MLS (Photo by Tony Quinn/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
MLS teams are losing money. As such, the looming 2023 TV deal that the league will negotiate will be vital to the survival of the league.
Major League Soccer is growing as fast as any sports league in the world. Attendances are up, TV viewing figures are up, the standard of play is up and the general notice that the league demands, both in the American sporting landscape and the global footballing landscape, is up.
However, despite all these encouraging signs, which can very neatly be summarised by the increased price of admission — David Tepper paid $325 million for his expansion team based in Charlotte which will commence play in 2021, a massive $315 million more than Toronto FC paid in 2007 — the league is still losing money.