Soccer In The States Reaches It’s Tipping Point…

March 17, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

As mentioned in a post earlier this week, March  could be a great jump starting point for several properties.  One was IRL, the other really is soccer in North America.  Although MLS certainly has made its solid and steady strides in the past few years, the opening of a new stadium in the New York area, the launch of a new franchise in Philadelphia, the continued growth of success stories in the Pacific Northwest and the World Cup, can maybe, just maybe position soccer for its growth to the next level in 2010 and beyond. However with all the yin of positive vibes, there is still the yang of a potential work stoppage, still sluggish TV numbers and the ever-present issue of quality of top-level play that hang in the distance like a coming rainstorm.  So can soccer…MLS, youth soccer feeding in, and even WPS…finally, finally make the jump in 2010?

Be It Snow or “Sol,” Niche Sports Continue To Struggle To Build Brand

February 4, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Even as we move to some of the most lucrative, buzz-filled and highly anticpated events of the year in the next few weeks…Super Bowl, Daytona 500, Vancouver Olympics, NBA All-Star Game…the struggles for second tier and niche sports continue.  This past week, the Los Angeles Sol, arguably WPS’ most successful franchise in year one, folded despite leading the league in attendance.  Then a story in Wednesday’s New York Times pointed out the financial struggles of one of the world’s biggest niche sports…The Iditarod…which has now lost a great deal of its sponsorship and its television contract. While not seemingly linked, both losses show that especially in challenging times, the need to over deliver on brand value is bigger than ever, and the idea that even the most loyal investors will continue to put dollars into an event on an emotional or passionate buy are long gone.  The Sol’s problems are endemic of any start-up league or brand. Despite a solid product and a significant one year investment, the parent company did not see brand growth in the future and decided to cut its losses without finding a buyer in the marketplace.  The troubling thing is that the team is perhaps in the most marketable area, in a soccer-specific stadium and with marketable stars.  Like the recent demise of the Houston Comets and Sacramento Monarchs of the WNBA, both franchises that seemingly had all the outer appearances of success, ownership made the bold decision to cut losees and move on.  What does this say for the future of WPS?  Chalking the loss up to churn would be OK if it wasn’t in the second largest media market in the country.  The question will be answered over the course of this summer, when soccer mania heats up with the men’s World Cup.  Seeing if WPS gets some of the halo effect with brands is going to be very important to see if the league grows, or if it sets, just like it’s Sol.

Soccer Looks To Philly For A Dose Of Brotherly (and Sisterly) Branding Love…

January 8, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

One of the biggest problems that professional soccer in the United States has had to deal with in terms of brand growth was the barren area of success from south of Boston to Washington, DC.  The Revolution, under the Kraft family, built a solid business in New England, while the United enjoyed both on field and marketing success in the Washington area.  However despite one of the most fertile grassroots areas for the sport in the country, from northern Maryland through Connecticut, the professional game has never taken hold.  Friendlies have drawn large crowds and interest, both the men’s and women’s World Cups were sellouts in New Jersey, but professional soccer, whether it was the indoor game or men’s or women’s outdoor play, never had success on the field or as a viable brand.  Maybe it was the curse of the Cosmos, who built such a world class standard during the NASL years, or maybe it was poor management, the lack of a successful or viable soccer specific stadium, or any combination thereof, but the most ethnically diverse corridor in the United States has never embraced professional soccer consistently.

Will Soccer In New York Ever Hit The Goal?

August 30, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With the first hint of fall you start to hear the bounce in thousands of parks and recreational centers across the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It is the thwack of kids from four to their mid-teens dribbling and passing soccer balls. Like baseball and softball in the spring, fall soccer is a rite of passage more now than ever before amongst young kids. Still even with the grassroots success, the connection to the pro game still lags behind, perhaps in the New York area more than anywhere else in the United States, and it is that disconnect which has continued to slow the growth of MLS in the biggest media market in the world. While MLS has had great success in Washington, great buzz in LA, solid plans built out in Dallas and Columbus and Chicago and New England, the New York market remains a frustrating afterthought.

Can Soccer Take Advantage Of Its Big Kick?

June 26, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Within a 24 hour period this week, the brand value sport of professional soccer in the United States took a huge jump. First came the coups of ESPN scooping up the Premier League from virtually bankrupt Setanta Sports, followed by the US’ stunning 2-0 win over Spain in the Confederations Cup, followed closely by Steve Nash’s second annual grassroots soccer fundraiser in a New York park, along with the Sports Business Journal piece that WPS is doing better than expected. From the grassroots to the professional, all seems to be going well. Now is there a way for some brand, or a series of brands, to take the good news, tie it in a package and use it as the latest, and strongest, all-encompassing boost for a sport that was already well positioned going into the recession (because of their structure and cost cutting measures) but now has a variety of platforms that are highly visible to attach to? We shall see. Of course Confederations Cup final against Brazil still remains, but the continued interest of Nash (who will be part of the ownership group for MLS Vancouver) as an ambassador with both the world class pros he brought to New York and with his NBA friends, plus a steady women’s product gives the sport another boost while others are struggling. However for brands who have held back on investment waiting for the economy to turn or the right opportunity to invest in, maybe this weeks series of events for soccer will get them a well placed kick for new activation and partnerships.

Soccer Kickin It In The Great Northwest…

May 17, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

While the NHL deals with the mess in Phoenix and rumors abound about other struggling franchises, MLS continues to make smart moves to grow the business for the long term. The new Seattle franchise and their quick success on all levels shows that calculated growth can make sense. By starting with the franchise as a base and building the rivalry hub for the future with expansion into two other underserved markets in the summer months…Portland and Vancouver…both of which had previous success in the sport…is a huge visionary move for the brand. Seattle’s success combined MLS move to bring in people who knew the region (like former Seahawks exec Gary Wright), talent which was established and not haphazard and an embracing of all that has been successful in terms of tradition in the area, right down to team colors and name choice. While many franchises and brands look to be bold and set themselves apart with brash colors and loud statements, the MLS club embraced all that is good and built quickly, a model which will probably be copied with the upcoming expansion. Now is all great with MLS in this economy? No, as evidenced by Michael Lewis piece on the Red Bulls issues at the gate in his Big Apple Soccer piece. But with success stories like Seattle, MLS has again shown that they have learned from others as to what works, and can create an effective startup brand under the tightest of markets that can embrace and grow with a community.

Can WPS Succeed In A Challenged Marketplace?

March 30, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

For those who were excited about the WUSA on its best days and all it could do to raise awareness, build brand and launch a legitimate stand-alone women’s professional sports entity comes Women’s Professional Soccer, which launched this past weekend. The good news is from a brand standpoint WPS has taken the best practices from WUSA and all the lessons learned, mixed in some WNBA smarts and a salesforce that has kept MLS growing and combined them into a neat package under Tonya Antonucci’s vision. The bad news is they are launching a national niche product in the worst economy on very limited funds, sponsor support and name recognition to the casual fan, who they intend to go after as much as the millions of young soccer playing kids across the country. Will it work? From a business standpoint for sports in general needs it work, as the more positive movement even a niche sport like women’s soccer has will help shake the tree for bigger established brands. From a casual fan standpoint? Tough to say. WPS is doing some very smart things…they have picked small venues to fill and grow, are marketing multinational players to a diverse audience, and are working with a single entity format which can combine expenses and push the brightest faces and smartest stories forward. They are attempting to use new media to push the product, although without a major brand spend and a big media partner that will be a challenge, and they are also looking to pair with the best and brightest stars from outside of women’s soccer to also push the brand off the sports page (and given the limited dollars for sports coverage these days their exposure would be small regardless). Will brand and media partners and the casual fan come? In this economy it will be wait and see for sure, and not wait and see for success, more wait and see for survival. If they can push the personalities of the players to diverse markets and tell those stories to the right media (some nice hits for the launch this past week) they have a chance. MLS continued growth will not hurt WPS success either. The question will be what deems success over time? If the answer is more young women being heathier, new role models and an exciting diverse product, then the chance is strong. If it is to make a windfall of cash, lure big brands and gain national broadcast TV exposure for the sport, then there will be some challenges, big ones. Regardless, the message that the league has sent to all by getting games started and looking globally for talent is a smart one, and one that, if there are brands ready to spend in the women’s soccer marketplace, or the women’s sports marketplace, they can take advantage of. Hopefully WPS catches a perfect storm to ride to success with some amazing play, activation and personality. The business could use more success stories.