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Old 11-24-2014, 03:03 PM   #2510
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I think the large immigrant population in Calgary is plenty to support an MLS team from a "fans that culturally love soccer" perspective. Hopefully that would bring enough attention to it that the existing Western Canadians are drawn to it.

As a white Western Canadian who disliked soccer as a kid, with mostly white Western Canadian friends who hated soccer until a few years ago (IE FIFA 2012), I would buy seasons, and I would bet at least 10 of my close friends would. Especially if they are sub-$1000. Soccer is cathing on in populatarity amongst younger Canadians.

With only Football going here once/week in the summer, and baseball being non-existant, I think MLS would do well as a summer alternative. I think the thing with Calgary is that we need a professional team to take notice. If they want to gauge attendance to a minor pro league as evidence for or against it, it would be disingenuous IMO. People, even people who love soccer, are not going to go out of their way to spend a summer night watching sub-pro soccer. Anyone who loves it already will have better options to watch at home and will want at least some form of high-calibre soccer (Euro fans may dispute the quality of the MLS, but it's grown leaps and bounds over the last few years and may not be EPL, but it's damn good soccer). And any "new" soccer fans won't bother unless there's hype built around the pro team and possibly seeing some big name players come through (exhibitions with EPL teams seems to help the other MLS teams that way).

Point being, I would be excited about it and I know I'm far from the only one.
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