raz Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 If college athletes are allowed to unionize (as they may soon), here's how I think we rank them: 1. NFL 2. College football 3. NBA 4. College basketball 5. MLB 6. NASCAR 7. NHL 8. MLS. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sec19Row53 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 2 hours ago, GDAWG said: We all know the Big 5 (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS) but is there a sixth major league and if so who? There's the WNBA, NWSL and NLL as options. NLL is because its lacrosse and the WNBA and NWSL are women's leagues in basketball and soccer. We don't all know that there is a Big 5. We disagree with that statement out of hand. 1 2 Quote It's where I sit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 Just now, LaGrandeOrange said: I feel all of this debate about MLS is too centered around the idea that a league has to be the best in its sport to be a "Big (X)" league, which would thus make NASCAR, WNBA, NLL, PLL, CFL, (among others) all major league sports over MLS, as they are the highest levels of stock car racing, womens' basketball, indoor lacrosse, outdoor lacrosse and Canadian football. I put them among the Big 5 because of the type of owners that they have, the type of markets and the money coming in with regards to expansion. Plus, it's in their name "Major League Soccer." NASCAR is interesting, but to me, what constitutes a "major league" is cities, which NASCAR doesn't have outside of the events that they have. The teams in NASCAR are based on who owns the team. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont care Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 It’s more a big 4+1 rather than a big 5. Until MLS gets viewed globally on the same tier as the top leagues that will be the case. That will never happen though unless the remove the salary cap and say 5 or so owners go all out buying international talent. Honestly that will never happen in any of our lifetimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaGrandeOrange Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 3 minutes ago, raz said: If college athletes are allowed to unionize (as they may soon), here's how I think we rank them: 1. NFL 2. College football 3. NBA 4. College basketball 5. MLB 6. NASCAR 7. NHL 8. MLS. Speaking to the balkanisation of sport- this shocks me because I get so little exposure to 2, 4 and 6 and 7 is easily the league I'm most exposed to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 6 minutes ago, raz said: If college athletes are allowed to unionize (as they may soon), here's how I think we rank them: 1. NFL 2. College football 3. NBA 4. College basketball 5. MLB 6. NASCAR 7. NHL 8. MLS. So I am going to limit "major league sports" as teams in cities, which NASCAR doesn't have. College football and college basketball at least has locations for the teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCall Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 9 minutes ago, raz said: If college athletes are allowed to unionize (as they may soon), here's how I think we rank them: 1. NFL 2. College football 3. NBA 4. College basketball 5. MLB 6. NASCAR 7. NHL 8. MLS. Just because you keep listing college sports in here, doesn't make it so. 3 Quote https://dribbble.com/MakaioCall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sec19Row53 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 3 minutes ago, McCall said: Just because you keep listing college sports in here, doesn't make it so. Just because the OP lists MLS doesn't make it so, either. College football and college basketball are FAR more 'Big #' than MLS. 3 Quote It's where I sit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 Since I got pushback for adding MLS, I have re-edited the post to "Is there a 5th Major Sports League?" with the caveat that the league has to include cities for their teams, which NASCAR does not have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sec19Row53 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 5 minutes ago, GDAWG said: Since I got pushback for adding MLS, I have re-edited the post to "Is there a 5th Major Sports League?" with the caveat that the league has to include cities for their teams, which NASCAR does not have Thanks for the first, but the second seems to be arbitrary. It sound like someone trying to give themselves a nickname - you earn one. I'm not sure you have the authority to set the rules for what deserves to be included in a discussion of Big # sports leagues. Quote It's where I sit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sykotyk Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 24 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said: Thanks for the first, but the second seems to be arbitrary. It sound like someone trying to give themselves a nickname - you earn one. I'm not sure you have the authority to set the rules for what deserves to be included in a discussion of Big # sports leagues. If 'teams' aren't required, then Golf would be top 5. Or, at least the PGA would be. As for whether something is a 'major league'... it would have to be the 'major league' of its sport. Having NFL _and_ NCAA Football would negate either of them being the major league. Unless NCAAF decides to stop enforcing an eligibility limit, having players move on from one league to another would entirely negate them being 'major league'. There's only so many sports. In the US, there's four major team sports, a fifth if you're including purely participation and individual fan interest (regardless if it be MLS, Mexican, European or elsewhere leagues, or national team play)... and then sports like Lacrosse or Volleyball. We don't really have rugby union/rugby league, handball, curling, aussie rules, gaelic, etc. 1. NFL 2. NBA 3. MLB 4. NHL 5. MLS 6. PVF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrAstrodome Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 1 hour ago, dont care said: Until MLS gets viewed globally on the same tier as the top leagues that will be the case. That will never happen though unless the remove the salary cap and say 5 or so owners go all out buying international talent. 1. Salary cap ain't going away due to parity and the fact that the owners are more like investors in the league with the teams being a physical embodiment of their share instead of the clubs being separate companies like they are in the rest of the world or in the other American leagues. Which was created to prevent what did in the NASL which was incompetent owners. MLS is at a healthy point where each team has its own owner or set of owners instead of mostly being divided between Lamar Hunt (RIP) and AEG and their own soccer specific stadium or a plan to build one instead of just renting an NFL or college (with exceptions) for the long term to own all the profits. 2. Designated player is exactly that which got made when Beckham came. Plus there's a whole bunch a people that will always say "I won't respect MLS until start pro/rel like Europe" or "MLS should switch to fall/winter/spring like the rest of the world" not knowing how American sports culture started mostly from the east and expanded westward and have no idea of the sheer size of our country or media markets works. Would ESPN even cover a league without with New York or LA teams? Hell, the AFL was getting clowned in the newspapers pre Super Bowl and during since many viewed them as a "Mickey Mouse" league. And as for the global schedule, ask the original USFL how it worked out when they went head to head with NFL instead staying in its spring lane. MLS at least has April 'til August to build its audience against baseball, racing and women's basketball, now that the playoffs bleed into Bowl season. Just have tell Apple to not have every game in prime time. Quote All New: NFL RandomWebsite ★ Behance ★ Twitter ★ Geekier Twitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 2 hours ago, Sec19Row53 said: Thanks for the first, but the second seems to be arbitrary. It sound like someone trying to give themselves a nickname - you earn one. I'm not sure you have the authority to set the rules for what deserves to be included in a discussion of Big # sports leagues. I consider NASCAR a major sports organization instead of a league like I do with the PGA and ATP, because (despite the fact that the racers represent teams), it's the individuality of the sport that sets itself apart from the Big 4. Like if Denny Hamlin won a race, I see it more as "Denny Hamlin wins a race " rather than "Joe Gibbs Racing wins a race." Sure Hamlin is representing Joe Gibbs Racing, but nobody else on his team won said race, only Hamlin himself. That's how I see NASCAR. I think I should have been much clearer about that instead of saying "NASCAR doesn't count because they don't have cities." I've changed the first post to reflect the fact that I consider NASCAR more of a major sports organization like PGA and ATP than a league like NBA or NFL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont care Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 1 hour ago, GDAWG said: I consider NASCAR a major sports organization instead of a league like I do with the PGA and ATP, because (despite the fact that the racers represent teams), it's the individuality of the sport that sets itself apart from the Big 4. Like if Denny Hamlin won a race, I see it more as "Denny Hamlin wins a race " rather than "Joe Gibbs Racing wins a race." Sure Hamlin is representing Joe Gibbs Racing, but nobody else on his team won said race, only Hamlin himself. That's how I see NASCAR. I think I should have been much clearer about that instead of saying "NASCAR doesn't count because they don't have cities." I've changed the first post to reflect the fact that I consider NASCAR more of a major sports organization like PGA and ATP than a league like NBA or NFL. I feel you can’t put limitations like that though. It’s still a sport at the end of the day. The thing that is the ultimate factor is how many eyeballs are on it each week (I won’t say game because there may be less eyeballs for each individual game but when you account for multiple games played each week by 30 plus teams it makes up for it.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infrared41 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 11 minutes ago, dont care said: Like if Denny Hamlin won a race, I see it more as "Denny Hamlin wins a race " rather than "Joe Gibbs Racing wins a race." It's both. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Top tier -- where the very best in the world play: NFL MLB NBA NHL Mid tier -- where the best play, just not as popular: NASCAR PGA/LIV WNBA Pro bowling Horse racing UFC Low tier -- a collection of minor leaguers: MLS XFL/USFL MiLB NBA G-League EDIT: I am excluding sports like Tennis, F1, etc, which aren't really American based. This is a topic about THE BIG 4/5 here in the States. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCall Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I consider NASCAR, PGA/LIV, ...TENNIS, major sports, but are tours, not leagues. Since they're individual competitors (even if technically on teams in some) and go from city to city in a once-a-year special event at that location, rather than having a home market like in team sports. 4 Quote https://dribbble.com/MakaioCall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCall Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 1 minute ago, Cujo said: Top tier -- where the very best in the world play: NFL MLB NBA NHL Mid tier -- where the best play, just not as popular: NASCAR PGA/LIV WNBA Pro bowling Horse racing Low tier -- a collection of minor leaguers: MLS XFL/USFL MiLB NBA G-League Go to any country not England, Germany and Spain, and they'll consider they're soccer league a major league. It's based on each individual nation, not the world. The level of each league within their sport is determined by world popularity. The NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, on a global scale, have no other major leagues (within different nations) that are on par with them. Doesn't make the NPB any less of a major league. But in Japan, not the U.S. 1 Quote https://dribbble.com/MakaioCall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 Just now, McCall said: I consider NASCAR, PGA/LIV, ...TENNIS, major sports, but are tours, not leagues. Since they're individual competitors (even if technically on teams in some) and go from city to city in a once-a-year special event at that location, rather than having a home market like in team sports. That is what I have been trying to say. The BIG 4 all have home markets and that is what makes them different than NASCAR, PGA/LIV, ATP and UFC and its why I don't consider NASCAR a major sports league rather a major sports organization. But I guess I have different views of what a league is compared to others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Just now, McCall said: Go to any country not England, Germany and Spain, and they'll consider they're soccer league a major league This is about America. "The Big 5" -- please remember the topic at hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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