Supporters Shield Race

[paul-collins]

ok I get the distance point, but I don't necessarily agree with loyalties that prop up revenue....

North America is a franchise setup, that's true of all the sports. If tribal loyalty meant anything in NA sports, you wouldn't see NFL teams flipping around the way they do.

North America, as a transient population, doesn't have the same sort of geographic loyalty that exists in European cities. Sure, there are some areas (especially in the 13 colonies) that have that vibe, and it is predominantly expressed through NCAA competition, but the majority of the population centres have a large amount of from-away residents who aren't so integrated into the community as to treat the sporting entities as expression of their identity.

[TFC Tifoso]

North America is a franchise setup, that's true of all the sports. If tribal loyalty meant anything in NA sports, you wouldn't see NFL teams flipping around the way they do.

North America, as a transient population, doesn't have the same sort of geographic loyalty that exists in European cities. Sure, there are some areas (especially in the 13 colonies) that have that vibe, and it is predominantly expressed through NCAA competition, but the majority of the population centres have a large amount of from-away residents who aren't so integrated into the community as to treat the sporting entities as expression of their identity.

yeah I get that, but I see soccer in NA as a unique situation and here's why....

growing infrastructure in the soccer landscape will bring teams to cities which may not have much to choose from, or may be the "only show in town", like NCAA college towns (or like what currently exists in Seattle, Portland, etc). This could go a long way it getting the people in these cities to get behind their team. The big pro leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA) only have a handful of places to choose from, because their objective is to have teams is the largest markets. And in the places where there is not enough support to maintain the huge costs, you'll see problems. Soccer can be a little more selective in this sense.
Also, the average soccer fan in NA is very used to the geographic loyalty that exists in Europe, and seeing as many immigrate from places where this exists, they also bring a loyalty to their new home. A bit of an assumption sure, but what we have right here in Toronto is an example. Immigrants or children of immigrants who all have loyalties to their teams from the old country, but take to TFC just the same, because for a soccer fan, its just what you do.

As long as it is not done something like Chivas USA, where a connection from the team to the people was basically forced, I think there's a potential to work very well.

[paul-collins]

yeah I get that, but I see soccer in NA as a unique situation and here's why....

growing infrastructure in the soccer landscape will bring teams to cities which may not have much to choose from, or may be the "only show in town", like NCAA college towns (or like what currently exists in Seattle, Portland, etc). This could go a long way it getting the people in these cities to get behind their team.

You see this a bit in CHL, but you still get franchise behaviour (Bellveille Bulls, Brampton Battalion leaving, other teams like Peterborough Petes threatening to do so if they can't shake money out of local government etc)

I wish I had your optimism about communities rallying around a local team, but I just don't believe we have the rootedness required - heck, by definition, as a land of immigrants, we've been built by the people who have the most tenuous of roots to begin with.