State of the Whitecaps

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To the surprise of no one, Vancouver is a huge hotspot for sports. The city is crazy for Canucks and has massive hype around the newly added PWHL team the Vancouver Golden Eyes and the recent news that the city approved a motion and is actively working to bring an MLB team to the city.  

However, one team, at least until recently, always seems to get lost in the shuffle.  

The Vancouver Whitecaps.  

For a while now rumors have been swirling that the Whitecaps might not be in Vancouver much longer. The team has been up for sale for a while, over two years, in fact. So, why has it been so hard to find an owner willing to take on a team in a major Canadian market?  

The Whitecaps have been… how do I say this? Rather mid, caught in the mushy middle. It is like they’re not bad enough to completely ignore, not good enough to truly care about. They’ve been background noise in a city dominated by other sports teams. This has led to attendance not being the highest. This, combined with a lease deal with BC Place that severely limits the team’s revenue, the club has been left financially fragile.  

However, the start of this season could finally be the turning point. Because for the first time in a while, they’re not just putting together decent results. They’re winning convincingly and consistently, including a gutsy 2-0 win over New York early in the season. Right now, the Whitecaps aren’t just doing well, but they’ve had one of the best starts in MLS history and sit on top of the standings with a record of seven wins in their first eight games. 

And the most important part, fans are showing up. Although it is early in the season, the Whitecaps are averaging the second highest average attendance they’ve had in their history, with already an over 2000 increase over last season. 

Strong attendance is key for enticing investors and potential owners; a winning team can rebuild its own market. It also strengthens the case for a new stadium, not only is the current deal with BC Place unsustainable, with the Whitecaps making tens of millions less than their rivals, but the stadium is rather outdated, which is why the city is kicking tires on building a new stadium for  possible MLB franchise coming to Vancouver. 

Their performance alone won’t save the Whitecaps, but it does give them the most leverage the club has had for a while and could be the catalyst for a turning point to being heading in the right direction.