[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

But that is the catch. MLS isn't stupid. They know they can't necessarily lure those Premier league fans away, it'd be like the Turkish Basketball leagues trying to lure away NBA fans. NOT EVER GOING TO HAPPEN. The way MLS can continue to grow is to build a new and growing fanbase among American sport fans, and so it follows American friendly formats which Americans can more readily comprehend. If its too complicated, it might not draw in a casual audience. I think that as demonstrated by the increasing awareness and popularity of USMNT among Americans who are not traditional or elite soccer fans, there is potential for conversion by a casual American audience. Sport in America can admittedly be more shallow than sport in Europe, but it is what it is, and that casual and shallow market is what MLS has to tap into. If it can't convert Americans to become casual fans, it will never rise like the NBA did. Look at the evolution of NBA in America. In the early 1970s NBA was probably seen as ten times the laughing stock the MLS is today, even in the mid-1980s as it became increasingly celebrity, there was a serious lack of talent. As the NBA continued to capture the attention of casual America, it grew. The NBA didn't lure in a lot of fans of just basketball, because there weren't really that many aside from those who played basketball. However, within 20 years of the mid-1970s, NBA became part of America's collective consciousness. People who have NO IDEA about ANYTHING in basketball recognized Michael Jordan or later Kobe Bryant or now Lebron James. THAT is the potential which the MLS is trying to build, to become what American sports really is, a sport for a casual audience. Why is the NFL so damned successful? Its not he fanaticos like Rob, its the casual fans who watch a few games a season, who might tailgate at one game in their home town. Who might front run or fair-weather it up and buy some merchandise from NFL.com. Who might watch a few minutes of some games on Monday night after work. That is where the NBA has climbed, and what MLS can hope for. Diehard soccer fans? Probably will never be interested, if anything, as MLS gets more popular diehards might lose interest because now it has a novelty factor that will diminish with popularity.