9/16/03: Phoenix

Damn dude. Thanks.

I have nothing to add to that list, really.


WUSA's death is a sad commentary on phony companies - Mercury News

Painful red card for WUSA - Herald-Sun

U.S. women's soccer league closes Financial shortage ends what once had looked so promising - SF GAte

Women keep kicking, rally for extra time - Sun-Spot

WUSA shuts down shop - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

I find it interesting how basically all these articles mention MLS. Perhaps some people think MLS and WUSA do have some important similarities?

 

Maybe they're just lumping soccer together and not making a distinction between the leagues' business models.

 

Actually this one didn't mention MLS, and lumped WUSA in with WNBA and the other women's b-ball league.

 

One thing that strikes me about the articles is how little WUSA teams were losing. $1-$2 million each. More or less, on par with the majority of MLS teams and significantly better than the Metros and Chicago last year.

You can't draw too many conclusions from those numbers (a $1m loss to an MLS team clearly doesn't mean the same as a $1m loss to a WUSA team), but it's worth realizing that other leagues have folded with losses similar to MLS's-- even the steadier MLS we see now.

 

Uh ok. Hence "basically" all. The point is, it doesn't matter whether you, any BS poster or I think WUSA and MLS have nothing in common.

It just doesn't matter whether or not that's true.

All that matters is whether some investor/sponsor might think that. In many of the articles, the leagues are linked and the fact that Garber et al are responding to this news by denying much connection shows that MLS believes it needs to address.

I'll go on the record as saying I don't think the WUSA's demise is really bad news for MLS-- but I wouldn't be flip about it either.

 

True words...

There was a point not too long ago, when the two Florida teams were losing money big-time and the NFLPA was doing its best to litigate the league to death, that I'm sure Phil considered pulling the plug. We're lucky that he had enough faith not to. The economy still isn't good. They're talking about dropping MLB and NHL franchises. Nobody's really out of the woods. I don't think we can breathe easy until we get at least half a dozen SSS's and average attendance reaches 20,000.

 

Re: True words...

I don't think there's much magic to 20K vs. 15K and 16K, but I think your general point is spot-on. It's just a long uphill battle of winning / developing long-term passionate fans.

 

I found it interesting that on the NPR piece I heard this morning, the guy did not mention or even refer to MLS once.

 

I don't have time to go get them, but there was an article on the front page of the newspaper of the SD Union Tribune, and also one on the front page of the sports page.

One of the articles, I forget which, makes the obligatory "MLS is believed to have lost $300 million" reference - Ziegler has come to hate MLS as far as I'm concerned. At least he never paints it in a positive light.

 

9/16/03 Pheonix

...more like the dove that got killed by a Randy Johnson fast ball.

For all you people who think that MLS fans shouldn't be worried about their league as it's so much different in MLS. Oh yeah? It may be slightly different, and we might be more stable with more signs of growth, but why don't we let the pain dry on the HDC or actually see some of MLS' books officially make a profit before we're all so confident.

You know what I'm going to do, I'm finally getting my ass to a Revs home game. My first one of the season because I've been too broke or lazy to find a way down to Foxborro, why because I want to show everyone that there's one more fan of a soccer league who isn't going anywhere. Yes you may say that poor management is to blame for the WUSA, it doesn't matter. For all the people on these boards who whine about every little thing about going to an MLS game, whether it be parking, cost of a ticket, cost of food and drink, security or whatever. JUST SHUT UP, think about what you're bitching about because soon enough we could too not have anything to bitch about in terms of the MLS Gameday expierence.

 

Great, great coverage in USA Today. They win the "Death of the League Derby."


Particularly enjoyed Beau's piece. One of the few (only?) that actually looks past the obvious and tries to come up with scenarios for reviving the sport/league in some form or fashion.

 

Yesterday's All Things Considered Piece

Today's Morning Edition Piece

 

The potential upside for MLS is much bigger ("new" Americans, mainstream male sports fans, revenues from transferring players to Europe, foreign tv, etc.) which helps justify investing in stadia and taking higher losses.

 

New investors are critical. But ANYBODY who would lump a women's league and a men's league is absolutely the LAST person that should be investing in MLS.

We need investors that know soccer. Vergara and Club America fit the bill.

 

Is it possible for "BURN" to play at cotton bowl till the new stadium is build, because that high school football stadium killed the whole season for them. I still in favor of playing at cotton bowl because of the playing surface is like watching EPL on Fox. I have been a big fan of the Burn since day one. MLS if you are listening please go back to the cotton bowl for one more year.

 

I'm glad you have all the answers. But the only qualifications I see for investors are a willingness to commit to MLS's plan and stick with it long term.

There's nothing inconsistent with that and lumping MLS and the WUSA together because they face some of the same problems.

 

Garciaparra angered over WUSA demise - Boston Herald

This is also towards the bottom of the article:

 

Great idea. I hope the Hunts will see the light and go back to the Cotton Bowl. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain...

 

Jim: Hope you got terrific grades...

For coming back with such an inventory, we name you "Republic of Texas' honorary citizen..."

How about that?...

 

well said.