What is the Fastest-Rising Pro Sports League in the United States? Which is falling as fast as its cars?

Creatix / October 21, 2025

MLS: from risky startup to North America’s fastest-rising league

Major League Soccer (MLS) didn’t appear out of thin air. It was part of the promise the U.S. made to FIFA in its bid for the 1994 World Cup: create a top-flight league. MLS was formally established in 1993–95 and kicked off in 1996 with 10 clubs, an experiment in a country that had seen prior outdoor leagues fail. (Wikipedia)

The shaky early years (1996–2004)

The league grew to 12 clubs by 1998, then slammed into a wall. Losses mounted, and in January 2002 MLS contracted—shutting down the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion to stabilize finances. It was a hard call, but a turning point, signaling that survival (and stricter economics) came first. (Wikipedia)

The stadium revolution

What really changed MLS’s trajectory was control of the matchday. Columbus opened the first MLS soccer-specific venue in 1999, proving the model and inspiring a wave of purpose-built stadiums that improved fan experience and revenue per seat. That building boom—now the league norm—put teams in charge of tickets, suites, concessions, concerts, and dates. (Wikipedia)

The “Beckham Rule” era (2007 →)

In 2007, MLS adopted the Designated Player (DP) rule—nicknamed the “Beckham Rule”—allowing each club to sign up to three stars largely outside the salary cap. David Beckham’s 2007 deal with LA Galaxy put MLS on the global radar and set a blueprint: use a few headliners to lift ticketing, sponsorship, and media interest across the league. (Wikipedia)

Expansion 2.0: adding a team nearly every year

After weathering the early storms, MLS entered an expansion boom, going from 10 clubs in 1996 to 30 in 2025 with San Diego FC’s debut. Fees climbed with demand—Charlotte reportedly at $325M (2019) and San Diego at $500M (2023 announcement), reflecting surging franchise values and confidence in the model. (Wikipedia)

Why the growth stuck

• Better buildings: more soccer-specific stadiums mean better economics. (Wikipedia)

• Bigger markets: careful franchise placement expanded national reach. (Wikipedia)

• Star power: the DP rule (and later, Messi) proved the flywheel. (Wikipedia)

Media money: from cable windows to a global OTT bet

In 2014, MLS struck an eight-year $720M domestic TV pact with ESPN/FOX/Univision (2015–2022), a fivefold jump from the prior deal—proof that steady audience growth was real. In 2023, the league centralized worldwide rights with Apple’s MLS Season Pass, ending regional blackouts and putting every match, in multiple languages, on one platform. In 2025, Apple and MLS added a weekly primetime “Sunday Night Soccer.” (Deadline)

Leagues Cup: a new summer engine

MLS and Liga MX turned their cross-border rivalry into a sanctioned, month-long Leagues Cup in 2023, with every club pausing league play to participate and berths to the CONCACAF Champions Cup on the line. The format evolved again for 2025 (36 teams: 18 MLS, 18 Liga MX), but the core idea—made-for-TV summer soccer—remains a growth pillar. (ESPN.com)

The Messi effect (and what it revealed)

Lionel Messi’s 2023 arrival supercharged demand. Inter Miami’s revenue jumped from roughly $50–60M (2022) to $120–130M (2023), with 2024 projections even higher—an example of how a single superstar can lift tickets, merchandise, sponsors, and global attention for the whole league. Previous attendance records were broken and new records were set across MLS in 2024, with total regular-season fans surpassing 11.45 million (~23,240 per match). (ESPN.com)

Sponsorships and valuations keep climbing

Adidas extended its league-wide kit deal through 2030 in a package widely reported at ~$830M, the brand’s largest North American soccer investment. Team valuations also surged; by early 2025, LAFC ranked ~$1.25B with Inter Miami near $1.2B, and the league average hovered around $690M, up dramatically from the mid-2010s. (Sports Logos News)

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Year-by-year momentum: what “growth every year” has meant

• Clubs: 10 (1996) → 30 (2025), with a steady cadence since 2007. (Wikipedia)

• Venues: a majority of teams now play in soccer-specific stadiums—higher per-game revenue and better fan experience. (Wikipedia)

• Media: $90M/yr domestic rights (2015–22) → unified global streaming with Apple and new primetime showcases. (Deadline)

• Events: Leagues Cup created a summer “tent-pole,” tightening ties with Liga MX and boosting mid-season engagement. (ESPN.com)

• Demand: record attendance in 2024 and outsized bumps tied to marquee stars. (mlssoccer)

What to watch next

• 2026 World Cup afterglow: with the U.S./Canada/Mexico hosting, expect another demand step-change for MLS shoulder seasons and youth pipelines.

• More stadium districts: clubs are pairing venues with mixed-use real estate for year-round revenue.

• Talent strategy: a blend of academy exports, smart imports in their prime, and a few needle-moving icons.

Bottom line: MLS grew because it learned fast—own the building, pick the right markets, package the product smartly, and sprinkle in star power. The league still isn’t done; it’s better capitalized, more watchable, and more nationally embedded than at any point since 1996—and the runway (World Cup 2026, new venues, and a fully digital media model) suggests the curve hasn’t flattened yet. (Wikipedia)

From orange slices to full stadiums: how U.S. soccer got big by growing kids’ and college games

Thirty years ago, youth soccer in the U.S. was already a Saturday-morning staple. Since then, participation pipelines—from community leagues to high school and college—have widened and professionalized, and that’s a huge reason the sport’s popularity (and staying power) keeps rising.

The youth boom that didn’t fade

• Mass participation infrastructure. Two national giants anchor the grassroots: US Youth Soccer (USYS), which works through 54 state associations and ~10,000 local clubs/leagues and says it “registers nearly 2.5 million players annually,” and AYSO, which reports 400,000+ players across ~850 local regions. These organizations created standardized play, coach education, and the “everyone plays” ethos that pulled millions of families into the sport. (US Youth Soccer)

• High school as the on-ramp to fandom. By 2023–24, high school soccer reached 851,378 participants—467,483 boys and 383,895 girls—placing the sport among the top programs nationally. That’s not just a playing base; it’s future ticket buyers, TV subscribers, and parents who’ll sign up the next cohort.

• Reality check & resilience. Youth sports participation fluctuates (pandemic dips, cost and travel barriers). Even with some recent softness noted in national youth-sport audits, soccer has remained one of the most-played youth sports in America thanks to its accessibility and ubiquitous entry points. (Project Play)

Title IX and the college flywheel

• The women’s college catalyst. The NCAA launched its first women’s soccer championship in 1982, and the sport scaled rapidly on campuses thereafter—an outcome closely tied to Title IX’s expansion of women’s varsity opportunities. (NCAA.com)

• Collegiate critical mass. Today, U.S. Soccer’s current “In Service to Soccer” brief shows over 800 men’s and ~1,000 women’s NCAA programs across all divisions. At Division I, there are 213 men’s and 350 women’s teams—more than 14,000 D-I players combined—making college soccer a premier development and visibility platform. (U.S. Soccer)

• A measurable pipeline. In 2022–23 alone, 377,838 girls played HS soccer and ~29,959 competed in NCAA soccer (≈7.9% HS-to-NCAA progression)—figures the NCAA tracks because so many women who fill NWSL rosters come through college. (The NCAA publishes the same methodology for other sports, too.) (NCAA.org)

Why youth + college growth equals more fans

1. Repetition → identity. Millions of touches in USYS/AYSO feed into scholastic teams; four years of HS and four of college ingrain the game into local culture. Big campus matches—Friday-night conference games, College Cup runs—turn students and families into lifelong supporters. (U.S. Soccer)

2. Women’s success → mainstreaming. Title IX–enabled depth at universities helped power the USWNT’s global dominance, which, in turn, keeps youth sign-ups and viewership climbing. (NCAA and independent analyses consistently credit soccer as a major Title IX success story.) (NCAA.org)

3. Clear pathways. With hundreds of D-I and D-II programs on both the men’s and women’s sides—and growing pro leagues (MLS, NWSL, USL)—players and parents see tangible next steps, which sustains participation even as ambitions vary. (U.S. Soccer)

The last 30 years, in quick milestones

• 1990s–2000s: USYS memberships pass the million-player mark; AYSO expands nationwide; women’s college soccer surges post-1982 championship era; HS soccer spreads across states. (Wikipedia)

• 2010s: Scholastic participation sets repeated highs; girls’/women’s soccer becomes a marquee campus sport in many conferences; youth clubs professionalize pathways and coach education.

• 2020s: Post-pandemic rebound sees HS sports at record totals again; NCAA confirms robust HS-to-college flows in soccer; U.S. Soccer tallies 350 D-I women’s and 213 D-I men’s programs, underlining soccer’s collegiate scale. (NFHS)

What’s next (and why it matters)

• Bigger base, better bridges. Keeping soccer affordable and local (fewer flights, more regional play) is front-and-center in U.S. Soccer’s college recommendations—because retention between ages 17–23 is the make-or-break zone that links youth, college, and the pros. (U.S. Soccer)

• Event halo effects. The 2026 Men’s World Cup (and future major events) will land on top of a youth-to-college pipeline that’s already massive—historically when the big tournaments hit, youth and campus interest spike again. (U.S. Soccer)

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Bottom line

Soccer’s popularity in the U.S. didn’t rise just because of TV deals or star signings. It rose because millions of kids found a team in USYS/AYSO, then hundreds of thousands stuck with it through high school, and tens of thousands kept going in college. This created players, parents, alumni, and fans who now fill MLS, NWSL, USL, and college stadiums alike. Build the pipeline, and the culture follows. (US Youth Soccer)

NASCAR vs. Soccer: Two Americas, Two Trajectories

In the last 30 years, U.S. sports culture has split along two very different paths. Soccer grew up from the ground—park fields to packed stadiums—while NASCAR wrestled with shrinking TV audiences and an aging fan base. The contrast isn’t just tastes; it’s about on-ramps. Soccer built millions of easy entry points for kids and students. Stock-car racing didn’t.

The popularity arc

• Soccer’s steady climb. Gallup’s long-running “favorite sport to watch” polling shows soccer gaining share over the 2000s–2020s (especially among younger adults), even as football remains dominant overall.(Gallup.com)

• NASCAR’s viewership slide. After mid-2000s highs, NASCAR’s audiences fell for over a decade. Even its marquee event, the Daytona 500, drew ~6.76M in 2025 after delays—up from the rained-out Monday race in 2024, but far below the 2000s peak, underscoring the long-run decline from mass-TV heights.(Reuters)

The pipeline effect: soccer has one; NASCAR doesn’t

Youth → High School → College → Pro is the American sports machine. Soccer plugged into it everywhere:

• Youth: US Youth Soccer says it registers nearly 2.5 million players annually across 54 state associations and ~10,000 clubs/leagues. That’s an enormous, low-cost funnel into fandom.(US Youth Soccer)

• High school: Soccer is one of the biggest scholastic sports; the NFHS reports record-high overall high-school sports participation in 2024–25, with soccer a major contributor.(NFHS)

• College: The NCAA Sports Sponsorship & Participation database lists hundreds of men’s and ~1,000 women’s soccer programs across Divisions I–III, putting matches on campus every weekend and graduating thousands of alumni-fans yearly.(NCAA)

Now compare racing:

• No school-sport ladder. The NFHS (rule-maker for U.S. high-school sports) does not sanction motorsports as a school sport; you won’t find “racing” on its sport pages. At the college level, racing is not an NCAA sport—you’ll find motorsports engineering majors and research centers (e.g., UNC Charlotte), but not varsity racing seasons.(NFHS)

• What exists is niche/club. There’s youth karting, indoor leagues, and club events, but they sit outside the universal school ecosystem that turns players into lifelong fans.

Result: Soccer manufactures millions of new fans the “normal” American way (orange slices → pep rallies → alumni weekends). NASCAR has far fewer institutional touchpoints to replace aging viewers.

The money and the barrier to entry

• Cost to play soccer: Among mainstream youth sports, soccer remains relatively affordable (cleats/ball/league fees). The Aspen Institute’s Project Play tracks family spending, noting a 46% rise in average youth-sport costs since 2019 to $1,016 per child in 2024—but soccer still compares favorably versus gear-heavy sports.(Project Play)

• Cost to race: Even at entry levels, karting budgets routinely run thousands before travel—competitive seasons can hit $8,000–$20,000 depending on level and support. That makes “try it and see” far harder for most families.(Kart Class)

The economic friction matters: low-cost, school-based activities scale culture; high-cost, club-only activities stay niche.

Social trends that favored soccer (and challenged NASCAR)

1. Demographics & urbanization. Immigration and city-suburb growth amplified soccer’s cultural footprint—parks and school fields multiplied participation with minimal infrastructure. (NFHS and NCAA counts reflect this spread.)(NFHS)

2. Gender equity flywheel. Title IX fueled women’s college soccer growth, which powered the USWNT’s visibility—feeding back into youth sign-ups. (NCAA program counts document the scale.)(NCAA)

3. Modern viewing habits. Soccer’s predictable ~2-hour window fits streaming-first consumption; NASCAR’s long events suffer more from cord-cutting and schedule clashes (see Daytona’s delay-hit audiences).(Reuters)

4. Car culture shift. Fewer teens get driver’s licenses; EVs and safety tech change the romance of tinkering with loud, modded cars. Meanwhile, soccer’s global star system translates seamlessly to U.S. screens—another nudge for younger fans (visible in Gallup’s age-skew toward soccer).(Gallup.com)

“But there are youth leagues for racing, right?”

Yes—karting and indoor electric kart programs are real (and expanding; K1 even runs national-to-world finals). But they’re commercial clubs, not school sports with buses, pep bands, and public-school budgets. Without NFHS/NCAA scaffolding, racing can’t mass-produce participants—or fans—at soccer’s scale.(Autoweek)

Where this leaves both sports

• Soccer: With millions cycling through youth, HS, and NCAA teams every year, the sport keeps minting new supporters. Its viewing fits modern media, and the 2026 World Cup should add a tailwind.(NCAA)

• NASCAR: Still a valuable property with passionate loyalists—and occasional spikes—but decades of declining mass-TV reach mean it must find growth through new media, event innovation, and alternative pipelines (sim-racing esports help, but they’re not school-sports either).(Reuters)

Bottom line

Soccer grew because America gave it a ladder. Kids play for cheap, they wear the jersey in high school, they chant in college, and then they buy tickets and subscriptions. Racing never got that ladder. Without youth/HS/college pathways, NASCAR has relied on broadcast era habits that fragmented—just as a new soccer generation came of age.

Could NASCAR Rebound? 

There’s a potential “revival thesis” for NASCAR, but the results in 2025 are mixed at best. 

• New media model = fresh reach. From 2025–2031, NASCAR split rights across FOX & NBC (14 races each) plus five races on Amazon Prime Video and five on TNT Sports/Max. The streaming pieces are designed to pull in younger cord-cutters. Prime’s first Cup broadcast averaged ~2.72M viewers and skewed ~6 years younger than linear TV—exactly the audience NASCAR needs to court. (Official Site Of NASCAR)

• International & event experimentation. NASCAR added a Mexico City Cup points race in 2025—buzzy, distinct, and good for new markets; Shane van Gisbergen won the inaugural Viva México 250. (Chicago’s street race drove strong local impact in 2024, though it’s off the 2026 calendar.) (Official Site Of NASCAR)

• Storytelling tailwinds. Netflix’s NASCAR: Full Speed gave the series a Drive-to-Survive-style halo. Early 2024 reporting tied it to a sold-out Daytona and renewed buzz among casuals—small sample, but it shows the narrative upside if the pipeline keeps producing stars. (KEYE)

• Sim-racing as a feeder. NASCAR has leaned into iRacing/eNASCAR to cultivate younger fans and skill pathways; the league itself has been promoting the growing sim audience as a strategic asset. (Official Site Of NASCAR)

Why many are skeptical

• 2025 ratings are still soft. Multiple trackers show year-over-year declines across much of the 2025 season (e.g., ~13% down vs. 2024 in one roundup), despite the new TV deal. That doesn’t kill the revival story, but it means the rebound isn’t obvious yet. (PFSN)

• Governance noise. Ongoing charter-system disputes—including antitrust litigation and late-stage wrangling over team agreements—inject uncertainty around team economics and long-term investment, exactly when the sport needs stability. (Mediation is active as of Oct 21, 2025.) (ESPN.com)

• Event churn. NASCAR is experimenting (good), but calendar churn—like Chicago off 2026—can interrupt momentum in new urban demos unless replacements hit just as well. (Reuters)

Net take

• There is a plausible revival path—streaming distribution + fresh markets + better storytelling—and there are early positive signals (younger Prime audience; international buzz). But the hard numbers in 2025 don’t yet show a broad upswing, and charter politics are a real headwind.

What to watch next (signals of a true turnaround)

1. Sustained younger-demo lift on Prime/TNT/Max beyond novelty races. (If the average viewer age keeps dropping, that’s huge.) (AP News)

2. Stable charter framework that unlocks team sponsorship and talent investment for several years at a time. (Reuters)

3. International & urban event performance (Mexico City follow-ups, any new major-market street/temporary circuits) without calendar whiplash. (Reuters)

4. Cultural flywheel—more Netflix-style content, sim-to-track stories, and breakout personalities who cross into mainstream sports talk. (Motorsport.com)

Bottom line: Yes—some smart people are betting on a NASCAR revival thanks to the new media mix and event strategy. But until ratings and fan growth trend up for a full season (not just a few spikes), it’s still a thesis, not a fact.

Sports League Ranking in the United States (revenue × viewership)

Here’s a clean, up-to-date “power ranking” of U.S. pro sports leagues by overall media heft—i.e., a blend of revenue scale and typical viewership. 

1. NFL

• Revenue: ≈$21–23B in 2024 (league-wide). (Sports Business Journal)

• Viewership: 2023 regular season averaged 17.9M viewers per game—an order of magnitude above everyone else. (The Guardian)

• Why #1: It’s not close; the NFL dominates windows, ad rates, and national cultural mindshare.

2. NBA

• Revenue: ≈$11.3B in 2023-24. (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.)

• Viewership: 2024 NBA Finals averaged ~11.3M on ABC/ESPN. (ABC News)

• Why #2: Year-round relevance, young demos, huge social reach; regular-season TV is smaller than the NFL but postseason pops.

3. MLB

• Revenue: record $12.1B in 2024. (State of the Screens)

• Viewership: World Series trails the NBA Finals most years, but MLB’s local TV + 162-game volume are massive. (See the revenue.) (State of the Screens)

• Why #3: Gigantic regional economics keep MLB neck-and-neck with the NBA on money, even if national ratings skew lower.

4. NHL

• Revenue: ~$6.2B in 2023-24 (record). (Cross Screen Media)

• Viewership: Playoff windows are strong niche hits; regular-season national games are smaller than MLB/NBA.

• Why #4: Solid national deals + packed arenas; still a tier below the “big three” on average TV pull.

5. MLS

• Revenue: Estimated around $2B. With Apple’s $2.5B/10-yr deal distribution shifted to streaming so figures are less transparent. (S&P Global)

• Viewership: National linear ratings are limited post-Apple; attendance hit all-time highs in 2024. (iSportConnect)

• Why #5: Real-world momentum (gates, sponsorship, Messi effect) and a premium global sport; TV comparison is tricky because most consumption is now inside Apple’s ecosystem.

6. UFC (promotion, but a top U.S. sports rights brand)

• Revenue: Part of TKO; company reported $2.804B revenue in 2024 (UFC + WWE under TKO), highlighting UFC’s scale within that mix. (Variety)

• Viewership: PPV-centric model; marquee bouts deliver huge paid audiences even if traditional Nielsen numbers are smaller.

• Why #6: Monster monetization per tent-pole, global reach, sticky demo.

7. NASCAR (Cup Series)

• Revenue: Significant but private; powerful new media packages start mid-decade. (Context: NASCAR is a top-five rights property in U.S. sports.)

• Viewership: Marquee races draw mid-single-digit millions; long season accumulates audience.

• Why #7: Reliable national windows and sponsor ecosystem keep it above other niche leagues.

8. WNBA

• Revenue & rights: New 11-year media pact (~$2.2B, avg $200M/yr) announced 2025; attendance and national ratings surged in 2024. (Fieldhouse Files)

• Why #8: Fastest riser in the country—bigger TV deal locked, sellouts spiking, star power translating.

9. NWSL

• Revenue/rights: New multi-partner TV deal (2024-) and attendance records have accelerated growth; still smaller base than WNBA.

• Why #9: Rapid commercial gains and expanding footprint; upside outpaces scale (for now).

10. PGA TOUR / others (PGA TOUR, PBR, etc.)

• Why #10: Strong sponsorships and dependable weekend audiences; not a league in the franchise sense but a steady TV product with big event spikes.

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Quick takeaways

• NFL is the sun. Everyone else orbits around its schedule; the gap is structural (scarce weekly games + perfect TV pacing + gambling/fantasy). (The Guardian)

• NBA vs. MLB = money tie, audience split. MLB’s local economics equal or exceed the NBA’s national sizzle; the NBA often wins national event TV. (State of the Screens)

• Hockey’s doing great business. The NHL keeps setting revenue records even if it remains a ratings tier below the big three. (Cross Screen Media)

• Soccer is a long game. MLS’s attendance and sponsorship growth are real, but streaming-first distribution makes TV comparisons apples to oranges. (iSportConnect)

• Women’s sports are breaking out. The WNBA’s new media deal and 2024 attendance spike signal much bigger checks (and audiences) ahead. (Fieldhouse Files)

Method note: revenues are league-level where available (or best reputable estimates); “viewership” points use widely cited averages for national windows or tent-pole events. Exact ranks can shift season-to-season, but the tiers above are stable.

Short answer: both should grow a lot, but on different curves. If you’re asking “who’s likely to post the higher percentage growth (CAGR) over the next decade?”—the WNBA has the edge. If you mean “who will add more absolute dollars?”—that’s still MLS from its larger base.

Why the WNBA’s CAGR looks faster

• New national media deal locked in. In 2024 the WNBA struck an 11-year, ~$2.2B package with Disney/ESPN and Prime Video (begins 2026). That more than multiples current rights and bakes in step-function revenue growth for a long runway. (Genius Sports)

• Demand spike is real. 2024 brought record regular-season attendance and TV ratings (Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, et al.), with sellouts across the league; that momentum typically lifts tickets, sponsorship and local rights before the new national deal even starts. (Facebook)

• Expansion + valuations. The league is adding teams (e.g., Golden State Valkyries 2025, Toronto 2026), and valuations are jumping (Valkyries reported as the first U.S. women’s team to hit $500M). Expansion fees and new markets fuel faster percentage growth off a smaller base. (Sports Business Journal)

Why MLS likely adds more total dollars

• Massive media spine already in place. The Apple–MLS Season Pass deal (~$2.5B/10 yrs) is a global, streaming-first foundation with upside from add-ons and international subs.

• Record attendance + Messi effect. MLS set all-time attendance records in 2024, and Inter Miami’s surge shows how global stars can reprice local demand. The 2026 FIFA World Cup (hosted by USA/Canada/Mexico) is a once-in-a-generation catalyst for ticketing, sponsorship and youth-to-fan conversion. (Reddit)

• Rising team values & scale. Multiple clubs now valued $1B+; league average around $721M (2025). With 29 clubs and growing commercial real estate/adjacent ventures, even modest % increases add big absolute dollars. (Reuters)

Risks & swing factors

• WNBA: converting 2024’s star-driven spike into durable multi-market demand; arena availability; CBA economics as charter flights and player comp scale. (The big media deal mitigates a lot of this.)

• MLS: sustaining post-World-Cup interest; proving the Apple model drives casual reach without linear TV; currency/economy effects on expansion and sponsorship.

Verdict

• Faster growth rate (CAGR): WNBA—because the new rights deal + expansion + ratings surge give it a steeper percentage climb from a smaller base. (Facebook)

• Bigger dollar growth: MLS—larger footprint, Apple deal, attendance highs, and the 2026 World Cup tailwind should keep total revenue additions higher even if % growth is lower. (Reddit)

Now you know it.

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