life. You have nothing to support that conjecture. If Portland ever does get a MLB team, it will be the 25th or so best funded team. It won’t win and no one will come.

Oregon has a better chance of supporting an NFL team. At least for that, you only have to fill the seats 8 times a year.

THAT, I think, is possible.

By: Dwight

Dwight — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:47:47 +0000

I’ve written this a thousand times but support for minor-league ball means nothing in regard to ability to support big-league ball. Why would MLB draw twice as many fans for twice as many games as soccer? Well, is there anyplace in America where it doesn’t?

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:42:13 +0000

so- Dwight.

You said “And a PS… most teams in the MSL need 16,000-17,000 per game to break even. That’s double the 8,200 the Timbers are doing now.”

Why is it that this logic works with MLS but doesn’t work with the Portland Beavers and MLB? there’s only one letter different.

I’ve always been puzzled as to how you think Portland fans will support 82 games at a 30,000 or so level when they can’t put 10,000 in the seats for fewer games.

I once lived in a small town that had “A” ball and put more asses in the seats. (Frederick Keys. They still do).

By: Hayduke

Hayduke — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:10:50 +0000

And if you go to enough games, you may even see a goal scored. Don’t forget to have your mommies bring the orange wedges.

By: Colin

Colin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:05:19 +0000

The “big time” label does not bother me. The term works for me because MLS is the highest level of soccer in North America. Just like the Blazers are “big time” compared to the Idaho Stampede – compared to the Timbers any MLS team can be considered “big time.”

I hope MLS does come and I hope it does succeed. The only thing I would worry about is if it comes and does not succeed, then that failure would cast a pall over any future attempts at luring MLB to Portland. I.E. “If you can’t support MLS, how can you expect to support MLB?”