United FC will pay U at least $1M to use TCF Bank Stadium

mnsportsgeek

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Looks like we found out how we can afford PJ! All in all, a nice pay day for the U. Not sure where the money goes though. Does it go to the athletic department or the general fund?


Minnesota United FC will pay the University of Minnesota at least $1 million to play its inaugural season at TCF Bank Stadium while the Loons’ new stadium is being built in St. Paul.

The contract is a lot cheaper than the deal between the University and the Minnesota Vikings, which paid at least $300,000 per game for the two seasons it spent at TCF while its $1.1 billion home was under construction in downtown Minneapolis.

Altogether, the Vikings paid about $3 million per season, or three times the minimum payment guaranteed in the new contract with the soccer team. United must pay the University $40,000 per game in rent, plus cover nearly $200,000 in estimated gameday expenses. The U also is entitled to collect $1 per ticket, which is expected to generate another $20,000 per game in fees.


http://www.startribune.com/united-fc-will-pay-u-at-least-1m-to-use-tcf-bank-stadium/415282134/
 

The U also canceled events surrounding the time of the Vikings games, they're not for United... also not allowing tailgating and etc.
 

The U also canceled events surrounding the time of the Vikings games, they're not for United... also not allowing tailgating and etc.

But.... everyone says soccer is the fastest growing sport in America. I've heard this since the '98 world cup and you would think over 19 years it would be more mainstream. I don't think I could find a soccer game on TV if I tried.
 

But.... everyone says soccer is the fastest growing sport in America. I've heard this since the '98 world cup and you would think over 19 years it would be more mainstream. I don't think I could find a soccer game on TV if I tried.

Assuming you mean MLS...routinely on ESPN and Fox. NBC has been showing multiple Premier League games weekly since 2015. Paid $1 billion to televise in US until 2022.
 



But.... everyone says soccer is the fastest growing sport in America. I've heard this since the '98 world cup and you would think over 19 years it would be more mainstream. I don't think I could find a soccer game on TV if I tried.

You aren't trying real hard then. During Premiere League season ESPN televises every game. Granted if they are live the time difference puts them at odd times. It's not their season right now though. It'd be like saying you can't find an NFL football game on TV right now, so it must not be popular.
 

But.... everyone says soccer is the fastest growing sport in America. I've heard this since the '98 world cup and you would think over 19 years it would be more mainstream. I don't think I could find a soccer game on TV if I tried.

Wow... you must not have basic cable. Wait, it's on national TV every weekend too!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

But.... everyone says soccer is the fastest growing sport in America. I've heard this since the '98 world cup and you would think over 19 years it would be more mainstream. I don't think I could find a soccer game on TV if I tried.

You woke up the soccer apologists!
 

But.... everyone says soccer is the fastest growing sport in America. I've heard this since the '98 world cup and you would think over 19 years it would be more mainstream. I don't think I could find a soccer game on TV if I tried.

Do you get NBC?


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You aren't trying real hard then. During Premiere League season ESPN televises every game. Granted if they are live the time difference puts them at odd times. It's not their season right now though. It'd be like saying you can't find an NFL football game on TV right now, so it must not be popular.

ESPN televises exactly 0 Premier league matches. NBC has premier league and utilizes Nbcsn. Fs1 has bundesliga which is the German equivalent. BEIN sports has much of the usmnt rights and ESPN has mls.

It's growing but no where near the big 3(4 for that matter). Can it catch hockey? It will take a Herculean effort for MLS to do it. But one cannot deny that there is more soccer exposure on tv today than ever before in the USA. Some people far smarter than us are investing heavily that it some day will become big time.
 

I watched their first game against Portland. Reminded me how boring soccer is. I bet that it's much better watching live and in person. I'll definitely check out the new stadium when it opens.
 

You aren't trying real hard then. During Premiere League season ESPN televises every game. Granted if they are live the time difference puts them at odd times. It's not their season right now though. It'd be like saying you can't find an NFL football game on TV right now, so it must not be popular.

Agreed---On a Saturday and Sunday morning, there are several channels that have soccer on. (not a soccer apologist, but I've noticed WAY more soccer games on TV now then there were just a couple years ago). I plan on taking in a MN United game this summer to see what it's all about. I think the United are only selling seats in the lower bowl. Will they just lock off the upper deck?
 

ESPN televises exactly 0 Premier league matches. NBC has premier league and utilizes Nbcsn. Fs1 has bundesliga which is the German equivalent. BEIN sports has much of the usmnt rights and ESPN has mls.

It's growing but no where near the big 3(4 for that matter). Can it catch hockey? It will take a Herculean effort for MLS to do it. But one cannot deny that there is more soccer exposure on tv today than ever before in the USA. Some people far smarter than us are investing heavily that it some day will become big time.

It already has caught hockey as far as average attendance for games. And it would be pretty easy to argue MLS is more popular than NHL in as many states (if not more) than hockey is more popular than the MLS. We live in the north and care way more about hockey than half the US. Will it ever catch the NFL? Doubtful, but it's already getting close to the NHL (just missing better TV contracts), baseball is quickly diving downwards in popularity and seriously who watches the NBA anymore until the playoffs? Money is flying into MLS and the league is significantly better talent wise than it was even just 5 years ago. We have a generation coming up now that has played more soccer than ever before and the skill level will only continue to rise (see what our U20 team just did).

As far as I'm concerned for live sport events soccer is the best and I'm excited for us to have an MLS team.
 



As others have said, you haven’t tried then. NBC and NBC Sports has every Premier League game on every weekend, then there is the Bundesliga and MLS. I think soccer is definitely more mainstreamin the U.S. but those using the MLS as the benchmark is using the wrong measuring stick I believe. While it continues to grow and attendance is surpassing hockey, it is the Premier League that is really growing the popularity I believe. All you have to do is go to the Nomad, The Local or Brits Pub on any Saturday or Sunday morning and you will find fans packing them in for Prem games.

After having been to a couple Premier League games at White Hart Lane in London, I have to agree with bottlebass, that soccer is the best live sports event you can experience. I doubt that MLS will ever get to that point, (I compare it to NFL Europe vs. the real NFL) but it will be fun to get to a couple games, especially when the new stadium is completed.
 

It already has caught hockey as far as average attendance for games. And it would be pretty easy to argue MLS is more popular than NHL in as many states (if not more) than hockey is more popular than the MLS. We live in the north and care way more about hockey than half the US. Will it ever catch the NFL? Doubtful, but it's already getting close to the NHL (just missing better TV contracts), baseball is quickly diving downwards in popularity and seriously who watches the NBA anymore until the playoffs? Money is flying into MLS and the league is significantly better talent wise than it was even just 5 years ago. We have a generation coming up now that has played more soccer than ever before and the skill level will only continue to rise (see what our U20 team just did).

As far as I'm concerned for live sport events soccer is the best and I'm excited for us to have an MLS team.

Would assume it has caught NBA as well. Not an apologist by any stretch, but you can't click around the various sports channels on a weekend without hitting multiple pro soccer games. ESPN has a recap show as well.
 

Agreed---On a Saturday and Sunday morning, there are several channels that have soccer on. (not a soccer apologist, but I've noticed WAY more soccer games on TV now then there were just a couple years ago). <b>I plan on taking in a MN United game this summer to see what it's all about. </b>I think the United are only selling seats in the lower bowl. Will they just lock off the upper deck?

Important to note that MLS games are nothing like the games from Europe that NBC/NBCSN show every weekend.
Go Man City!


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I don't care for soccer, but I love the system of promotion/relegation. A couple of years ago, I randomly chose a lower-tier English team to "follow" (since the Premier League is all we see here, the only way to do so was through Twitter), and lo and behold, they came out of nowhere and earned promotion that year. So that was kind of fun.

I think promotion/relegation would be a perfect way to drum up interest in the sport in this country, but we're not wired for that, especially on the financial side. As it stands, interest in soccer is definitely growing, but the "Big 4" will never become the "Big 5." Remember how 15 years ago, everybody said NASCAR was the next big thing?
 

I don't care for soccer, but I love the system of promotion/relegation. A couple of years ago, I randomly chose a lower-tier English team to "follow" (since the Premier League is all we see here, the only way to do so was through Twitter), and lo and behold, they came out of nowhere and earned promotion that year. So that was kind of fun.

I think promotion/relegation would be a perfect way to drum up interest in the sport in this country, but we're not wired for that, especially on the financial side. As it stands, interest in soccer is definitely growing, but the "Big 4" will never become the "Big 5." Remember how 15 years ago, everybody said NASCAR was the next big thing?


I knew a guy that was in a Fantasy NASCAR league! Imagine that, fantasizing about cars going around in a circle for hours upon end. :banghead:
 

I don't care for soccer, but I love the system of promotion/relegation. A couple of years ago, I randomly chose a lower-tier English team to "follow" (since the Premier League is all we see here, the only way to do so was through Twitter), and lo and behold, they came out of nowhere and earned promotion that year. So that was kind of fun.

I think promotion/relegation would be a perfect way to drum up interest in the sport in this country, but we're not wired for that, especially on the financial side. As it stands, interest in soccer is definitely growing, but the "Big 4" will never become the "Big 5." Remember how 15 years ago, everybody said NASCAR was the next big thing?

Not a NASCAR fan...like Indycar/F1 much more. They should do relegation in NASCAR. I do wonder how the attendance/TV revenue for NASCAR stacks up to others, though. I'm sure there's data out there...
 

It already has caught hockey as far as average attendance for games. And it would be pretty easy to argue MLS is more popular than NHL in as many states (if not more) than hockey is more popular than the MLS. We live in the north and care way more about hockey than half the US. Will it ever catch the NFL? Doubtful, but it's already getting close to the NHL (just missing better TV contracts), baseball is quickly diving downwards in popularity and seriously who watches the NBA anymore until the playoffs? Money is flying into MLS and the league is significantly better talent wise than it was even just 5 years ago. We have a generation coming up now that has played more soccer than ever before and the skill level will only continue to rise (see what our U20 team just did).

As far as I'm concerned for live sport events soccer is the best and I'm excited for us to have an MLS team.

Not surprising considering they play in much larger stadiums and play a lot less games.
 

Not surprising considering they play in much larger stadiums and play a lot less games.

Most with their own stadiums seat 18-20K...pretty close to most NHL arenas. Others seem to limit the seating to about the same if they are using larger venues. Play less games, as you said, which clearly helps with attendance.
 

To my eye the increase in soccer popularity/viewership has to do with changing immigration demographics, counterculture hipster college kids thinking it's a cool thing to watch EPL, La Liga, at the pub (or their local MLS team), and a genuine increase in people that grow up playing soccer.

Game strategy and tactics overall seem similar to hockey, basketball with some obvious differences. the scoring opportunities, the setups are far less frequent in soccer. it requires more patience, or being drunk. There is a reason the EPL matches are full of singing and boisterous fans and are reportedly fun to be at.

American football requires and absurd amount of tactical thinking, and heavy strategic planning going into the game. There is so much there for the fan to dig into intellectually if they want. Similar to baseball with the obsession with statistics and matchups.

I've tried to get into soccer but like hockey and basketball it doesn't draw me in as much. And I completely understand there are fans that feel 180 apart and prefer the nonstop clock of soccer, the short matches, etc.
 

It already has caught hockey as far as average attendance for games. And it would be pretty easy to argue MLS is more popular than NHL in as many states (if not more) than hockey is more popular than the MLS. We live in the north and care way more about hockey than half the US. Will it ever catch the NFL? Doubtful, but it's already getting close to the NHL (just missing better TV contracts), baseball is quickly diving downwards in popularity and seriously who watches the NBA anymore until the playoffs? Money is flying into MLS and the league is significantly better talent wise than it was even just 5 years ago. We have a generation coming up now that has played more soccer than ever before and the skill level will only continue to rise (see what our U20 team just did).

As far as I'm concerned for live sport events soccer is the best and I'm excited for us to have an MLS team.

The only objective way to score the health of these organizations is in revenue as most the other metrics have a significant subjective lean in them. Almost 0 of your above arguments can be rationalized using that metric other than growth % of revenue. MLS is not equal to hockey, it is not the 4th most popular sports in the United states and Canada, not by a long shot. (I know this is a list of ALL sports properties revenue, not just US/Canada)

Is it growing? Is it positioned properly to expand well past where it is today? Absolutely. Can it catch Hockey, I think that would be a significant challenege, given the sports(soccer) popularity globally it's easy to see where there is optimism for it to become the 4th most popular sport in the country. The fact that it competes with other soccer trademarks in it's own market is going to be a HUGE challenge for MLS to grab their share of wallet. NBC and FS1 will push the EURO version of Soccer, while ESPN pushes domestic relevance. I usually sidewith ESPN for the exact same reasons I side with Hockey, Baseball, Basketball and Football, it's just in this case, there is competition, significant compeition that is going to be challenging for MLS.

If you want to have a conversation about Soccer vs Hockey and not MLS vs NHL thats a different subject (even harder to prove) and I suspect thats how you replied. However, I'm not arguing that, never was.
 

Assuming you mean MLS...routinely on ESPN and Fox. NBC has been showing multiple Premier League games weekly since 2015. Paid $1 billion to televise in US until 2022.

"NBC’s winning bid suggests that it believes it has tapped into a growing, youthful, family-heavy fan base — but also that expected offers from rivals pushed it to the $1 billion threshold.

“We have always believed in this sport; this particular league, the finest in the world, had a growth trajectory,” Lazarus said during a conference call with reporters. He added, “We think that there’s still plenty of headroom for this property to grow from an audience point of view, both on television and digital.”

In 2013-14, NBC and NBCSN’s initial season of Premier League games, the networks averaged 438,000 viewers a game, up 118 percent from the audience on Fox Soccer, ESPN and ESPN2 the season before.

Last season, the combined viewership on NBC and NBCSN climbed another 9 percent, to 479,000...

The Premier League has quickly become one of the pillars of NBCSN, along with the National Hockey League and auto racing from Nascar, Formula One and IndyCar.

For the first time since its Premier League contract began, NBC will put games on USA, the widely distributed entertainment network that is part of NBC Universal, this season. By showing 40 games on USA, NBC hopes to expand the league’s reach. In the past, some Premier League games have aired on CNBC. Telemundo and NBC Universo also carry games; the new contract includes the Spanish language rights.

Lazarus conceded that the Premier League had not earned a profit through advertising during its current deal and would not in the next, more expensive one.

But he said: “We look at it for what it does for our portfolio from all our revenue streams: advertising, affiliate deals, digital monetization. It’s hard to break out what comes from E.P.L. or hockey or Nascar. It’s in the total offering. This isn’t a deal that’s profitable, but we believe it adds to the profitability of our business.” And he added, “Our sports business is profitable.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/...-to-premier-league-in-six-year-deal.html?_r=0
 

"NBC’s winning bid suggests that it believes it has tapped into a growing, youthful, family-heavy fan base — but also that expected offers from rivals pushed it to the $1 billion threshold.

“We have always believed in this sport; this particular league, the finest in the world, had a growth trajectory,” Lazarus said during a conference call with reporters. He added, “We think that there’s still plenty of headroom for this property to grow from an audience point of view, both on television and digital.”

In 2013-14, NBC and NBCSN’s initial season of Premier League games, the networks averaged 438,000 viewers a game, up 118 percent from the audience on Fox Soccer, ESPN and ESPN2 the season before.

Last season, the combined viewership on NBC and NBCSN climbed another 9 percent, to 479,000...

The Premier League has quickly become one of the pillars of NBCSN, along with the National Hockey League and auto racing from Nascar, Formula One and IndyCar.

For the first time since its Premier League contract began, NBC will put games on USA, the widely distributed entertainment network that is part of NBC Universal, this season. By showing 40 games on USA, NBC hopes to expand the league’s reach. In the past, some Premier League games have aired on CNBC. Telemundo and NBC Universo also carry games; the new contract includes the Spanish language rights.

Lazarus conceded that the Premier League had not earned a profit through advertising during its current deal and would not in the next, more expensive one.

But he said: “We look at it for what it does for our portfolio from all our revenue streams: advertising, affiliate deals, digital monetization. It’s hard to break out what comes from E.P.L. or hockey or Nascar. It’s in the total offering. This isn’t a deal that’s profitable, but we believe it adds to the profitability of our business.” And he added, “Our sports business is profitable.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/...-to-premier-league-in-six-year-deal.html?_r=0

Good article, thanks.
 

ESPN televises exactly 0 Premier league matches. NBC has premier league and utilizes Nbcsn. Fs1 has bundesliga which is the German equivalent. BEIN sports has much of the usmnt rights and ESPN has mls.

It's growing but no where near the big 3(4 for that matter). Can it catch hockey? It will take a Herculean effort for MLS to do it. But one cannot deny that there is more soccer exposure on tv today than ever before in the USA. Some people far smarter than us are investing heavily that it some day will become big time.

My bad, got my channels mixed up, I meant NBC.
 

What does one need to do to surpass hockey?

What's the measurement?
Fans per game?
TV contracts for the premier league?

How does one measure the popularity?
In comparing MLS attendance to NHL, you're basically comparing a minor league team to the top league team (NHL) so it's not exactly apples-to-apples.
 

I don't care for soccer, but I love the system of promotion/relegation. A couple of years ago, I randomly chose a lower-tier English team to "follow" (since the Premier League is all we see here, the only way to do so was through Twitter), and lo and behold, they came out of nowhere and earned promotion that year. So that was kind of fun.

I think promotion/relegation would be a perfect way to drum up interest in the sport in this country, but we're not wired for that, especially on the financial side. As it stands, interest in soccer is definitely growing, but the "Big 4" will never become the "Big 5." Remember how 15 years ago, everybody said NASCAR was the next big thing?

I wish the Twins would get relegated.
 

If you want to have a conversation about Soccer vs Hockey and not MLS vs NHL thats a different subject (even harder to prove) and I suspect thats how you replied. However, I'm not arguing that, never was.

I cannot argue with your revenue figures you linked, there is no question there is not as much money in the MLS as there is in the NHL yet. All you have to do is look at the salary cap of the NHL vs the team salaries in the MLS (the top MLS team is probably 1/4 of the NHL salary cap). I thought we were talking about popularity of the two, and I think people from MN and the surrounding area inflate the popularity of the NHL in this country. And the popularity of the NHL is obviously greater in Canada and the Northern states, but in areas where kids don't grow up playing hockey it just isn't as popular. I think that's something Minnesotans forget. I doubt the popularity will ever pass the Wild in MN, but we are a small state in a big country where the MLS is growing rapidly.

As far as world wide, soccer and hockey aren't even in the same conversation. But we don't need to get into that.
 

Hockey is definitely a niche sport to the extent that there are places where it absolutely does not register. Soccer has a broader appeal in that regard. But in the places where hockey is popular, it dwarfs soccer.

Last year's MLS Cup final had its highest viewership ever (including Canada, since Toronto was playing). In the U.S., it drew a 1.0 rating with 1.4 million viewers.

By comparison, the Stanley Cup finals drew an average 2.3 rating with 3.9 million viewers. The last time there was a Stanley Cup Game 7 (winner-takes-all, like the MLS) was in 2011 between Boston and Vancouver, and that drew a 4.8 rating and 8.5 million viewers.
 




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