FFormer Manchester United and England international Wayne Rooney analyzed the MLS phenomenon and criticized ticket prices from several aspects, even pointing out that tickets are much cheaper in the Premier League and that soccer is experienced in a very different way than in the United States.
In a recent appearance on the Overlap Fan Debate, Rooney grilled the cost of going to a Major League Soccer stadium and hinted that he experienced a very different reality when he was a player and coach.
Wayne Rooney slams expensive MLS tickets
Rooney, who knows both markets from his time at Manchester United and Washington DC, shared a personal anecdote that illustrates the economic disparity.
According to Rooney, maintaining exclusive space at D.C. United’s stadium turned out to be more expensive than one of the world’s soccer meccas.
When I was a player I had a box at Old Trafford and I had a box at Audi Field (DC United’s stadium), but it cost more money at DC United than there.
For British fans, this difference corresponds to a cultural construct in which American sports are sold at the level of the NFL and NBA, and tickets are significantly more expensive than in Europe.
Wayne Rooney criticizes modern football
The former player not only criticized the prices, but also the transformation of football into a mass entertainment spectacle and away from its popular roots.
“I really think football is becoming Americanized. I heard they’re going to extend the World Cup hiatus to put on a show, that’s crazy!” Rooney commented.
Football is changing, especially in the United States, and this is a negative for Rooney. Former players prefer to stay true to their roots and continue to enjoy the sport in their own unique way.
