CFL gets better ratings than MLS on ESPN???

[LLB997]

These comments on the MLS are silly and ultimately wrong. I've just Googled up most of the rankings for the summer from the same blog source and there's weeks where 300K to 400K were watching MLS (although it definitely drops lower as well). The CFL consistently got +200K viewers for it's five weeks with 350,000 in its first and best week. The CFL numbers seem strong enough to merit renewal. We should be happy about that rather than wishing the worst for soccer.

I already posted a thread earlier in the summer citing the SOB blog and the CFL has been pretty consistent in its ratings wins over the MLS. Aside from that, for as much as we like to take the high road and question why we are making MLS comparisons , the reality is that this discussion's line was drawn in the sand years ago in Toronto and seeing as this is a Toronto based forum makes sense. Tau, I think the point of this is not to look at it from a week to week comparison, but just the fact that the CFL is back on the deuce after years and already winning head to head matchups with America's national soccer league especially considering there is no American based CFL team is very telling and impressive from a CFL point of view. Remember, the league is making a concerted effort to raise its profile in the Usa as a recruiting tool and these results should be looked at that way.............................If the Bundesliga or Serie A started showing games in Canada and they all of a sudden were beating the CFL in ratings wars , you better believe the shrinky dink Canadian media and Soccer fans would jump all over that in a second. Nothing wrong with tooting out own horns over this.

[argolio]

Looks more like a question to me and a post with findings that the original poster didn't even bother to confirm himself.

Try looking beyond yourself.

I'm also not writing a book. If anyone wants to dig deeper (as apparently some have), that's up to them.

I could just as easily point to the same blog and announce: "CFL loses out big time to NASCAR in the United States." Would I really be proving anything?

The difference is that I think most people would expect NASCAR ratings to blow out CFL ratings in the U.S.

[AngeloV]

I'm not an MLS fan. I've been to one game live and never watched on television. Not that that should matter.

I just find it odd on this forum how many people seem to have inferiority/superiority issues with regards to the MLS. Why does beating that league constitute validation for the CFL? I could just as easily point to the same blog and announce: "CFL loses out big time to NASCAR in the United States." Would I really be proving anything?

No, but you have to admit, it is impressive for a league that doesn't get any mainstream coverage in the US can occasionally get better ratings head to head than a league that does. MLS gets some mention on ESPN and FOX as far as hi-lights and scheduling do. CFL does not. For that reason alone, your comparison with Nascar/CFL is not valid as Nascar gets national sports attention all the time in the US..Even more so than Hockey and tennis.

[Tau Ceti]

Guys, I chose Nascar simply to illustrate my point that choosing MLS appears weird to a newbie. Why not pick women's tennis? Or poker? Whatever -- pick what you want. I simply don't understand why defeating the MLS in ratings should be the metric CFL fans set for success. I actually agree that, in and of themselves, the CFL numbers are impressive. I mentioned in my first post that they merit renewal on ESPN. The MLS numbers matter only insofar as all the other sports programs matter to the rankings table.

[LLB997]

CFL, MLS = both team sports, both play out of similar sized stadiums , 3 teams play out of same city (although not in us), both outside the "Big 4" team sports. tennis , poker etc. fits none of that criteria.

[T-Bone]

Try looking beyond yourself.