On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Jacob Feldman are joined by Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen to discuss Sportico’s recently published MLS valuations.
The average team is now worth $72 million, up 6% from 2024, but there is a growing divide between MLS’ top franchises and the rest of the pack. Badenhausen explains what the league’s big-market teams are doing to capitalize on their natural advantages—and what their growth means for the league at large.
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At the same time, MLS has had success with teams in smaller markets such as Columbus and Cincinnati, while also developing expansion franchises into business success stories in new markets, including St. Louis.
The hosts also ask about the impact of Lionel Messi as he enters his second full season at Inter Miami as well as the ticking clock before the 2026 World Cup comes to the U.S. What must MLS do between now and then to continue building interest? Is American success on the global stage in next year’s tournament a key ingredient as well?
MLS is also entering year three of a long-term partnership with Apple, with a number of changes in store this season. The league is expanding distribution of MLS Season Pass with new Comcast, DirecTV and T-Mobile deals. It’s also tweaked its schedule to introduce primetime Sunday night games. And yet, questions remain about how well soccer can reach new fans with most of its games behind a digital service paywall.
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Google, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
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