Alan Greenwood

With all due respect to Major League Soccer generally, and Los Angeles FC owner Larry Berg

specifically …

Get a grip.

Speaking Wednesday at the MLS’ 25th anniversary get-together, Berg vowed that within 10 years the MLS would surpass Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League as the nation’s No. 3 big league, behind the National Football League and the National Basketball Association.

“We definitely have the demographics in our favor, both in terms of youth and diversity. So I think we’ll pass baseball and hockey and be the No. 3 sport in the U.S. behind football and basketball,” Berg said, according to the Associated Press.

The same argument has been made for decades. Those of us north of age 60 can remember hearing this when the Boston Beacons of the North American Soccer League began play before family and friends at Fenway Park.

The NASL did make it until 1984, which makes the MLS the longest-standing pro soccer league.

The root of Berg’s assessment is that more children are playing in organized soccer league’s than ever and that those kids will carry their love of the game through the rest of their lives. The logic is sound – to a point. The MLS drew an average of 21,111 last season, closing in on MLB’s 28,199.

Even if those trends meet one another, the problem is that soccer is a great game to watch in person, but on TV, not so much. Those rights fees are what make the rich get richer (as NFL fans surely understand).

Baseball is bumbling along, thus doing everything it can to help the MLS make its move up the ladder. There is no doubt that its TV ratings are tanking.

The MLS’ total take for national TV rights is about $90 million. The NFL keeps that much in its petty cash drawer.

Until someone figures a way to ingrain soccer as part of America’s big-league culture, the MLS should be happy to continue making its steady financial progress. Until someone cracks the code to improve its product on TV, it will be a solid No. 5.

SPEAKING OF MONEY: Count sports books among those who are skeptical of the Red Sox’ ability to make any sort of run for the AL East, the AL pennant and World Series. Glancing at several odds online, the Red Sox seem to range between 12-1 and 14-1 for the division, between 16-1 and 20-1 to win the pennant, and about 40-1 to win the World Series.

Apparently, bringing Jonathan Lecroy’s into into training camp has not jolted the oddsmakers’ collective pulse.

TIME TRAVEL: Feb. 27, 1955 – An eye-catching ad on the sports page headed “Boston Garden Sports Program” promoted upcoming events, including:

Thursday, March 3, NHL hockey, Bruins vs. Canadiens.

Reserved seats: $3.50, $2.75 ,$2.25, $1.50.

Friday, March 4, NBA doubleheader.

Celtics vs. Minneapolis. Rochester vs. New York Knicks

Reserved seats: $2.50, $2.00, $1.25.

The Celtics had another doubleheader March 7 against Fort Wayne, with the Knicks facing Minneapolis in the prelim starting at 7:30.

Try imaging an NBA doubleheader these days, with Game 1 starting at 7:30.

You’d have only a sliver of a chance to make the 2 a.m. last call at the nearest bar.

Contact Alan Greenwood at 594-1248 or agreenwood@nashuatelegraph.com.

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