The American sports scene today is very different than it was 100 years ago. Back in the day, baseball was America’s pastime; it reflected American culture. The vast majority of the league was white, out of shape, men. The thought was whoever could throw the fastest, or hit the hardest, was successful. The American people flocked to baseball; they were intrigued by the long games, big hits, athletic catches, and the atmosphere of the ballpark. It enjoyed a heyday that lasted almost a century. The problem that baseball has run into in the past twenty-ish years is the change of America's culture.
This new American culture is one that is a faster paced; some would say it’s takes a bit of finesse, but also a bit of power. The sport that is most like America’s culture today is American football. But this sport has long passed baseball, the sport that is rising, and could soon overtake baseball, is the world's pastime -- football, a.k.a., soccer.
Soccer has long since been the world’s pastime. America has been in on it, having a national soccer team, but USA didn’t have a viable professional league until 1994, when the MLS was born. In it’s 21 years MLS has expanded from 10 teams to 20 teams, and has four more teams ready to join the league in the coming years. Soccer has grown through the MLS because the growth of fanbases around American, and star players coming for around the world to play in America.The culture of America is more diverse than ever, and the sport that still carries the title of “America's pastime” does not meet the diverse crowd of the American people. Major League Baseball’s (MLB) popularity seems to be plummeting, and MLS’ seems to be to be rising. MLS is pushing to make itself one of the most popular sports in America. It will not overtake football, but it has a chance to leave America’s pastime in the dust. MLS is a rapidly growing league, and Americans are taking note of it.
According to Ethanbute.comMLS has a social media following to followers ratio of .031284, and MLB has a ratio of .000285. What does this mean? To put it in human terms, it means that MLS social media accounts follow their fans and get followed by their fans than MLB social media accounts. This shows how the MLS caters to the American culture. They interact with their fans through social media better than any other sport. It really makes the fan feel connected, and a part of to his/her team but that’s not all!
MLS was the third most attended sporting event in 2015. According to The Statistics Portal average MLS attendance was 21,574 people, and average MLB attendance was 30,477 people. That’s not that big of a gap between the two. MLS has 10 less teams than MLB, and MLS attendance rate is only slightly (8,903 people) behind MLB. Over the next few years, as more and more teams join MLS, I wouldn't be surprised if MLS overlaps MLB in attendance. But it’s not just about going to games; it’s about enjoying the game.
Fans are filling seats in both the MLS and MLB, but there’s a clear cut difference between what fans get out of being at the games. Let's look at an example of the difference from last year (2015).
The fan falling asleep, on the right, at the New York Yankees baseball game does not seem to be enjoying the game, and what’s worse is that he probably paid around $70 for his ticket. The fans on the left are enjoying the game immensely, they are supporting their team, and feel a sense of connection to the team -- these fans probably paid around $25 each for their tickets. That's a huge difference in value, and price. It shows the difference between the state of MLB and MLS in the America of today.
The emergence of star soccer players coming to America to play the sport they love is a new trend across world football (soccer). Every team in MLS has players of a different nationalities, each team has a varying number of slots they can fill with international players. It creates a more diverse league, and caters to America's melting pot culture. To put this in perspective let's look at the MLS Allstar roster from this past season. 
The roster was an even split of American players, and international players for the first time ever. Each one of these international players play for their respected national teams; they represent their country. This is a huge boost for MLS, the already rising league, now has star players who want to come to America. Before five years ago this was not a norm in world football (soccer), and was viewed as players going to a lesser league, which is no longer the case. Players from around the world want to be in America to help it's league grow even more.
America's pastime is outdated. The most popular sport in America has been American football for many years now, and the emergence of a fun, and fast paced, soccer league now rivals the popularity of of it's baseball league. The American version of the world's pastime is growing, and is putting out a more valuable fan experience than the sport with the title of America's pastime. Players from around the world want the opportunity to come to America t olive and play the sport they love, this also helps the league to fill their stadiums, and to keep expanding. So it should be no surprise in the coming years if there are more soccer full stadiums, and more empty baseball ones. 
