Document Type

Blog Post

Publication Date

2-23-2022

Graduation Year

2023

Abstract

Soccer, otherwise known as football to the rest of the world, was and is a dominating sport, not only in popularity but in organization and individual profit as well. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association [hereinafter “FIFA”] alone had a net profit of around $3.54 billion during the 2018 World Cup. This figure is only the tip of the iceberg in regard to the positive impact that football can have on the organizations that control it. Not only do FIFA’s numbers speak to the profitability of football, but England’s Premier League in 2019 alone grossed around $4.577 billion. Comparably, the U.S.’s MLS teams produced “$1.1 billion in revenue . . . La Liga powerhouse FC Barcelona alone reported $1.1 billion in revenue during its 2018-19 campaign.” MLS has overcome much hesitation when it comes to playing on a world-wide level. MLS, as it stands, is currently ranked around the 10th best soccer league in the world, both in quality and popularity. Although the highest level of soccer played in both the US and Canada, it is not nearly as high as it could be. While the likes of La Liga and the English Premier League are top tiers, “MLS is mostly compared with second divisions in top European leagues.” So why is there a disparity in revenue between the European football world and that of the United States?

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on February 23, 2022. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

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