The relationship between MLS and its clubs’ supporters groups is often strained. That’s bound to come naturally when those groups are made to be the league’s marketing lifeblood, featured prominently in advertisements, commercial spots, billboards and the like. Often, these images portray the fans doing things that may or may not be condoned by the league.



Take the great FlareGate of 2012, in which MLS took to banning people from stadiums for setting off smoke bombs and lighting flares, while at the same time using promotional pictures of fans setting off smoke bombs and lighting flares.



As a business, MLS wants to make their product as palatable to as many people as humanly possible, because that’s what gets them the most money. But in order to do this, they also need to feature their fans, because supporters groups can create such a unique atmosphere amongst American sports, and that atmosphere is a major selling point for the...