Why the MLS will become more popular than the NHL in 10 years
This article is something you probably don't want to read if you are a hockey fan. But stick with me for a little while.
The NHL is the fourth most popular professional sports league in North America. The fifth is the MLS (Major League Soccer). With the rise in interest in the sport and Leo Messi now playing for Inter-Miami, the sport of Soccer will only grow in the United States.
The MLS is growing every year. Especially when you compare it to the NHL. The sport of soccer is becoming one of America's favorite sports. It is cheap to play and watch. When a game comes on TV, viewers aren't inundated with commercials, unlike watching an NHL game. There may be ads around the stadium while the game is going on. But the MLS doesn't cut to commercials in the middle of the game. For the NHL, they have close to a dozen commercial breaks. This can be frustrating for viewers.
When more people are participating in a sport, the only likely outcome is that the sport will grow in many ways. Whether that's a growth in TV viewership, or more local leagues popping up. If more people participate in a sport, it is only likely that they will want to see high levels of play. It will drive more people to go to the matches at the stadiums and subscribe to services such as Apple TV. For the NHL they still have an advantage when it comes to TV. With contracts for TV broadcasting historically in place for the NHL, the MLS struggles to gain as many TV viewers as the NHL. But once the MLS can have their matches scheduled regularly on local and national networks, the MLS will likely overtake the NHL.
Hockey has had less youth participation over the years. Soccer continues to grow with youth participation. Part of the reason why soccer is still growing is because soccer is a cheap sport to play and the players are less likely to get injured. These are huge factors when parents are signing their kids up for sports.
Stadiums are the backbone of any professional sport. Even if the league is a touring league, fans must have a quality arena or stadium to go to. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a dual-use stadium. It hosts Atlanta FC United and the Atlanta Falcons. It can transform into an MLS field and an NFL field. With an average seating capacity of 18,000–30,000 people. Not factoring in traditional NFL stadiums. If the MLS grows, you will most likely see teams move into NFL stadiums which will be able to host more people for matches.
The cost to build an MLS stadium is less than $100 million. There are fewer seats at an MLS stadium than at an NFL stadium. Also, if an MLS team does play at an NFL stadium, that can help alleviate the financial costs of the taxpayers because both teams will be responsible for maintaining/building the stadium. Billionaires can find investors to help build stadiums without going to the taxpayers.
The soccer equipment is very cheap. A good-quality soccer ball is approximately $30. Once you have the ball, you can play anywhere with anybody. While the cost to join a hockey league is $1000 and up.
Hockey will become less popular over time in North America. Especially when you compare the current trends between hockey and soccer. The sport of soccer is cheaper, more accessible, and easier to play compared to hockey. Hockey is more violent than soccer. Parents will feel more comfortable with their kids playing soccer than hockey. TV deals are also set to change in the MLS's favor.