Expansion, relocation discussed at owners meetings

[prk166]

Originally Posted by SoccerPrime

I think Garber and most of MLS agrees with you both Deuce and Jules.
Although I am unsure Tulsa defines what exactly MLS is looking for, but essentially yes, they would rather be a big fish in a little pond. I believe SLC has further cemented this idea into the MLS elite.

However, when it comes to TV ratings and defining MLS on national terms, MLS must also have a presense in the bigtime cities, which is way they spend so much time on LA and NY. LA has been very successful. Once the Metros have a stadium, they too will also have much success I believe.

Yep, that's the problem. The small markets are just that, small. And we're talking about Tulsa MSA, we're talking about 3/4 a million. For SLC you're looking at a million plus they draw from Ogden and Provo as well. So in the end you're 1.75 or so. That's not the case in a place like Tulsa. As small as SLC is, you're still looking at having twice as many people as Tulsa to draw from in terms of selling game tickets, merchandise and TV.

It's true the Roughnecks did well in the NASL. They avergaed 16k a game during their first 5 years. But that was the peak of the NASL when there were a lot of very big names in the game. The question, how would they do today? They didn't have NFL TV packages or the EPL back then. Because for the MLS to pay off in the long run for it's investors, they need to start generating more money from TV and other areas. How many Tulsa t-shirts are going to be sold compared to ones for a franchise in Houston? What kind of TV ratings will the team get compared to other markets? And as the league grows and raises it's ticket prices more and more (just look at what the Jazz price theirs at, for example), how much will such a small market be able to support prices?

There is a need to not hit every market that's been hit 20 times over already. I think part of the Rapids problems have been that every dang sport has a franchise in Denver along with all the other usual forms of entertainment that a market like that faves (theater, movies, arts, hiking, skiing, weekends counting sheep in WY). But going after more unique markets that have been given less attention can't be the way to go, either. Can you imagine a league where there are a a handful of teams in big markets (LA, NY, Chicago, Dallas) and then another 20 teams in the likes of Tulsa, Greenville, Louisville, Fresno, Albany, Scranton, Toledo, Little Rock, El Paso and Omaha? There needs to be balance. For every Austin , Norfolk or Rochester, the league needs to have a team doing well in larger markets like Houston, Philly, Seattle, ot Atlanta.

[SoccerPrime]

Yes, but Tulsa also has OKC, which is less than 2 hours away that has twice the population.
http://recenter.tamu.edu/data/popm/pm5880.htm
The Tulsa-OKC area is at least as big as the SLC/Ogden/Provo area.

Scranton? Your joking right (I grew up there, I can diss it).