As MLS prepares to complete a fractured season this weekend, Commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday that leaguewide revenue is down close to $1 billion compared to last year and unexpected expenses in restarting the season were “enormous.”
The biggest blow, one person close to the situation said, was game-day revenue, which was down by 95 percent. Most of the league’s 26 teams were not allowed to host fans amid restrictions necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, and those that were able to do so welcomed only small percentages of stadium capacity.
With a modest national TV contract worth about $90 million per season, MLS relies more heavily on game-day revenue than most other U.