Color me skeptical. College hasn't been a feeder for pro soccer...


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Posted by Born2BBruin on October 27, 2024 at 11:52:51

In Reply to: Soccer tell football to tell NCAA HOLD MY BEER posted by SehornBlew on October 25, 2024 at 19:50:26

for years, decades really. Why would USSF or MLS (or NWSL for that matter) give anything to college soccer? How does it benefit MLS or USSF?

College teams as semi-pro doesn't make much sense when the USL already has 24 teams in USSF Division 2 and there are another 50 teams in USSF D3.

As you've so correctly said in your other posts about college football realignment, follow the money. Well, there's very little money in college soccer; very little attendance, very little TV.

One thing that's absoletely clear is that profession league team owners (in any and every sport) are not in the habit of giving away money. They're historically more interested in how they can get people to give them money, usually in the shape of free stadiums.

The only thing that possibly makes sense is the World Cup will be in the US in 2026 and USSF will have about $200M from FIFA to distribute. The 1994 World Cup provided the seed money for MLS, so perhaps the college powers-that-be hope to swim in that same pool. Unfortunately for them, the USSF's previously announced "Soccer Forward" program appears to be focused on younger age groups than soccer players.

So, I don't see that happening either.

OTOH, college soccer absolutely should be part of USSF but the time to do that would have been in 1994. Now is probably too little, too late.

As to this pipe dream being a model for other sports, why would NFL owners give money away to a college league when they already get their players developed for free? And why would colleges share their revenue with the NFL when they get no benefit? Unless you're talking about a small handful of teams that form a joint venture with the NFL with the promise of more money to go around for everyone. I can see that as a possibiliy, if that's what you're thinking about, but I'm not sure how long it would last, devoid of the history and culture surrounding college football.

But that seems like the only potential pro/college relationship of symbiotic mutualism. It probably wouldn't work with the NBA and definitely not with any other "lesser" sports.

So, until something more concrete is announced, color me skeptical.


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