MLS is continuing to push the academy system and pursuing young international talent; the draft is getting weaker and weaker and eventually will -- as it should -- not be a source for top end talent; and MLS is still not a top-10 league -- a raise in profile for the league will mean even fewer kids who played in college, as they should. The rise of MLS is actually diminishing college soccer, as more young international guys make up squads. The kids who played in college -- the ones that actually see the field -- are still academy products by and large, and not coming through the draft. Again, the problem here is the lack of a true minor league system that feeds into the senior club, unlike Europe.
You did not address the point that the European countries looking to add college sports are doing it for the second tier of kids, the ones we agree should be playing in college. Do you really think this new trend in European college sports is going to change things for any professional sport of note in any of those countries?
The key argument here isn't whether or not people will pay money to watch college sports -- the key argument is that we should build a system where people that want to be a professional athlete do not HAVE to go through the college system to do it like they currently do in football, and -- with some notable exceptions -- in basketball