In the wake of the Sacramento City Council’s decision to disband the Sacramento Sports Commission (Mayor Kevin Johnson was absent from the vote), the United Soccer League (USL PRO) announced that an expansion franchise in Sacramento will join the league for the 2014 season.
“I welcome USL PRO to Sacramento,” Sacramento’s Mayor Kevin Johnson said. “Attracting more jobs and civic amenities to our community is an essential part of elevating our profile as a vibrant and emerging region.”
I guess that’s all well and good, but I’m locking in on this statement from the article.
The Sacramento area contains one of the strongest regional soccer scenes in the United States, with some of the highest youth soccer participation rates in the country, as well as successful high school and collegiate programs. Numerous professional players from Sacramento currently play in Major League Soccer and USL PRO. During the 2010 World Cup, Univision had higher viewership in Sacramento than ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX stations combined for the game between Mexico and Costa Rica. Sacramento was also consistently in the top 10 for ESPN/ABC Neilsen ratings during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Wow. I need to get out more, I had no idea. But, then again, I had no idea we still had a professional football team, and that said team plays at Raley Field. Or do they?
And in related news, how do we feel about this Kevin Johnson ethics violation story? I’m not sure I’m buying the “Oops, our bad” response. Do you?
The Sac Rag 