The best supported league outside of Europe is found just south of the US border, and yet there is little to no coverage on mainstream American sports channels or sporting publications
LigaMX, the top-level of Mexican football, draws larger crowds than any league outside of the European powerhouses. In fact, according to The Guardian, the Mexican league even outdraws the top leagues in Italy and France. While American soccer fans are offered a veritable feast of European soccer leagues and the biggest matches in MLS on a regular basis, there is little to no English language coverage of the Mexican league in the United States.
While Univision broadcasts many LigaMX and CopaMX matches in the USA, the broadcasts are rarely in English. In fact Univision has in the past broadcast MLS matches in English, yet few to no LigaMX matches are given the same treatment. For an American soccer fan looking for a new league it can be difficult to follow the league if you are not bilingual. This could be hurting the league’s appeal outside of Mexico.
While this past season the league has begun broadcasting some matches live in English via the Facebook Live feature, which can reach millions of US Facebook users. However this feature alone will not easily grow the LigaMX following in the USA. A fan looking to watch via Facebook has to search for the broadcast, which can be hard to find as there does not appear to be an official English language LigaMX facebook page!
Taking all of these steps seems easy for someone currently interested in the league, however someone new to the league my not put in such an effort. Additionally, watching a game on a tablet or mobile phone is not a terrible experience while one is on the go, offering a full experience on broadcast TV can reach more people more easily.
ESPN Deportes also has rights for Spanish language broadcasts of LigaMX and CopaMX matches in US, it would seem logical for them to also offer an English language broadcast. Advertising LigaMX alongside their MLS coverage and being the go-to for English coverage could go a long way to help establish a US fanbase.
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The question becomes, does LigaMX want more US fans? It could be that the league would prefer to cater to its already-dedicated fan base who live in Mexico, and that makes some sense. Additionally, expanding the leagues base could in theory drive up prices and price out some lifelong fans in what is still a relatively economically depressed nation.
However, if the league brings in more money from US broadcasters and fans, the clubs could in theory spread this additional income to the clubs. Ideally this money would be shared on the condition that the member clubs use the additional funds to help offset costs and keep ticket prices low for the supporters.
The German league is often considered the standard for maintaining competitive matches and a global brand without pricing out the home support, following the Bundesliga’s model could be a blueprint to expanse and success for the Mexican clubs.
Regardless of how they choose to do it, casual and serious soccer fans in America should hope that English language coverage of LigaMX steps up significantly. It is an interesting and competitive league that could easily capture more fans in America with some additional English language coverage.