After 22 years, Major League Soccer has grown up to become a significant sport in America. However, MLS functions very differently compared to other major sports leagues. For one, the league operates as a single-entity, owning all player contracts and establishing a yearly team salary cap.
In 2007, the MLS created the designated player rule (AKA the Beckham Rule) which allowed the league to bypass the hard cap and competitively sign a high profile Premier League player (AKA English poster boy David Beckham). At that point, Beckham was 32 and had already played 15 seasons with Manchester United and Real Madrid. Obviously, MLS brought in Becks and his fan base solely to boost ticket sales. This is an important consideration for a league that relies heavily on revenues via game attendance. While one research study estimates that Beckham doubled ticket sales when he played that season, others have suggested that the “Beckham Effect” quickly waned – and will continue to wane for other big name players the league draws - in the following years as the novelty wears off.
When Steven Gerrard follows Beckham’s DP footsteps to the Galaxy this summer (at the hearty age of 34), there’s an expectation that his presence will be a boost to the already soccer friendly environment. But one has to wonder, does the MLS need the likes of Gerrard any longer?
The designated player rule is increasingly being used to pick up marquee players still in their prime. The 47 players designated for the 2015 season look world-class. The league made changes in 2012 to encourage MLS teams to explore untested youth players. Further, the use of the designated player rule to retain American talent such as Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, and Jermaine Jones has no doubt increased local fan support on the heels of the 2014 World Cup.
Now that MLS is arguably more established than it was in 2007, does it need to function as a Premier League retirement community? The answer is no. Although it does remind me of this Adidas commercial.
