Economics

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2013/07/05/the-economics-behind-new-yorks-100-million-mls-team/

 

When the MLS was started, I always told people it would never work, that Americans just don't like soccer, for the obvious reasons -- like it is boring and that we don't have referees and players kill each other -- but lo and behold, MLS has expanded and brought in big names...and I was surprised.

 

Then, of course, I read this article, which pointed out much of what I have espoused...the league is losing money and that eventually -- like all other US soccer leagues -- you pull the plug.  This link seems to imply that that day is a little closer.  Now, I am not saying it will happen soon, or at all, but...I can easily see how, in a few years, some of the MLS franchises will close, and the more prosperous ones -- Portland, for instance -- will survive by cannibalizing the leftovers.  Depending on the size and scope of the TV contracts, there might not be that many.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/07/how_best_to_save_a_neighborhoo_1.html#comments

 

I am not quite sure this is the problem; people live where they do not necessarily because of the housing stock, but the because the city/neighborhood where they live offers the best prospects for economic advancement, good schools, good places for families, etc...  I might also add that living in a ward represented by a convicted felon does not exactly boost property values, either.