Associated Press photoAt this point, it would be hard to imagine anyone dismissing the popularity of Real Salt Lake. The stadium is full or near to it on most nights. The team has produced a consistently good product (though this year is iffy).
Now comes some data.
A WalletHub.com study says though soccer is only eighth of the 10 most-followed sports by adult Americans, it continues to grow. The study compares the 172 most populated U.S. cities with at least one college or professional soccer team.
We analyzed a total of 18 key metrics, ranging from the average ticket price for an MLS game to stadium accessibility to the number of championship wins, says a press release.
In the study, it ranks Salt Lake City No. 1 overall of 172 markets in its "Main Findings" category. Real Salt Lake is tied for third among best-performing MLS teams and second among most accessible MLS Stadiums and most friendly and engaged MLS fans.
In other words, if youre a soccer fan, Sandy is one of the best places to be on game nights.
But if youre reading this, you probably knew that.