Salt Lake- MLS' smallest market?

[xlyte]

http://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_039175235.html

"Hoping to keep a team in Major League Soccer’s smallest market, the Utah House endorsed a $35 million plan Thursday that pays for a parking garage and land for a stadium, ending days of acrimony over whether the project deserves public aid. "

how the hell are we MLS' smallest market?

[Czar Jake]

Originally Posted by xlyte

http://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_039175235.html

"Hoping to keep a team in Major League Soccer’s smallest market, the Utah House endorsed a $35 million plan Thursday that pays for a parking garage and land for a stadium, ending days of acrimony over whether the project deserves public aid. "

how the hell are we MLS' smallest market?

Well, I'm pretty sure Columbus is bigger than SLC... none of the others really seem close, do they?

[Balanceut]

Originally Posted by Czar Jake

Well, I'm pretty sure Columbus is bigger than SLC... none of the others really seem close, do they?

I went to the statistical abstract of the US website (US Government compendium of all statistical things you can imagine). Based on standard metropolitan areas defined by the government, and 2005 estimated population, Salt Lake is the number 50 market at a bit over 1 million people. Columbus is next smallest with MLS team at 1.7 million. Kansas City is next up the line at a bit under 2 million.

However, compared to those cities, Salt Lake has at least a comparable effective market when Ogden and Provo are taken into account. Columbus and Kansas City don't have other large metropolitan areas nearby. Ogden and Provo are broken out as separate metro areas at over 400,000 each. That makes Salt Lake's market approach 2 million.

We all know that lots of RSL fans come from Ogden and Provo areas, so the effective market is comparable to those cities.

Still, lots of big markets are missed by MLS. The largest metro areas, with those missed by MLS underlined:

1) New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania
2) Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California
3) Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin
4) Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware-Maryland
5) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
6) Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, Florida
7) Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
8) Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia-Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia
9) Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia
10) Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Michigan
11) Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts-New Hampshire
12) San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California

Philly is at least 3 times larger than Salt Lake's effective market, definitely deserves a team.

[xlyte]

ooooooh. learn something new each day ... never realised how big kansas and columbus were.

i'll be over there in the corner with my dunce cap on ^^