Aimed at the Goal? The Sustainability of Major League Soccer's Structure

Abstract

(9 Willamette Sports L.J., no. 1, 2011, at 1). This paper examines Major League Soccer (MSL) in the US. It gives an overview of MLS history, then discusses how the MLS resembles other American sports leagues including the National Football and Hockey Leagues; the National Basketball Association; and Major League Baseball. It then considers how the MLS resembles European soccer powerhouses in England, Italy, Spain, and others; and the ways the MLS resembles neither of these structures. The paper concludes by examining whether the hybrid model the MLS has adopted is sustainable.