Alert: WPS Suspended

Discussion in 'NWSL' started by SCCL, Jan 30, 2012.

  1. Law5

    Law5 Member+

    Mar 24, 2005
    Beaverton OR
    I have been to a lot of University of Portland games myself. Yes, adding lights so they could play on Friday nights was a big boost to attendance. I'm not sure that I agree, however, that the boost came from more recreational youth players attending. IMHO, most of the increase was students, a good number of whom were guys who seemed to have consumed some adult beverages before hand, but that's just a rumor...... :cool: It should be noted that University of Portland has 1. no gridiron football team 2. a long history of a winning women's soccer program. I don't know how many other schools can say that women's soccer is a "revenue" sport. The men's basketball coach has been quoted as saying that the success of the women's soccer program determines his budget. But, to my knowledge, there aren't five or six other women's soccer programs in the country with this level of income.
     
  2. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Yeah well however, ask Arnim Whisler what his profit and loss statement said for the 2 years he was in WPS as an owner of the Chicago Red Stars and what his P&L statement said after last year being in the WPSL. Guarantee there is a big diffence by many red zeros.

    Last years Red Stars had a very good mixture fo former WPS players and very good College standouts. That's why they played for the WPSL Championship. But I'm willing to bet that he didn't lose nearly the ammount of money he lost when the CRS were in the WPS. In fact they MAY have come out even last year.
    And that's why I say, there has to be some kind of medium between the 2 models that supports professional soccer and can be affordable.

    And that's what it's all about, how much and for how long are owners willing to lose money. How many times does this have to be repeated - "The model the WPS was during it's first 3 years will NOT work!!" Too much money was lost.

    Morris20, who has the money for a long term project?

    For WPS to revive itself, expenses have to be cut and that means in labor(players), venues, staff, you name it.

    Make no mistake, many eyes will be on the WPSL Elite Division this season to see if anything can be learned.

    Let's evaluate this WPSL experiment after the season is over.
     
  3. Norsk Troll

    Norsk Troll Member+

    Sep 7, 2000
    Central NJ
    Yes, but wasn't the WPSL entirely amateur las season? I was under the impression that no players were paid, which allowed (a) college players to play on the same team as so-called pros, and (b) owners to get by on a limited budget. So of course there was a big difference. This year I beleive the intent is to pay players in the new Elite division.
     
  4. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Not all were amateurs:

    http://www.wpsl.info/team/index.php?tid=117

     
  5. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
  6. Bonnie Lass

    Bonnie Lass Moderator
    Staff Member

    Lyon
    Norway
    Oct 20, 2000
    Up top
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
  7. billf

    billf Member+

    May 22, 2001
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The NCAA rules were changed to allow amateurs to play with and train with pros and still maintain eligibility. It's what allows MLS academy players to train with the first team and appear in reserve and friendly matches. The Union had a few academy players play for the reserves and against Everton last summer. One player then went to play for Cornell in the Fall before signing a home grown contract a few weeks ago.
     
  8. Beau Dure

    Beau Dure Member+

    May 31, 2000
    Vienna, VA
    Yes, but that said, a college-eligible player can't play on the same team with compensated pros. So as long as these WPSL Elite teams are paying players, they won't have college kids. You won't see, say, Kelly Cobb and Cat Whitehill on the same team.

    But the change in NCAA rules was indeed a huge boost for MLS and its academy system. Huge.
     
    1 person likes this.
  9. billf

    billf Member+

    May 22, 2001
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thank you for that clarification!
     
  10. BostonRed

    BostonRed Member+

    Oct 9, 2011
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I was a little confused by this and had to go look it up. I believe that HS age kids can play and practice with professional teams and won't endanger their NCAA eligibility as long as they aren't paid. Once they are in college, they can't participate with pros, as near as I can tell.
     
  11. Morris20

    Morris20 Member

    Jul 4, 2000
    Upper 90 of nowhere
    Club:
    Washington Freedom
    My understanding is that this will depend on whether the WPSL-Elite league is classified as a "pro" league (fully professional) or "open" (where players MAY be paid above and beyond expenses) league by USSF. I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes for the WPSL/USSF but afaik that's the redline for the NCAA.

    NOTE: The NCAA amateurism rules have evolved rapidly over the past couple of years and I haven't really kept up, so YMMV. I look forward to being better informed on this board - really, it happens :)
     
  12. Beau Dure

    Beau Dure Member+

    May 31, 2000
    Vienna, VA
    Right. Pretty funny, isn't it?
     
  13. MasterShake29

    MasterShake29 Member+

    Oct 28, 2001
    Jersey City, NJ
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's the NCAA. Is anything about them funny?

    //big time hater of professional college sports
     
  14. Norsk Troll

    Norsk Troll Member+

    Sep 7, 2000
    Central NJ
    Well, he won't be seeing her playing locally for a while, unless he moves to Sweden. She's signed with Kopparbergs/Göteborg.
     
  15. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    A great article that came out yesterday:

    http://www.soccer365.com/news/featu...l_looks_to_fill_wps_void#.T0OgpOdXmFs.twitter

    A few excerpts:

     
  16. Morris20

    Morris20 Member

    Jul 4, 2000
    Upper 90 of nowhere
    Club:
    Washington Freedom
    We'll see. What else can you do?

    Certainly, as long as the teams exist and they're paying Sullivan (who's already been part of a shut-down and come back) I think the obituaries are over-wrought. Why not wait until they're dead??
     
  17. gantry

    gantry Member

    Dec 30, 2009
    Chandler, AZ
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Let's look at the WPS actions:

    * Get rid of your revenue stream
    * Lose all your TV deals
    * Lose your corporate sponsors
    * Reduce to a skeleton staff

    I see only one scenario where this tactic would seem beneficial: incurring damages for a law suit.

    My only guess is that O'Sullivan and the team owners want to show that Barislow has brought a maliscious lawsuit in order to bankrupt the league, get a judgement for damages, then try to rebuild.

    This is the only scenario where a hiatus makes sense. Otherwise, you keep the revenue flowing so that you can pay the lawyers.

    If the ship is sinking, you bail; you don't wait for the ship to sink so you can try to raise it from the ocean floor later on.

    Even if this is so, what sort of a settlment might the get for damages? What sort of settlement might they collect? If the WPS has more to gain from a chance at a settlement than from operating for a year, this shows just what poor financial shape they were in. It's kind of like going on unemployoment because you make more than working for minimum wage.

    I think there is a market for women's professional soccer in the US, but it isn't a big market. I think for it to be viable, we are going to half to see a strong D1 men's league subsidize the D1 women's league. Name any other women's team sport where this isn't the case.

    Personally, I love women's soccer just as much as men's soccer. I'm sad to see it go.
     
  18. Morris20

    Morris20 Member

    Jul 4, 2000
    Upper 90 of nowhere
    Club:
    Washington Freedom
    Wouldn't your argument only make sense if your revenue is covering your expenses? The only point in maintaining revenue is if it makes it easier to "pay lawyers" or whatever. If you're losing money generating that revenue, it might be more cost effective to pay the lawyers and NOT simultaneously lose more money, no?

    Also . . . SocFed witholds sanctioning, chasing sponsors away, DB goes to court, making the water more toxic (and you can't work with him, and it's going to take time and money to ditch him), each year you're committing to losing money, and this year you're looking at a split season or something because of the Olys - with INCREASING losses.

    Yeah, the hiatus obviously only makes sense if they're not coming back, yeah, that's the ticket. . .

    Not saying I like it, but what insight EXACTLY are YOU adding with your assertions?
     
  19. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    For those of you looking forward to the return of WPS, in this article Hope Solo has no intentions of returning to WPS:

    http://equalizersoccer.com/2012/04/05/for-hope-solo-w-league-will-work-for-now/

    So if there are USWNT stars who are disenfranchised with the WPS and vow not to return to the league then why would owners or potential investors be interested in financing the league?

    The promise of the return of WPS IMO, is fools wishing.
     
  20. WiminzSoccerRocks

    Jun 15, 2009
    MA
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    One ego-maniacal goal-keeper does not a league make.
     
  21. kolabear

    kolabear Member+

    Nov 10, 2006
    los angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    1) Hope Solo is Hope Solo
    2) Hope Solo is a goalkeeper

    'Keepers aren't like the rest of us. They're kind of crazy sometimes, which is why they're so damn entertaining.

    I wouldn't read much into this even if Solo herself were never to play in WPS again. She's an exceptional case.
     
  22. sitruc

    sitruc Member+

    Jul 25, 2006
    Virginia
    I imagine Hope Solo planned on barnstorming as her own WPS team with a single player.
     
  23. Morris20

    Morris20 Member

    Jul 4, 2000
    Upper 90 of nowhere
    Club:
    Washington Freedom
    Hope once again underlines her role as the Giorgio Chinaglia of women's soccer.
     
  24. kolabear

    kolabear Member+

    Nov 10, 2006
    los angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It just goes to show how long it seems we've been waiting for substantial news on the lawsuit. It's like the Silly Season...

    Beau, can't you manufacture something while we're waiting?!
     
  25. StevieBeat

    StevieBeat Member

    Apr 9, 2011
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Yeah, but at the same time we have Abby saying if WPS comes back, she's 100% there because she wants to support the league, so there's the opposite side of the USWNT player viewpoint.

    Hope has already spouted off about how she wished she'd stayed in Europe instead of coming back for WPS, now she's saying she's glad she's in Seattle because she wants to support the sport there, so apparently W-League is better than Europe which is better than WPS. What? She just says whatever she feels at the second and really doesn't take time to be diplomatic and think about the consequences of her rants. Some people like this about her, others don't. As I said somewhere else, I think it's sour grapes and she'd rather act out than truly be positive in a more global sense.
     

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