In an ESPN article ( "U.S. players feel problem can be solved" http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=277467&cc=5901 ) Julie Foudy says: "this league was an empowering experience for them,'' Foudy said, referring to the young fans attracted to the WUSA after the phenomenal success of the 1999 World Cup. "We're hopeful that reaction strikes a chord with some people - people that have a lot of money. "You shake your head when people say TV ratings are not there or that the fans are down. There's hundreds of millions of dollars going to one athlete, and here we have $2 million can save a league. "Nobody was willing to take that leap of faith. But we can get there.'' Can $2 million dollars really save this league when you spend $100 million in three years? If the players really believe this league will make it it seems like the founding players who have the money (Hamm, Foudy, Chastain etc.) would step up to the plate with the $2 million.
How do you sell that? How do you get corporate sponsors or investors to throw away $15 million? I think this is just one last ditch effort. I hope the WWC doesn't turn into a Jerry Lewis Telethon. If it does the WUSA and soccer in general will be getting a lot worse criticism than it is now.
Thank you Hyundai and Johnson & Johnson The league restructured 18 months ago with a target of $20 million needed annually from corporate sponsors. They were looking for 8 to ante up $2.5M each. They only got two such sponsors. While I may not be interested in the feminine products proferred by J&J, I'll certainly give Hyundai a look when buying my next car. Foudy and other pundits have wondered why outfits like Nike, adidas, and others couldn't find a spare $2.5M to invest in an exclusive position with the WUSA when they are throwing more than 10 times that to individual athletes.
Re: Thank you Hyundai and Johnson & Johnson FYI: Asking price of a WUSA charter sponsorship in 2001, with a projected 1.0 national TV rating: $2 million per year. (Actual average TV rating delivered in 2001: about 0.3, or 300000 homes.) Asking price of a WUSA charter sponsorship in 2003 and 2004, after establishing a track record of an 0.1 national TV ratings average: $2.5 million. So WUSA management had to gall to raise sponsorship prices even though it delivered in 2002 and 2003 only 1/10 what it promised in 2001. WUSA management had a serious case of "Peter Pan" syndrome. They kept closing their eyes and said "I believe, I believe" over and over again, while ignoring reality. The result was predictable. WUSA burned over $2 million per month, and no one other than the original 2 charter sponsors would pay for sponsorships that were overpriced by at least a factor of 10. WUSA management, the players association (read: Foudy, Brandi, Mia, et. al.), and WUSA supporters (including the two Donnas at the Women's Sports Foundation) can point their fingers at corporate America and the TV networks all they want for not "stepping up to the plate" or for ot "embracing" their product. They can't escape the truth: WUSA died of thousands of self-inflicted wounds. WUSA ran WUSA into the ground. No one else did.
Re: Re: Thank you Hyundai and Johnson & Johnson Agreed on every point. Do you happen to have the source of your comments yesterday when you said
We've covered the answer to this one. Nike is in the business of making money, not donations. When Nike buys an athlete, they're trying to sell shoes or jerseys or whatever, and banking on the signing of that player helping them do so. Under those same circumstances they _could_ spend that money on the WUSA, but they'd need some indication that it was a wise investment. Nike apparently felt that the money in women's soccer was better spent on individual players like Mia Hamm than the league. Even if you think they were wrong, I don't see where they were obligated to act otherwise. If the WUSA had concentrated on building a fan base through sales and attendance, maybe they'd find that league sponsorship would have been worth more money to potential investors. I have to stress again, this kind of talk is VERY dangerous for future efforts as it skirts the fundamental mistakes the league made and shifts the blame away from where it belongs.
But 2 million is what her quote would have us believe was necessary. Unless it's completely taken out of context. Maybe she just said the 2 mill. figure for effect.
slightly out of context. The fact is, TV is irrelevant. It was a big mistake of the original plan, but a hard one not to make.