A rough estimate says the Crew would lose about $400,000 on ticket sales and a total of about $900,000 per canceled match.

The orange-and-black traffic sign in front of the south gates of Mapfre Stadium flashed "3/14 Match Postponed" over the weekend. It signaled the beginning of what likely will be a months-long suspension for MLS and the Crew as well as other sports across America during the coronavirus pandemic.

During the downtime, MLS probably will be impacted more than other leagues.

"What the COVID-19 virus is doing, in addition to robbing (MLS) of revenue during this period, is deflating that momentum that they had," said Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economist at Smith College in Massachusetts. "So I think they're going to have a double challenge going forward."

>> All of our stories about the coronavirus are being provided free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. You can find all of our stories here. Please support local journalism by subscribing to The Columbus Dispatch at subscribe.dispatch.com.

As of Wednesday, MLS was on the sixth day of a 30-day suspension. The league extended the suspension to eight weeks to comply with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent mass gatherings of more than 50 people.

Holding a 34-game season that restarts in mid-May would likely result in more midweek games, which draw fewer fans, and the extension of the season into December. MLS could also shrink the schedule, eliminating opportunities for revenue, a tough call for a league that doesn’t have a huge media deal as Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NHL do.

Match days likely won’t be as lucrative right after play resumes, either. Fans could be in suspect financial situations, and some will weigh the health risks of a large public gathering.

According to a Fan Cost Index by sports business database Team Marketing Report, the average cost of a Crew game for a family of four that purchases four hot dogs, four sodas, two beers and two souvenirs was $239.64 in 2019. The average non-premium ticket price was 26.66. Both figures are below the league average.

With those numbers and last year’s average attendance of 14,856, a rough estimate says the Crew would lose about $400,000 on ticket sales and a total of about $900,000 per canceled match.

Former Crew president and general manager Mark McCullers said clubs in MLS still take in a large portion of their revenue from match days, but that percentage has gone down in recent years with stadium naming rights and the growing value of jersey sponsors.

He added that longtime partners of small-market clubs might feel a greater commitment to their investment than partners of big-market clubs, which could ease the financial hit on clubs such as the Crew.

"In a smaller market like Columbus, everybody really knows everybody, and everybody will pull together to get through it," said McCullers, who operates his own sports consulting company. "I think in a larger market it may be a little more cutthroat."

Zimbalist said he wouldn’t be surprised if MLS considers folding franchises, but that would likely be a last-resort scenario over several years after four more expansion teams are added.

"If there's going to be any contraction of the league, (MLS is) going to take more observation and analysis, and they want to see what the new steady state is," said Patrick Rishe, director of the sports business program at Washington University in St. Louis.

Rishe said Soccer United Marketing, a company controlled by league owners with MLS commissioner Don Garber as its top executive, can divert revenue to help MLS teams balance their budgets. But that business is also affected by the suspension of play.

Clubs might have to agree on some form of compensation with sponsors, McCullers said, if certain agreed-upon assets can’t be delivered.

Both MLS and the Crew will face significant financial challenges from the fallout of this crisis. But compared to 10 or even five years ago, it’s also true that they’re better positioned to withstand it.

"I've seen real volatility and vulnerability in this league," McCullers said, "and I don't sense that (now) in the sport across the board."

jmyers@dispatch.com

@_jcmyers