The NPR show 1A will be discussing the NWSL abuse issue and in general about abuse in women's soccer on Weds., Oct 13th. In my area, they broadcast at 11 am ET. Here's a link to the show's home page (they don't have info on the Weds. show posted right now): https://the1a.org/ ETA: They sort of camouflaged the topic in this tweet asking for input. They should have mentioned NWSL or at least women's soccer to help ID the subject: We'll be talking with @itsmeglinehan about her investigation on Wednesday. What questions do you have for her?https://t.co/UAp5nZXjZK— 1A (@1a) October 11, 2021
So, amid all of the other oddness and controversy in the league right now, the NWSL has acquiesced to the NWSLPA and moved the Championship match from Portland to Louisville. The move means traversing three time zones, making the west-coast 9am kickoff now an east-coast(-adjacent) noon kickoff, which is much kinder to the players. Louisville was rumored to be the front-runner for the championship earlier before it was suddenly announced to be in Portland anyway, so this is somewhat a move "back". I think this is why Lynn Family Stadium is now the host instead of, say, RBA or Audi - other (bigger) east coast stadia.
For that, their options would've been limited to CHI, KC, and ORL - maybe LA if they were willing to let a future expansion team host (not SD as their stadium situation still seems up in the air). Of those three/four options, only one is in the Eastern time zone, and that organization is likely already going to be playing (and hopefully hosting) the first round of MLS playoffs on November 20th.
Although I live in Portland, I have no problem with the game move. I am wondering, however, is there an explicit statement somewhere of why the NWSLPA wanted the game in Louisville? I do not mean fan guesses as to why (I can think of reasons myself), but a full statement from those who actually know as to why. In the interest of transparency, it seems like that is information that should be made public. It will be interesting to see what the attendance will be in Louisville. If it will be less than what it would have been in Portland, it seems like that will cost the League $$ -- which, in turn, might mean a smaller pot of money for player salaries.
They better not regret that move since they did the same with Orlando and Houston stadiums. I rather just pick stadium for the team with the most wins as well as progressing through playoffs.
Neutral sites is not the way to go. This isn’t the Super Bowl where you have fans everywhere or willing to go that far.
https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/10/13/nwsl-championship-relocated-after-player-backlash This article claims Portland was the only bid left in September and Louisville stepped up after players were upset about the start time.
It's true that predetermined (not necessarily "neutral") sites are fine for high-popularity leagues that will have people come no matter what. However, you can't forget that it's not a linear relationship between popularity and the best situation for the final. When a league is particularly young, organizations don't have the resources to be able to host and/or advertise a game on less than a week of notice - which is what happens if you force hosting to depend on which remaining team had the best regular season record. That variable-hosting situation only works for leagues in a middle-development stage, where teams control their stadiums and have large enough fan bases that they can get a good attendance on short notice. So in terms of growing popularity, it's an arc from predetermined -> variable -> predetermined, not a straight line from variable -> predetermined.
I am not sure that is what the article says about the reason. In fact, it is the same start time, i.e., noon in Louisville is 9:00 am in Portland -- although granted it is lunch time in Louisville and just after breakfast in Portland. I really would like to see a full statement, by someone who participated in the decision, about the reason for the change.
From the article:"At the request of the players, the NWSL has moved the NWSL Championship from Portland to Louisville," the league said in a statement. "We realize the impact this has on the fans who have bought tickets and made travel arrangements. We hope that our fans will understand that this move is made with the support of the NWSL, the Players Association, the Portland Thorns, and Racing Louisville. Portland understood the importance of listening to the players, and Louisville stepped up to host. "
All the quote says is that the players requested the move to Louisville. It does not say why the NWSLPA requested it. Transparency says that someone who actually knows should publicly say why.
The show archive: https://the1a.org/segments/the-nati...ional-failures-and-allegations-of-harassment/
Also from the article: "The National Women's Soccer League championship has been relocated from Portland to Louisville, the NWSL announced on Wednesday. The move was a direct result of the massive backlash from players who had issues with the original venue and local start time. "
OK, so some players and Laura Harvey tweeted about not liking a 9:00 am start time and the turf field in Portland. Does that mean those are the reasons the NWSLPA requested a change?
Guess so from all the articles I'm reading. Usually its players complaining about the turf that can cause injuries to too early to play.
Multiple sources now confirming that Steve Baldwin will, in fact, sell his stake of the Spirit. However, no word on who he's selling that share to - he's directly declined to comment on who when asked - which to my read means it's unlikely to be Kang. The pettiness is surreal. The sale is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
Baldwin (and Lynch) brought Olsen on without any consultation with Kang, so Olsen is the beneficiary of the "old boys' club" - but he's been pretty diplomatic in everything he's said so far. And he seems like he's been pretty progress-oriented as well in terms of making sure the club grows well both on and off the field. He's also (at least publicly) tried to keep his distance from the chaos that is Baldiwn, but I don't know if he's actually met with Kang one on one to discuss anything and bridge that gap either, though. Well, soon enough, not Baldwin!
I chatted with Lee Nguyen for about 10 minutes before the Spirit/Courage game on Wednesday. I asked him if Ben was there and he said, "yes". I looked, but never saw Ben. He never did take the field. Kang, however, was on the field after the game, talking extensively with Bledsoe and then later Ward. I find it hard to believe that they haven't crossed paths at this point. Especially if they're both at road games in small venues. Also, Michele Kang's name is misspelled on her league credential. I had to send in a correction to the caption of the one photo I sent in during the game (the later photos were correct on submission). Which is annoying. But it's also frustrating that the league can't get that right. https://isiphotos.photoshelter.com/...ber-13-2021/G0000gZOVSKaMFX8/C0000tuBa6LKRL7g
The Equalizer 34 mins · News: Marla Messing, who served as president and CEO of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the United States, has been named the interim CEO of the NWSL. : https://bit.ly/3FXHwcy
Remember when Orlando ended Nadim's season? Well, she posted these after Louisville ended Orlando's season: I call this cool look for the ”when-you-see-your-team-smash-the-sh*t-out-of-some-florida-team-face” 😍🥳 pic.twitter.com/94gx1WeqTG— Dr Nadia Nadim (@nadia_nadim) October 18, 2021 I call this look ”I-see-a-handfull-butthurt-florida-fans-in-the-horizon-coming-at-me” 😅😅🙈🙈 pic.twitter.com/eZ1qaKXvWV— Dr Nadia Nadim (@nadia_nadim) October 19, 2021