Beckham’s Effect on Soccer and the MLS
There are those out there who have already labeled the Beckham experiment a failure. Yes, he’s not a goal scorer (and soccer fans already knew that), but he does have the Hollywood factor, and while this may not have to do with soccer, the fact that an MLS player gets this much press can only help the game. While he only played 5 games due to injury, it is definitely way too early to say that this hasn’t benefited MLS and soccer in the US. In fact, most of the numbers show that Beckham already has had a POSITIVE effect on the MLS. And that’s only playing 5 games. Imagine what will happen if he’s healthy and plays a whole season.
See below for some key numbers and proof points that the MLS has benefited from Beckham Buzz, as well as some signs that the MLS is growing regardless of his presence. I’ve tried to separate the two, but it’s not clear if they are actually independent of each other, or if MLS overall growth could be attributed to Beckham’s arrival in some cases.
The Beckham Effect
- The games that Beckham played in drew an average of 37,659 fans, and the games he was supposed to play but didn’t drew an average of 29,285 fans–well above this year’s MLS average of 16,770.
- After Beckham’s arrival, attendance was up 49% for the rest of the season
- MLS jersey sales up 780% (280% when not counting Beckham’s Galaxy jersey)
The MLS is growing healthier
- MLS internet traffic was up 80% this year
- Total attendance for the 2007 MLS playoffs was up 30% over last year, topping the 200,000 mark for the first time sinec 2003, when the league moved to an 11-game format. Per game average (19,771) was also the highest in league history
- Regular season attendance average was 16,770, up from 15,509 in 2006
- While I’m not sure how season ticket sales are doing as a whole, here are two positive examples:
- Toronto FC sold out its season tickets this year and has sold out already for next season
- The new team in Seattle (which will begin play in 2009) sold 3,000 season ticket deposits in less than 24 hours after the initial announcement
- 7 of the 13 current teams play in soccer-specific stadiums
- Long term agreements with ABC/ESP, Fox Soccer Channel and Univision should bring the MLS significant rights fees
I’m not suggesting the MLS is equivalent to the NFL and NBA, and it probably never will be. But it’s definitely apparent that soccer is growing and Beckham has had some role in this.
Sources: NY Times, San-Diego Tribune and SportsBusiness Daily
November 24th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
[…] I thought I’d follow up on my professional sports branding post from yesterday with a post about the quintessential Major League Soccer brand - David Beckham. One of my favorite bloggers (and Brandcurve guest blogger), Gab Goldenberg of SEO ROI turned me onto Jason Peck’s blog where I found a post that lists a number of interesting statistics demonstrating the Beckham Effect. […]