Derek J. McCracken Pittsburgh, Pa. How does MLS’s average, regular-season attendance compare with the average attendance of South American and European leagues? Mike Woitalla: MLS regular-season attendance this year was 14,282, down a tad from the 1998 figure of 14,312. Here are some figures from around the world. Keep in mind, that most leagues have at least six more teams than MLS’s 12. Last season’s average attendance in the German First Division was 30,901. These England figures are from the 1997-98 season: Premier Division (29,190), First Division (15,091), Second Division (6,364), Third Division (3,201). These four divisions constitute more than 90 teams. The French First Division, riding World Cup enthusiasm last season, averaged almost 20,000. The Italian First Division, Europe’s highest drawing league, usually averages around 35,000. The Spanish First Division tends to average a bit above 30,000. The Argentine First Division average hovers around the 6,500 mark, but that nation’s population is only 36 million. Unfortunately, we don’t have figures from Mexico, though we have tried hard to get them. We were once told by the Mexican Federation that we’d have to contact each stadium to get attendance figures. I’d guess the Mexican league averages around 20,000. They get full stadiums — more than 100,000 sometimes — for clßsicos like Club America vs. Chivas, but also a lot of 10,000-15,000 crowds for clashes between smaller clubs. Brazil is another nation where crowd statistics are hard to come by. With clubs participating in state leagues, a national league and a myriad cups, crowd figures vary greatly. Teams often play before almost empty stadiums one week and 60,000 the next. (If you have a question for a Soccer America Magazine editor, click “Q&A with SA Editors” in the left column of the home page under “Interactive.”)