Major League Soccer (MLS) is ending its
strategic partnership with the Boy Scouts of America.
The partnership, announced in January,
included numerous cross-promotions, including holding “Scouts
Nights” at MLS games and giving local troops discounted tickets.
Players also visited local troops to discuss fitness and leadership,
and individual Scouts were recognized during games for notable
achievements.
“Major League Soccer's agreement with
the Boy Scouts of America expires at the end of the 2012 season and
MLS does not intend to renew the agreement for a variety of business
reasons,” Mark Abbott, president of MLS, said in a statement given
to Goal.com
on Friday.
The decision came just two days after
the Boy Scouts announced it was upholding its ban on gay scouts and
leaders. The organization said it was upholding
the policy after conducting a confidential two-year review.
Deron Smith, the Scouts' national
spokesman, told the AP that an 11-member committee concluded that the
gay ban is “absolutely the best policy” for the organization.
The MLS did not specifically cite the
gay ban in announcing its decision.