Ten years ago, Major League Soccer quantified fandom by following how much an individual was attending games and buying team merchandise. In 2019, MLS is putting just as much weight into how often a fan is playing the FIFA video game series using MLS teams.
eMLS, the league’s competitive FIFA gaming series, is currently in its second season. Speaking at Horizon Summit at Levi’s Stadium, James Ruth, Sr. Director of Properties at MLS, explained that more fans cite playing FIFA as a reason for why they follow the MLS than those who actually play the real game.
“Sixty-five percent of avid MLS fans highlight FIFA as a driver of their interest in soccer,” Ruth said on Thursday.