tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/major-league-soccer-8928/articlesMajor League Soccer – The Conversation2023-06-22T14:45:23Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2073782023-06-22T14:45:23Z2023-06-22T14:45:23ZLionel Messi: move to the US is a creative deal which follows in the bootsteps of David Beckham<p>Few would doubt <a href="https://www.biography.com/athletes/lionel-messi">Lionel Messi’s</a> impact on European football. The scorer of 474 goals during his long career at Barcelona, he has been named the best footballer in the world a <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/football/news/ballon-dor-winners-who-won-most-messi-cristiano-ronaldo/eadowq8olw61jsnig9el6fdj?utm_source=syndication">record seven times</a>.</p>
<p>Now we are about to see what impact Messi will have on football in America. For the Argentinian, who has spent the last two seasons playing for Paris Saint-Germain, has decided not to accept offers to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomsanderson/2023/01/12/saudi-giants-al-hilal-to-offer-messi-mouthwatering-350-million-deal-to-rival-ronaldo/?sh=3ff4b8ab6348">play in Saudi Arabia</a>, and is <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-statement-on-lionel-messi-and-inter-miami-cf">joining Inter Miami</a> in Florida instead.</p>
<p>This could turn out to be a massive turning point for the sport in the US. Messi has global appeal, and millions of fans will likely take a new interest in Major League Soccer (MLS) when one of the greatest players of all time is part of it.</p>
<p>Among Messi’s newest supporters are two of the world’s biggest companies, Apple and Adidas, who are <a href="https://theathletic.com/4589316/2023/06/07/lionel-messi-transfer-inter-miami/?source=user_shared_article">reportedly working in partnership</a> with Inter Miami and MLS as part of the deal.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/apple-proved-vital-in-convincing-lionel-messi-to-join-inter-miami-report">Suggested details</a> include Messi receiving a share of Inter Miami club merchandise from Adidas, and some of the revenue from Apple’s <a href="https://tv.apple.com/us/channel/mls-season-pass/tvs.sbd.7000">“Season Pass”</a>, a streaming subscription which gives viewers access to every MLS game. The pass, which costs £14.99 a month, or £99 a season in the UK, launched in February 2023, in a 10-year deal <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/mls-apple-have-high-expectations-with-launch-of-season-pass-6b3153b3">worth US$2.5 billion</a> (£1.9 billion) to the league. </p>
<p>And Apple’s involvement doesn’t end there. Just before Messi’s move was made public, <a href="https://prosoccerwire.usatoday.com/2023/06/06/apple-tv-has-a-lionel-messi-documentary-series-in-the-works/">Apple TV announced</a> a four-part documentary series about the star, featuring behind the scenes coverage of the men’s 2022 Fifa World Cup, which Argentina won.</p>
<p>So Apple seem to think Messi is worthy of major investment. For their part, MLS are likely to offer Messi shares in Inter Miami, which is part-owned by former Manchester United player David Beckham. And it was arguably Beckham who paved the way for the kind of creative deal Messi looks set to enjoy. </p>
<h2>Spend it like Beckham</h2>
<p>For when Beckham joined <a href="https://www.lagalaxy.com/">LA Galaxy</a> from Real Madrid in 2007, his <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-beckham-experiment/id420318757">deal</a> included a share of shirt and ticket sales, something no MLS side had ever done before. It also included the chance to buy an MLS team for a reduced fee – which ended up in his shared ownership of Inter Miami.</p>
<p>Beckham was the league’s <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1527002514547297">first “designated player”</a> – a name for squad players (a maximum of three per side) who are signed up without being subject to league rules on salary caps. This means they are often highly paid.</p>
<p>Messi is expected to earn <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/lionel-messi-inter-miami-contract-salary-mls-b2355200.html">US$54 million a year</a>, US$46 million more than the league’s next highest paid player (Chicago Fire’s <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/mls/rankings/">Xherdan Shaqiri</a>). </p>
<p>In return for those kind of salaries, designated players are expected to attract fans and ticket sales. There is research which suggests that Beckham’s arrival in the MLS <a href="https://fitpublishing.com/content/vend-it-beckham-david-beckham%E2%80%99s-effect-mls-ticket-sales-pp-189-195">increased ticket sales by 55%</a>. </p>
<p>Other research says he was a key part of match attendance <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16184742.2017.1329331?needAccess=true">increasing by 65%</a> across the league, with the addition of hundreds of thousands of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1527002514567922">new fans</a>. The “Beckham effect” was greatest for LA Galaxy away games, which saw the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16184742.2017.1329331?role=button&needAccess=true&journalCode=resm20">biggest increase in attendance</a>. </p>
<p>So the theory seems to be that big stars like Messi and Beckham, can <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jsm/28/1/article-p49.xml">benefit the whole league</a>. Saudi Arabia is <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-ng/lists/saudi-pro-league-transfers-2023/blt2db2d288980bec39#cs24675661685868d8">pursuing a similar strategy</a>, splashing out on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to add talent and fame to the country’s league.</p>
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<p>But the return on these investments is not guaranteed. Recent research on the impact of designated players on MLS found them to have a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15270025221134234">smaller impact</a> than previously thought. One study even concluded that they had <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jsm/34/1/article-p53.xml">no impact</a> at all on match attendance.</p>
<p>Research also reveals that once fans had seen Beckham play for LA Galaxy, the sense of novelty <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16184742.2017.1329331?needAccess=true">decreased over time</a>. Attendance was highest during the first year of his six years in the league. </p>
<p>The same may turn out to be true for Messi. For now though, tickets for games involving Inter Miami are <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/football-superstar-lionel-messi-to-join-david-beckhams-inter-miami-12898223">selling out</a>.
And for football in America (not to be confused with American football of course) the timing could turn out to be perfect. </p>
<p>The next men’s Fifa World Cup in 2026, will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico, marking a golden opportunity for MLS and the US Soccer Federation to expand the game’s domestic appeal.</p>
<p>To do that, MLS and Inter Miami will need to try to manage and maximise Messi’s impact. Apple, meanwhile, will simply be hoping Messi continues to produce the skill that has won him so many fans – and that those fans think his American journey is worth the price of another streaming subscription.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207378/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Hutchinson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Beckham, the co-owner of Messi’s new club, paved the way for the Argentine’s arrival in the US.Matthew Hutchinson, Lecturer in Sport Business Management, Keele UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1948662022-11-18T18:54:01Z2022-11-18T18:54:01ZWhat to watch for when you are watching the World Cup: Essential reads for on and off the field<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495982/original/file-20221117-5721-pcb4uc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C26%2C5955%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Qatar World Cup is moving the goalposts.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/painted-football-goal-as-part-of-an-exhibition-called-posts-news-photo/1442177468?phrase=world%20cup%20qatar&adppopup=true">Christopher Lee/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whether you call it “soccer” or “football,” <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/explained-why-is-football-called-the-beautiful-game/16ayjoii69lor168ku0gwsd9vd">the beautiful game</a> is enjoyed by fans around the world. And every four years, it is celebrated in a monthlong spectacle: <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022">the World Cup</a>. </p>
<p>This time around, proceedings will start on Nov. 20 in host nation Qatar – something that has caused understandable consternation among <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/11/14/qatar-rights-abuses-stain-fifa-world-cup">human rights advocates</a> and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/lgbtq-fans-skip-qatar-world-cup-fearing-hostility-rcna56365">members of the LGBTQ community</a>, given the Arab state’s <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/qatar/report-qatar/">record on such issues</a>.</p>
<p>In spite of the controversy, the World Cup will be the <a href="https://fredericksburg.com/sports/soccer/world-cup/the-world-cup-is-the-most-watched-sporting-event-internationally-heres-how-it-stacks-up/article_5a948571-ad26-54eb-a333-0a759bb03ea9.html">most-watched sporting event</a> of the year. Here’s a guide to some of what to watch out for.</p>
<h2>1. Backing Team USA (or perhaps not)</h2>
<p>The U.S. men’s national soccer team makes a return to the top stage in Qatar after not making the cut four years ago in Russia. But that doesn’t mean everyone back home will be cheering them on.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://as.vanderbilt.edu/communication/people/john-m-sloop/">Vanderbilt University’s John M. Sloop</a> notes, soccer fans in the United States <a href="https://theconversation.com/american-exceptionalism-at-the-world-cup-why-many-soccer-fans-in-the-us-will-be-cheering-on-another-team-probably-mexico-192545">aren’t necessarily cheering on the team in red, white and blue</a>. The green jerseys of El Tri, as the Mexican national team is known, will get a share of that support. In fact, there is a strong argument to be made that Mexico’s is the most popular soccer team in the United States – especially if you look at TV viewership figures. Mexico’s Liga MX is the most-watched soccer league in the U.S. – more popular than both the domestic MLS and the elite European leagues of England, Spain and Italy.</p>
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<img alt="A man in a 'stars and stripes' hoodie is surrounded by other supporters." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496191/original/file-20221118-20-3qqq3d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496191/original/file-20221118-20-3qqq3d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496191/original/file-20221118-20-3qqq3d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496191/original/file-20221118-20-3qqq3d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496191/original/file-20221118-20-3qqq3d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496191/original/file-20221118-20-3qqq3d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496191/original/file-20221118-20-3qqq3d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Spectators watch a soccer match between Mexico and the United States.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/WCupMexicoUSSoccer/9639152c86b9474ead77f05f142dea09/photo?Query=Mexico%20US%20Cincinnati%20soccer%20&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=335&currentItemNo=49">AP Photo/Julio Cortez</a></span>
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<p>As Sloop writes: “Factors ranging from the relatively low popularity of soccer compared with other sports, familiarity with overseas clubs and perhaps more importantly – especially to Americans of Mexican heritage – an attachment to countries deemed to be more traditional ‘soccer nations’ mean that Americans can find ourselves oddly divided over the nation we support in the global game.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/american-exceptionalism-at-the-world-cup-why-many-soccer-fans-in-the-us-will-be-cheering-on-another-team-probably-mexico-192545">American exceptionalism at the World Cup: Why many soccer fans in the US will be cheering on another team (probably Mexico)</a>
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<h2>2. Watching out for those special moments</h2>
<p>Every World Cup has its moment – think <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWsEuczNj48">David Beckham’s sending-off</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvNkkdfNwEg">Zidane’s head-butt</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrtWQSqD3A0">Roger Miller’s goal celebration</a>.</p>
<p>During the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, there were two magical moments – and both happened in the same game. Diego Maradona’s “Goal of the Century” was one of them. The other was his “Hand of God” moment.</p>
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<img alt="A soccer player in a blue jersey out-jumps a goalkeeper. A football flies over their heads." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495985/original/file-20221117-25-sqelno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495985/original/file-20221117-25-sqelno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495985/original/file-20221117-25-sqelno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495985/original/file-20221117-25-sqelno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495985/original/file-20221117-25-sqelno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=926&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495985/original/file-20221117-25-sqelno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=926&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495985/original/file-20221117-25-sqelno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=926&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">You have to hand it to Maradona.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/diego-maradona-of-argentina-uses-his-hand-to-score-the-news-photo/1064052402?phrase=maradona%20hand%20of%20god&adppopup=true">Archivo El Grafico/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p><a href="https://www.kines.umich.edu/directory/stefan-szymanski">Stefan Szymanski at University of Michigan</a> explains why the legacy of that “Hand of God” goal, which really shouldn’t have been a goal, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-maradonas-hand-of-god-goal-is-priceless-and-unforgettable-193760">endures to this day</a>. It is due to a combination of factors including the controversy of the goal itself and the politically charged atmosphere of the game.</p>
<p>But above all, it was due to the man at the center of it all. </p>
<p>“Few players have stamped their presence on a World Cup quite like Maradona. His performance in the England game stands as a memorial to his greatness, and the phrase ‘Hand of God’ neatly puts his name in the same sentence as divinity,” Szymanski writes.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-maradonas-hand-of-god-goal-is-priceless-and-unforgettable-193760">Why Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal is priceless -- and unforgettable</a>
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<h2>3. Backing the underdog</h2>
<p>It is already a World Cup that breaks the mold – the first to take place in an Arab country, and the first to happen in November as opposed to a summer month.</p>
<p>Could it also be the first to have an African victor? </p>
<p>History suggests not. As <a href="http://uttyler.edu/directory/hkdept/wycliffe-njororai.php">Wycliffe W. Njororai Simiyu of the University of Texas at Tyler</a> notes, at the World Cup <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-senegal-and-cameroon-carry-africas-best-hopes-194647">African teams have “always promised a great deal … but delivered very little</a>.” This, he explains, is due to “poor preparation, internal controversies, a bad disciplinary record, technical and tactical errors at crucial moments and recruiting foreign coaches at the last minute.” </p>
<p>This time it could be different, and better preparation and stability within African teams could help. Njororai Simiyu’s tip: Senegal and Cameroon have the best chance of the five African nations represented at the finals.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2022-senegal-and-cameroon-carry-africas-best-hopes-194647">World Cup 2022: Senegal and Cameroon carry Africa's best hopes</a>
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<p><a href="https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/matthew-andrews">Harvard Kennedy School’s Matthew Andrews</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-an-african-team-win-the-world-cup-new-football-study-crunches-the-numbers-194824">takes an analytical approach</a> to assessing African teams’ chances. </p>
<p>Looking at various data sources, he concludes that there is a “significant competitive gap between African countries and the world’s best, which seems to have grown over recent generations. This gap is not encouraging for those hoping for an African World Cup win.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-an-african-team-win-the-world-cup-new-football-study-crunches-the-numbers-194824">Can an African team win the World Cup? New football study crunches the numbers</a>
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<h2>4. Marveling at the physics</h2>
<p>Every World Cup sees the rollout of a new soccer ball – and inevitable complaints from fans about how it performs. <a href="https://www.lynchburg.edu/academics/faculty/john-eric-goff/">John Eric Goff</a>, a physics professor at the University of Lynchburg, analyzes the new ball every four years and has <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-this-years-special-al-rihla-ball-has-the-aerodynamics-of-a-champion-according-to-a-sports-physicist-194585">cast his eye over the latest iteration</a>, called the Al Rihla ball.</p>
<p>“Instead of using raised textures to increase surface roughness like with previous balls, the Al Rihla is covered with dimple-like features that give its surface a relatively smooth feel compared to its predecessors,” he writes. It might mean that it moves a little bit faster, but other than that the footballers at the World Cup shouldn’t notice much of a difference.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-this-years-special-al-rihla-ball-has-the-aerodynamics-of-a-champion-according-to-a-sports-physicist-194585">World Cup: This year's special Al Rihla ball has the aerodynamics of a champion, according to a sports physicist</a>
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<h2>Not forgetting the concerns</h2>
<p>What happens on the pitch will be only half the story of the 2022 World Cup. </p>
<p>Controversy has dogged the event ever since sport’s governing body, FIFA, handed Qatar hosting duties back in 2010; Daryl Adair
at University of Technology Sydney <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-qatar-fifa-world-cup-so-controversial-192627">explains why</a>.</p>
<p>First there are the rights issues. Qatar had allowed “vulnerable foreign workers – who were central to building World Cup infrastructure – to be exploited, with employment and living conditions consistent with modern slavery,” <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-qatar-fifa-world-cup-so-controversial-192627">Adair writes</a>. Incremental reform has taken place in Qatar on the issue, notably a move away from the “<a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-kafala-system">kafala system</a>” under which employers were free to exploit a migrant workforce through low wages, poor working conditions and abuse. Yet concerns remain, especially over the refusal of Qatar to compensate the families of migrant employees killed on World Cup-related projects.</p>
<p>Hosting the World Cup in Qatar also runs counter to the inclusionary efforts of many national soccer bodies, which are keen to stamp out homophobia in the game. The emirate state views homosexuality as an affront to Islam and criminalizes same-sex activity. But here, too, it is bending a little, with reports that public shows of affection by same-sex couples will not result in prosecution.</p>
<p>“The world has come to Qatar and, for a time at least, it’s adjusting its local norms,” Adair notes, adding: “A more enduring World Cup legacy has been incremental reforms to the treatment of foreign workers, though an absence of an effective remedy for the families of deceased workers continues to raise a bloody red card upon Qatar.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-qatar-fifa-world-cup-so-controversial-192627">Why is the Qatar FIFA World Cup so controversial?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194866/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Staging the spectacle in Qatar has raised rights issues and concerns about the heat. But away from the controversy, there will be the usual mix of sporting moments, supporters’ joy and heartache.Matt Williams, Senior International EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/573962016-04-08T09:33:19Z2016-04-08T09:33:19ZWomen’s soccer shows how far we’ve come since Title IX – and what battles remain<p>Five members of the women’s national soccer team <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/31/472522790/members-of-u-s-women-s-national-team-file-federal-equal-pay-complaint">recently filed a complaint</a> alleging the sport’s governing body in the U.S. violated the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by paying them less than the men. </p>
<p>In their complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the women detail how their pay and benefits are far less generous than the men’s. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the women point out that this low pay and unequal treatment has occurred despite the fact that they are without question <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/us-womens-soccer-is-more-popular-than-mens-but-the-players-are-still-paid-less/">far more successful</a> than the men. </p>
<p>Whether the women legally prevail, simply raising the issue could have a powerful impact on changing the culture that has allowed this pay discrepancy to fester. The case shows just how far we’ve come since 1972, when Title IX began the long battle to even the playing field for men and women in sports. </p>
<p>During more than a decade of work on Title IX and beyond, I have explored the ways that law can effect cultural changes in sports. I have also seen the gender equity debate evolve to the point where many young women athletes no longer know what Title IX is or how it’s changed the landscape of sports. </p>
<h2>Shining a light</h2>
<p>Recent examples illustrate how shining a light on the games we love through athletes’ use of the legal process can have powerful effects on changing norms – even when their stated aim is unsuccessful. </p>
<p>For instance, <a href="http://nflconcussionlitigation.com">NFL concussion litigation</a> highlighted many players’ painful narratives on the effects of repeated head trauma that is an inescapable part of football. Though their claims faced difficult legal hurdles, the stories and resulting media attention contributed to a <a href="https://www.nflconcussionsettlement.com">settlement package</a> and, perhaps more importantly, an <a href="http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/14972296/top-nfl-official-acknowledges-link-football-related-head-trauma-cte-first">ongoing conversation</a> about the safety and future of football at all levels. </p>
<p>Similarly, Northwestern University football players’ <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/13455477/nlrb-says-northwestern-players-cannot-unionize">failed attempt to unionize</a> and the O'Bannon litigation contributed to a climate of reform by highlighting the life (and <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/03/28/how-colleges-exploit-athletes/">some would argue</a> exploitation) of college athletes. The petition to the National Labor Relations Board and the O'Bannon plaintiffs’ antitrust claims brought the issue into sharper relief. </p>
<h2>Challenges ahead for women’s soccer team</h2>
<p>The specifics of the women’s soccer team’s claim, and whether it ultimately will be legally successful, will be sorted out in the coming months. </p>
<p>In general, however, Equal Pay Act and Title VII claims are difficult to establish. The <a href="http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2267&context=fac_pubs">majority of such claims are dismissed</a>, and employers have potent defenses. For instance,
U.S. Soccer may argue that the pay differential is due to “any factor other than sex” – a powerful defense most commonly used to defeat equal pay claims. Outside economic forces can qualify as such a factor, and U.S. Soccer can be expected to cite the larger international soccer climate and any revenue it derives from FIFA, the sport’s international governing body, in its defense.</p>
<p>In addition, the EEOC’s (and a court’s) analysis of the issue may be complicated by questions over whether the women were operating under a collective bargaining agreement and what impact that might have on their compensation. Whether they were is <a href="http://www.espnfc.us/united-states/story/2800680/us-soccer-files-lawsuit-womens-national-team-over-cba">another source of dispute</a>.</p>
<h2>Equal pay remains elusive</h2>
<p>Whatever the final resolution of the claim, there is no question that it occurs against a backdrop of statistics demonstrating that equal pay is still elusive for most American women. </p>
<p>The White House’s National Equal Pay Task Force <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/equalpay/equal_pay_task_force_progress_report_june_2013_new.pdf">published a report</a> in 2013 outlining the fact that under all of the various ways to measure the pay gap between men and women, across occupations, female workers earn less than their white male peers. </p>
<p>The task force reported that in 2011 women earned 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, measured on an annual basis. This number is impressive, given that in 1963, when Congress enacted the Equal Pay Act, the differential was 59 cents on the dollar. </p>
<p>However, the fact that women still earn 23 cents less than men is troubling, given that women’s labor force participation rate <a href="https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/LNS11300002">has increased over 50 percent</a> during that time and that women have made enormous educational progress, outnumbering men in earning all university degrees. Consistent with the allegations made by the women soccer players, data show that women are often paid less than men working within the same occupation and even the same job, and this differential exists across all skill levels. </p>
<p>As the task force points out, “decades” of research demonstrate a gender gap in pay even after other factors are taken into account, leading to the conclusion that gender discrimination likely explains at least part of the pay difference. </p>
<p>Notably, the task force challenges the notion that the pay gap is solely attributable to women’s choices, such as putting family ahead of work and seeking flexible schedules. In its immediate response to the complaint, U.S. Soccer made such a point, arguing that unlike the men, the women <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/01/sports/soccer/uswnt-us-women-carli-lloyd-alex-morgan-hope-solo-complain.html">had negotiated</a> for a more “conservative” pay structure in exchange for greater economic security and benefits such as maternity leave. </p>
<h2>What it means for Title IX</h2>
<p>In my view, aside from the legal merits of the players’ action and what it means for the equal pay movement, another important element is what it signifies in the broader context of gender equality in sports. </p>
<p>To assess that, one must consider Title IX, the well-known yet often misunderstood statute that is widely credited with dramatically changing our perceptions of women’s sports participation. </p>
<p>The name “Title IX” encompasses a statute, regulations, policy clarifications and court decisions applying the concept of gender equality to education-based sports programs. </p>
<p>Immediately after its enactment, groups such as the <a href="http://cdsun.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/cornell?a=d&d=CDS19790410.2.4">NCAA lobbied</a> to explicitly exempt athletic programs, or at a minimum those that generated revenue, from Title IX’s mandate. Those efforts were unsuccessful, as were <a href="http://www.titleix.info/resources/Legal-Cases/Cohen-v-Brown-University.aspx">several attempts</a> by opponents to legally <a href="http://www.aauw.org/resource/national-wrestling-coaches-association-et-al-v-united-states-department-of-education/">challenge</a> the regulations that applied the statute to athletics. </p>
<p>Despite its long history of controversy, Title IX is considered by the general public and most policymakers to be an unqualified success. In 1972, <a href="http://www.nwlc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/nwlcathletics_titleixfactsheet.pdf">295,000 girls participated</a> in high school sports, compared with 3.67 million boys. Now, over 3.2 million girls participate in interscholastic sports, compared with more than 4.5 million boys. Similarly, before Title IX, fewer than 32,000 women participated in intercollegiate athletics. Today more than 200,000 do. </p>
<p>To achieve these impressive gains, the <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/policy/rights/reg/ocr/edlite-34cfr106.html">Department of Education in 1975 implemented</a> the regulations applying Title IX to athletics with a different definition of equality than what is generally part of our collective understanding of what is “equal” or “fair.” </p>
<p>Today we think of equality as the notion that like cases should be treated alike – i.e., men and women deserve the same pay for the same work. But back in 1972, the drafters of those regulations focused on a different problem: educational institutions were perpetuating inequality by limiting the number and type of opportunities for women. Because institutions believed that women and girls were less interested in and capable of participating in sports, athletic administrators fielded fewer female teams, and those that did exist were often not at the “varsity” level of competition. Not surprisingly, without many opportunities, women and girls often did not seek to participate in sports.</p>
<p>Focusing on this problem is referred to as the structural, or “Field of Dreams,” theory of equality, in that “if you build it, they will come.” Equality is to be achieved through a modified structure for sport that would serve to develop women’s desire to participate. </p>
<h2>Two kinds of equality</h2>
<p>And this helps explain much of the controversy over Title IX because the concept of “structural equality” is different from the formal equality approach that is consistent with our intuition. These different concepts of equality are at work in the current women’s soccer controversy. </p>
<p>While U.S. Soccer arguably has done a good job at creating opportunities for women to participate in the sport, the women’s complaint is that they are in all material respects like the men but not treated the same way. No longer are they happy to simply have the opportunity to play. </p>
<p>For decades, the backlash against Title IX has centered on the argument that women and girls are less “interested” in sports than men and boys. In other words, opponents claim, men and women do not start from the same level of interest in athletics and are therefore not “alike” in their desire to participate and benefit from sports. As a result, the argument goes, women and girls are not entitled to equitable numbers or types of participation opportunities. </p>
<p>Courts and policymakers have rejected this argument, <a href="https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/BDB07_Ch4.pdf">consistently recognizing</a> that “interest,” through the structure of athletic programs, is socially constructed. </p>
<p>The use of a structural theory of equality led to dramatic increases in the number of participation opportunities for women and girls and – as highlighted by a <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/TitleIX/index.html">Title IX progress report</a> – unprecedented athletic achievement by the nation’s elite female athletes. That 1997 report specifically noted the achievements in women’s soccer, stating that Title IX’s success had already led to a World Cup Championship and an Olympic gold medal. </p>
<p>As we now know, there have been many more victories since. Last year’s World Cup win was the women’s third championship, and they’re again the favorites to win their fifth gold medal in Brazil. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117898/original/image-20160407-16282-29gmbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117898/original/image-20160407-16282-29gmbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117898/original/image-20160407-16282-29gmbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117898/original/image-20160407-16282-29gmbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117898/original/image-20160407-16282-29gmbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117898/original/image-20160407-16282-29gmbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117898/original/image-20160407-16282-29gmbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Goalkeeper Hope Solo was one of the team members to sign the complaint.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The battle for gender equity moves on</h2>
<p>For this reason, the U.S. women’s soccer lawsuit serves as another important progress report in the effort to secure gender equity in sport. </p>
<p>No longer is the focus on developing women’s interest in sport or creating participation opportunities – though that work is not yet done. Instead, the players are staking their claim on a formal equality argument, stating that they are in all relevant respects like (and in fact are better than) the men, and on that basis deserving of equal treatment. </p>
<p>Title IX’s legacy is that this argument is resonating, so that whether or not they ultimately prevail in court, the women have already won.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57396/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dionne Koller does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Whether the women’s U.S. soccer team wins its fight for pay equity, its existence alone shows just how much has already been won.Dionne Koller, Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Sport and the Law, University of BaltimoreLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/425382015-05-30T14:58:36Z2015-05-30T14:58:36ZUS soft power triumphs in probe of Sepp Blatter’s corrupt casino<p>Soccer is truly the world’s sport. It is played and <a href="http://www.topendsports.com/world/lists/popular-sport/most-viewed.htm">watched</a> by more people across the globe than any other sport. </p>
<p>Every four years, it is the center of global attention when the World Cup is held. It’s as if the World Series and Super Bowl were rolled into one mega-sporting event with viewership in the hundreds of millions. </p>
<p>A private organization based in Switzerland called FIFA controls the selection of the host country, the commercial sponsors for the event and the rules by which the matches are played. In other words, FIFA has monopoly control over this massive global event. </p>
<p>For decades, many fans and players, including leading professional soccer stars, have considered FIFA to be a deeply corrupt organization. Now the US, itself not a leading soccer nation, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/30/sports/soccer/loretta-lynch-with-assist-from-soccer-makes-strong-global-impression.html?emc=eta1&_r=0">has challenged</a> FIFA’s position as global arbiter of the sport by indicting leading soccer officials. </p>
<p>“These individuals and organizations engaged in bribery to decide who would televise games, where the games would be held and who would run the organizations overseeing organized soccer worldwide,” US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said. “They were expected to uphold the rules and keep soccer honest. Instead, they corrupted the world of soccer.”</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Loretta Lynch announces indictments.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How I became a fan of the ‘beautiful game’</h2>
<p>I came late to my interest in soccer. I grew up in California playing the classic American sports of football, baseball and basketball. Soccer was not a varsity sport at my high school, and there were no youth soccer clubs. Only when I had children and they signed up for soccer teams sponsored by a relatively new group called the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) did I become interested, learning the rules and agreeing to become an assistant coach.</p>
<p>As an American ambassador in Europe during the Clinton administration, I began to follow soccer more seriously (although ice hockey was still the predominant sport in Finland, where I served). By the time I returned to the US for an academic position in Los Angeles, I had become a fan.</p>
<p>At Occidental College, I began teaching a course on sports and diplomacy, inviting leading soccer experts such as Financial Times columnist Simon Kuper and journalist David Goldblatt to speak on campus. During the summer of 2014, I was thrilled that ESPN broadcast every World Cup match in real time; I watched as many games as I could.</p>
<h2>FIFA’s dirty casino</h2>
<p>The US Department of Justice announced indictments of 14 FIFA officials and sports marketing executives this past week, charging them with “rampant, systemic and deep-rooted” corruption. When Swiss authorities made early morning arrests of half of them at a posh hotel in Switzerland as the FIFA World Congress met to reelect its authoritarian leader Sepp Blatter, I cheered at the news. </p>
<p>The US move has been praised and condemned, but I think that it strengthens America’s soft power around the world, sending a clear message against monopoly, anti-democratic processes and corruption – and in a sport that most of the world loves.</p>
<p>The importance of the role that FIFA plays in controlling a global sports event cannot be underestimated.</p>
<p>For many countries, hosting the World Cup or the Olympics is seen as a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/sports/soccer/13legacy.html">coming of age</a> event – an opportunity to promote its country brand on a global stage. Hosting the World Cup in 2010 signaled that South Africa was now a rising multiracial society. When Brazil was awarded the 2014 World Cup, the country’s president announced that the country had arrived as a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andres-t-tapia/world-cup-hangover-brazil_b_5583063.html">global player</a>. The competition to host the World Cup can be a high-stakes game; FIFA owns the casino, sets the term of the bets and controls the winnings.</p>
<h2>Soft power triumphs</h2>
<p>The selection by FIFA of Putin’s Russia to host the 2018 World Cup and of tiny Qatar to host in 2022 was highly suspect. Suspicions of money changing hands and undue influence on the FIFA executive committee were <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/fifa-corruption-further-allegations-impropriety-over-2018-2022-world-cup-bids-emerge-1730856">widespread</a>, and led to cynicism about FIFA as an international sporting organization.</p>
<p>Blatter, who was re-elected for his fifth term as head of the organization, has continually <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/la-sp-world-cup-notes-20140611-story.html">shrugged off</a> concerns about his leadership. He has worked at FIFA for 40 years, the past 17 as president. Although FIFA is mocked by TV comedians like John Oliver and criticized by citizen groups demanding great transparency, reform of the organization has seemed unlikely. Blatter maintained tight control of the organization. FIFA’s insider-controlled governance structure seemed impenetrable, until the US took legal action.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">John Oliver riffs on FIFA.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“Today, soccer wins, transparency wins. Enough of dirty deals, enough of lies,” former Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/corruption-allegations-reach-into-highest-levels-of-soccers-fifa-1432774912">told</a> the media after the indictment. Romário de Souza Faria, a Brazilian soccer star turned politician, praised the FBI on the floor of the Brazilian Senate. Popular British soccer blogger Roger Bennett <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/roger-bennett-of-men-in-blazers-on-fallout-from-fifa-corruption-probe/">told</a> CBS Morning News that the US deserved the thanks of the world for moving against FIFA officials. </p>
<p>The immediate impact of the Department of Justice action is a plus for American soft power. Although the US is late to the soccer world – baseball, football and basketball have always had more appeal – the game has greatly expanded from AYSO youth leagues to top collegiate teams to a professional soccer league. Begun in 1993, Major League Soccer (MLS) has <a href="http://worldsoccertalk.com/2015/03/18/days-of-caution-in-mls-expansion-are-gone-by-steve-davis/">expanded</a> to 20 cities in the US and Canada and is now moving toward profitability. Average attendance at matches exceeds that of the NBA and the NHL. </p>
<p>Growing Latino immigration has also <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-cox/soccer-in-america_b_4740668.html">fueled interest</a>. The US women’s World Cup soccer team, led by such stars as Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach, has helped grow the sport as well. Slowly but surely, the US is becoming a soccer nation. </p>
<h2>US overreaching? Hardly</h2>
<p>Some countries are less than pleased with the US legal moves. Russian President Vladimir Putin <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/28/politics/fifa-vladimir-putin-world-cup-corruption/">charged</a> that the US actions “are another blatant attempt by the United States to extend its jurisdiction to other states.” At a press conference, Putin <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/sports/vladimir-putin-fifa-corruption-soccer.html?emc=eta1">tried</a> to link the FIFA indictments to the US pursuit of former NSA employee Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. </p>
<p>No doubt Qatar officials are getting nervous that their selection as 2022 hosts might be reversed. After the arrests this week, Swiss prosecutors <a href="http://time.com/3897468/fifa-officials-arrested-corruption-soccer-football/">announced</a> a new criminal investigation into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Authorities in Brazil and Argentina have begun <a href="http://www.morningstar.com/news/dow-jones/TDJNDN_2015052811537/brazil-argentina-probe-soccer-industry.html">investigations</a> of their own soccer officials in cooperation with their US counterparts.</p>
<p>In the voting for the head of FIFA at the close of the week, the US and most European nations <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/fifa-presidential-election-2015-us-vote-jordans-prince-ali-replace-sepp-blatter-1943398">supported</a> reform candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, while most Asian and African nations stuck with the incumbent. FIFA’s president is elected in a one-country, one-vote system, with a secret ballot among its 209 member country soccer organizations. Blatter has used his position and control of millions of dollars doled out to developing countries to offset his unpopularity in the US and Europe, so it was not a surprise that he <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/may/29/fifa-to-vote-on-sepp-blatter-presidential-bid-amid-corruption-scandal-live">was reelected</a> by a 133-73 vote.</p>
<p>Like Putin or other authoritarian leaders, Blatter <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/opinion/the-long-game-of-soccers-world-body-fifa.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share">will not give up power easily</a>. It will be interesting to see if the US will <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-to-break-fifa/">stay the course</a>, continue legal investigations and use public diplomacy to call for transparency and honesty in global soccer.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42538/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Derek Shearer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The US move against corruption in FIFA, which has been both praised and condemned, strengthens America’s soft power around the world.Derek Shearer, Stuart Chevalier Professor, Diplomacy and World Affairs, Occidental CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/230422014-02-11T14:22:23Z2014-02-11T14:22:23ZWhat David Beckham can learn from Miami Fusion’s failure<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41176/original/b4sm5435-1392055844.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hands up if you're buying a whole team next.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">PA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In attempting to succeed as <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26054220">owner of a Major League Soccer team</a> in Miami, Florida, David Beckham has taken on perhaps the biggest challenge of his career.</p>
<p>The city is not short of major sports teams. It is home to the nation’s most dominant basketball side, the Miami Heat, with superstar players including LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. The Miami Dolphins play in the NFL; the Miami Marlins in Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Florida Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL – ice hockey).</p>
<p>But the presence of these teams does not disguise the fact that Miami is a difficult city for professional sports.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41177/original/qp26q734-1392056951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41177/original/qp26q734-1392056951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=788&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41177/original/qp26q734-1392056951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=788&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41177/original/qp26q734-1392056951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=788&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41177/original/qp26q734-1392056951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=990&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41177/original/qp26q734-1392056951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=990&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41177/original/qp26q734-1392056951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=990&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">LeBron: not threatened by soccer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Keith Allison</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Last year, the Marlins were <a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/attendance">29th out of 30</a> MLB teams in average attendance. This is despite having a new <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/01/3537432/marlins-attendance-reverts-to.html">US$634m stadium</a> in the city, built largely with public funds. The Dolphins were <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/attendance">21st out of 32</a> NFL teams, and only two other sides sold a lower percentage of their stadium per game. A quarter of the seats at the ice hockey go unsold, and the Panthers have had <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/02/3847790/panthers-battle-attendance-problems.html">some of the league’s lowest attendances</a> for several years. </p>
<p>Yes, the Heat are currently doing well, filling their arena to capacity for each game. But they are the exception; the US’ <a href="http://www.census.gov/geo/reference/ua/uafacts.html">4th largest urban area</a> by population would be entitled to expect more success from its sports teams. </p>
<h2>Fusion fails</h2>
<p>So could Beckham’s new side fill this gap? Football, or soccer, is widely played in south Florida but it has yet to truly catch on as an established spectator sport.</p>
<p>This isn’t for want of trying. In the 1970s and 80s the old North American Soccer League (NASL) featured the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, based 20 miles up the coast from Miami. Veteran superstars George Best and Gerd Müller turned out for the Strikers, but the franchise was eventually moved to Minnesota before collapsing in 1988.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Fort Lauderdale: the golden years.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>More recently, a team called the Miami Fusion played in the Major League from 1998 to 2002 but again without success. The franchise got off to a poor start when it was unable to secure a stadium in the city, forcing it to move north to Fort Lauderdale despite retaining the Miami name. With low attendances failing to cover the cost of adapting a former high school football stadium for MLS matches, the team was unable to turn a profit. The league closed the franchise in 2002 <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/us/news/2002/01/09/mls_quotes/">because</a> “the South Florida market was not capable at this time of supporting an MLS team.” </p>
<p>Franchise owner Ken Horowitz invested US$50m in attempts to make the team a success, but to no avail. He attributed the failure of the Fusion and the difficulty of other pro teams to fill their arenas to a population with few historical ties to the area and whose <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/us/news/2002/01/09/mls_quotes/">loyalties were already captured</a> by teams from whence they came. </p>
<p>Most crucial, however, was the lack of a satisfactory stadium arrangement in Miami as well as the decision not to throw in fully with Fort Lauderdale and develop the team’s identity around the city of nearly 200,000 with a county-wide population of more than 1.5 million.</p>
<h2>Miami magic</h2>
<p>The question is whether Beckham can work his magic on a Miami that could not sustain a team only a decade ago. What can he bring the the table to increase support for an MLS side this time around? </p>
<p>Beckham has had a huge impact on American soccer. Since he first signed for the LA Galaxy in 2007, MLS has expanded from 12 teams to 20 and expansion teams are now four times more costly for investors than they were before his arrival. Crowds have increased three-fold during the Beckham era and average attendance at games last season was <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/10/31/5047982/mls-attendance-2013-report">9th among world soccer leagues</a>, not far off the top flight in the Netherlands and France.</p>
<p>While Beckham hogged the spotlight in Los Angeles, there were other factors that aided growth. The league has allowed official supporter groups to flourish, creating a vibrant atmosphere at games. Regional rivalries have been encouraged too, with the most successful being between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders. Indeed, one of their matches this past season in Seattle was the 4th best attended soccer match in the world that week.</p>
<p>Thankfully for Becks there should be a natural “derby” already in place, with an Orlando franchise set to join the league in 2015. Perhaps he can also rekindle old rivalries with <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-you-want-franchise-with-that-mcdonalds-model-for-football-14648">Manchester City-backed</a> New York City.</p>
<p>Beckham’s best attribute may be the support of entertainment mogul Simon Fuller. Fuller has excelled at virtually every entertainment initiative he has produced in the USA. With aggressive cross-marketing and branding and a lead time of more than two years, the potential for success is there.</p>
<h2>Thinking local</h2>
<p>So, how does Beckham tackle the Miami market? The mediocrity or outright failures of most other sports teams in the city shows that no one strategy truly works, beyond investment in expensive talent. But the stricter player finance rules of Major League Soccer mean simply signing a footballing LeBron is not the answer.</p>
<p>Much effort is required on and off the field to woo a widely diverse audience with numerous entertainment options. It will take more than ex-pat Brits, Latin Americans (who are more likely to be baseball fans), or middle class “soccer moms” and their kids to make the team a success. He and his group cannot simply buy success like Roman Ambramovich did at Chelsea or Beckham’s last bosses have done at Paris St-Germain. </p>
<p>It will take a herculean effort for Becks to make it this work. But as the self-styled gateway to the Americas and a global city for the 21st century, Miami is a place where it’s worth taking the risk.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/23042/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Nauright does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In attempting to succeed as owner of a Major League Soccer team in Miami, Florida, David Beckham has taken on perhaps the biggest challenge of his career. The city is not short of major sports teams. It…John Nauright, Professor of Sport and Leisure Cultures, University of BrightonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.