wpsl won't take mj. what about philly? didnt the owner say, he didnt want to put out the money? atlanta and sbfc?
Also, Sky Blue announced a 10-day exhibition tour of Japan. This is in addition to the Breakers & Flash's announcement re: WPSL Elite Division (semi-pro). Wonder what other teams will be making announcements? We haven't heard ANYTHING from the Beat yet, but I hope they do decide to do something! Atlanta already has a W-league team with the Silverbacks, and a WPSL team (the Revolution, based in Conyers). But, since the WPSL is talking about creating a new, "Elite" division, there may be room for another Atlanta-area team. It was so nice to read the comments from the WPSL commissioner, who sounded like she was willing to break down the barriers in a time when so many want to put them up. With a "we'll make this work" attitude, it just might work. Also, I can see a future where the WPS or WPSL Elite is successful, with the backing & infrastructure already in place.
From Beau Dure: Maybe my eyes are glazing over from all the legal maneuvering but I'm not sure which part is supposed to be shocking. What about anyone else - who's shocked and by what?
Just to correct you the WPSL commissioner I believe is a he. Anyway, if this works and the cost to these teams like WNY and Boston and even Chicago is minimal, they draw good crowds (close to what they drew in the WPS), fans get to see star players, then what's to say that these teams stay in the WPSL Elite division and others join. This may be the beginning of a structure that may sustain women's pro soccer in the US and be affordeable for investors and hopefully get approval from USSF. If this all works out and there is positive results and interest, there may be no need for a WPS next season.
I like this part: http://espn.go.com/espnw/more-sports/7559683/new-york-flash-boston-breakers-wps-play-2012-wpsl
Jeff Kassouf ways in on The Equalizer. http://equalizersoccer.com/2012/02/...012-with-flash-breakers-red-stars-fc-indiana/ I agree with you 100%, Jeff. If this model succeeds old WPS teams will have tough decisions to make.
Sounds like the essence of WPS will live on which is good. And it'll be at a "level" that seems to have a good chance of working. Good on the WPSL for stepping up.
But we've gone a long ways past that. We're talking about a variety of ways this could work. Is it simply a question of getting rich folks with businesses that they want to promote through their soccer teams? Does it have to be the Wilt plan, spending just enough to break even? I don't think it does any good to say, "OK, it's impossible. So what are our options?" I think I said "might." I don't know -- I'll admit I'm kind of gauging people's reactions at this point. The expansive motion for discovery looked frightening, but I'm interested to hear from lawyers who can tell me whether it's typical.
Re the news from WPSL. It's the best in a bad situation but I don't see anything to get that excited over. Some of the team names will be the same but what about the players? Will those still be the same? Will they still have the same caliber? And even if some of them manage it for this year, when some of them are waiting for WPS to restart, would they maintain the same roster caliber next year if WPS should finally fold? This year we may have a couple teams perhaps willing to support a high-caliber roster as a temporary thing, an investment based on WPS coming back next year, or WPSL making the leap to a full-fledged professional league in place of WPS. Also, some players may be willing to hang around at a lower pay level also in anticipation of the same thing. The question is if WPS doesn't come back, and WPSL does not take the next big step -- will WPSL offer enough to keep players in the league or even in the game. Do they move overseas (at least see another part of the world or maybe get into a team in the European Champions League) or do they just move on out and get on with the rest of their life? WPSL is great for what it is -- I don't see it as a substitute for either WUSA or WPS - and neither do most of you judging by your interest in WPS vs WPSL over the years. Will the caliber of play be high enough to sustain interest from fans, journalists, networks, sponsors? Will the revenues be enough to pay the players who can deliver that level of play? What reason do we think WPSL can do what WPS struggled, but was succeeding, at doing - which is deliver a compelling caliber of play?
Agreed, I do not envy Pogs at this point. I hadn't heard anything about Lines' email to the Mystery Player (defender?) and thought that was a little unsettling. Also, I'm confused as to: 1) How mJ can go after the league for $450k from a $150k escrow deposit (Exhibit D)? That's a hell of an interest rate, can I give them some escrow money? 2) Why mJ's lawyers would be so insistent on finalizing a deal when all 5 owners (the BoG) hadn't yet agreed to it, nor had it officially been presented to SocFed? I mean, I understand why they would want to hurry it, but that doesn't sound like it would be legally-binding (I say that having no understanding of Law) if all interested parties had not approved it. Also, how can Borislow even legally hold them to an agreement that was never officially settled upon? 3) And what was with that "are you in or are you out" email at the beginning of the year? Seemed a little ominous, but maybe it was sent in light of events we are not privy to (I see Borislow was one of the recipients, so it's not like they were referencing him). 4) What are the details of the "no disparagement clause" that WPS was proposing? Well, now that I've read the documents, I'm going to go soak my eyeballs in some warm water for the rest of the evening.
Hey, you can file and ask the court for whatever you want (and DB's lawyers have plenty of SLAPP lawsuit experience). That's a heck of a long way from actually getting it.
I'm guessing that DB is trying to enforce the "settlement" to force them to play the games allegedly agreed to when it is not even clear in what format these teams might exist.
They say it's some Florida law. I don't understand how they can apply Florida law to interstate commerce, but I don't understand a lot of things about this Florida court. That said, I wouldn't focus too much on the escrow. I think that's more easily resolved than other issues. They threatened the suit to keep their options open, certainly. I could be wrong, and they could end up in court over that specific issue, but I think the other issues are more difficult. At this point, it's really about 2013. At least, in terms of enforcing the settlement. I don't really know what they're hoping to get by putting WPS through discovery and deposition over cancelling the 2012 season.
For those of you wondering if the WPS teams playing in the WPSL will keep their rosters and salary structure, this may be an insight: http://equalizersoccer.com/2012/02/...012-with-flash-breakers-red-stars-fc-indiana/
I don't know if it morphs, but women's pro soccer is evolving, and it will evolve untill a workable solution is found. We know that the WUSA and the WPS models did not work. Both leagues folded (or took a break) after 3 years. We may be working closer and closer to the Peter Wilt model after all. If the WPSL experiment works, then even if WPS revives, those teams that were in the WPSL for 2012 will be affected and will take those experiences back to WPS. IMO, WPS will look nothing like it did it's first 3 years of operation, if it comes back. This to me is very important in cost cutting. the ability for players to play in their home-towns as a first option. I used to say that it would have been better for the Red Stars to have had players whose home is local to Chicago. Amy Lepielbet, Lauren Cheney, Brittany Bock, Leslie Osborne, Julianne Sitch and some others. This WPSL expirement may not be as amateurish as some people are thinking. It may not be the exact thing we want but it may be getting women's pro soccer closer to a more workable formula. We can conclude that all players in a top flight women's pro soccer league will not be able to make money like some of the top players in the USWNT. Maybe Solo, Wambach, Morgan maybe will make "good" money. The rest of the players in the WPS, if it comes back, will have to have jobs in the off-season. There's no way of getting around this. In fact most of them will not be making a living wage and keep WPS teams afloat. Salary IS the biggest expense. And only a few players will be making "good" money in a revamped WPS, IMO. So the WPSL model where players can keep their day jobs and play pro soccer could be a viable model. Don't believe the hype that Dan Borislow caused the WPS not to play in 2012. He may have contributed, may have been the final straw, may have been used as an excuse, but the WPS is using this year to completely change, IMO. I believe the WPS owners were getting to the point of exhaustion any way. This lawsuit may have been a good excuse to take a break anyway. But what I do believe is that it will not be the same WPS as we have seen the first three years of its existence. In fact it may be closer to what the WPSL is offering. Anyway, my point is that it looks like womens pro game in the US is evolving and evolving fast. Buckle your seat belts, lets see what happens after this year. GOD knows we had a bunch of crazy stuff happen last year.
IMO, whatever model they decide on, it can't include a month of playing without their best players in WC and Olympic years.......
Do you think that because the teams need those players to win or because fans won't come out to watch without those players? Do you think today's womens soccer fan in the US is more interested in seeing USWNT stars rather then loyalty to their home team?
I have to respectfully disagree. People keep saying this and it rather bugs me. At the core, we had five teams (six, really) financially ready and willing to play in 2012. One could even argue (with varying degrees of success) that only one of the four folded/self-relegated teams did so directly because of the "WPS model". While I agree that WPS is using Dan as a scapegoat, it certainly was also having sponsorship trouble, I think that he was the "final straw"; without the external legal trouble, WPS 2012 probably (not definitely) would have happened. The internal WPS model isn't so flawed it HAD to fail at some point. I still don't see a reason for a MAJOR overhaul. There's still tweaking that needs to be done, yes, but if WPS comes back I don't think it'll be so different than before. From the way most of the teams are talking, it sounds like they don't plan on things being very different, either.
This is all second-hand at best, but my understanding is that in 1998 the west coast W-League teams got fed up with the way the league was being run and broke away to form their own, cheaper league. For a while there, the W-League was almost entirely east coast while the WPSL was almost entirely west coast, but both have expanded to cover the entire country. There's still no love lost between the two leagues, and I think the only time since then a team from one league has played a team from the other was in the 2007 Hall of Fame game, when the W-League Washington Freedom and the WPSL Connecticut Passion were invited to play. But that was rather a command performance.
SiberianThunderT, IMO it's always a question of how much and how long is an owner willing to lose money in WPS. To some financial exhaustion comes earlier then to others. Teams in WPS will continue to lose money year after year after year until: a.) Much more fans come through the turnstyle. IMO, WPS has to double the fan base. b)Many more sponsors come on board (I don't see that right now, Borislow or no Borislow). And don't be so sure that next season in 2013, even without DB, all of a sudden sponsors are going to be waiting in line to give WPS money. or, c.) Cut costs so far to where owning a team long term can be sustainable (stop the money losing/bleeding). ...and to me option c.) means drastically changing the formula. Because to me, Borislow is NOT the major factor that the WPS decided to hold operations for 2012, it's that owners are financially exhausted. They needed a break.
So in essence Dan Borislow is right. Keep the USWNT players happy. They are the driving force behind the WPS. Fans will not come out to watch without USWNT stars.
Word has it that the WUSA Freedom paid $100,000-plus per game at RFK Stadium, and even so they were not entitled to any of the concession or parking revenue.