Is MLS doing better than the NBA (or the NHL)?

We hear it all the time in our country "no one cares about soccer," or "MLS is failing." Deriding comments are directed at American soccer fans ad nauseam; they play almost like a backdrop to our lives. But too often we believe what they say to be true, that we are waving a losing flag, never questioning their conclusions. And while no one can legitimately say that soccer in America is officially here to stay, maybe the beautiful game is a little bit closer to a permanent spot upon the US sports scene than many of us realize.