Here's Why MLS Teams Start at $150 Million These Days

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber discusses a host of topics related to the business of the U.S.’s top soccer league, including the mushrooming valuations of franchises and the decision to expand by another two clubs. Garber also answers, as Deadspin asked in an August article, whether MLS is a Ponzi Scheme. The commissioner also talks about implications of the U.S. men’s team missing the World Cup and whether team owners in his league will ever have to worry about the financial risk that accompanies relegation. He also touches on new media and whether soccer’s millennial-heavy audience puts MLS in an enviable position when its broadcast contracts expire in 2022.

Garber was named commissioner of Major League Soccer in 1999. During his tenure, the league has expanded to 23 teams (for now), added 20 new owners and inked broadcast deals with ESPN, Fox and Univision. His teams have also developed more than 15 soccer-specific stadiums in North America. Prior to joining MLS, Garber spent 16 years in a variety of roles at the National Football League.

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