Bummer if its true. http://equalizersoccer.com/WebPages/blog.aspx?postid=1c4e2cc5-db1d-4609-a8da-177ee7066cd4
Ugh! Jeff Kassouf seems to be pretty wired into whats going to happen, so it is likely true. Disappointing to say the least. Especially if FCGP and DC both fold. You would think there was a defense contractor out there in DC looking to diversify, or another software baron out here who's company didn't take a pounding this year. Do those google guys follow soccer? I can't take it anymore, am going to focus on the Giants!
Actually, I was wondering why both FCGP and DCFreedom GMs went silent, after being pretty outgoing and transparent. Right now I am finding solace in World Series Baseball.......a game so boring than I treat it as meditation. Ummmmmm! @RDPenner on twitter, say it ain't so again. Pleezzzzz. And, Hope Solo, welcome back, too bad we can't get Nike to sponsor the league with some real dollars.
There may yet be slim hope. Rob Penner's tweet is a good sign. And there is a rumor that what really happened here is that the two ownership groups (FCGP and DC Freedom) missed their mandatory cash call for Oct 31. So perhaps there is a still a chance that something can be worked out. Maybe additional investors, or some kind of restructuring, or something. Anything. Pessimist that I am, I still think we're kind of screwed, but I won't give up all hope until the official announcement.
Sounds like the PR Mouthpiece of the Baath party in Iraq during the US invasion. "There's no Americans in our country" as F-16's fly by in the background. http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1698...sides-washington-freedom-and-fc-gold-pride-to In the words of Bill Paxton, "It's over man. It's OVER!" The players have already been released according to goal.com. And I suspect the league won't be far behind. As unfair as it is, people just don't want to buy into women's sports. Both the ownership side and the fans. But if it's any consolation it sounds like the Freedom aren't completely dead, they're just going back down to the W-League.
It's not merely unfair. It's sexist. The 2010 Gold Pride were the best women's club team in the world, showcasing the best player on the planet. They were deserving of all the adulation that the Bay Area is currently bestowing on the S.F. Giants, who a half century on have yet to win a championship (though that may change tonight). The Bay Area's failure to embrace the Gold Pride, while slobbering over the Giants, is a black mark on its supposed enlightenment and progressiveness.
That may be Don, but don't be too hard on the Bay Area, this would have happened ANYWHERE in the world. It happened last year in LA, and it's just as likely to happen to whomever has the misfortune of picking up Marta and her bloated salary. Fact is for better or worse the world isn't ready for most women's sports. Even women I talk to have no interest in the game. I don't deny there is a small progressive fan base that is ready, and a league that intends to survive needs to realize that. If it means playing as amateurs or extremely regionally for now, so be it. But a full on pro model that is nationwide is not doable right now, WPS has proven that. They're running on a shoestring and a prayer and even that wasn't low enough an ambition to make it.
What if Major League Baseball was required to prop up women's professional soccer as a condition of its antitrust exemption? Much like the passage of Title IX, Congress could change the economics overnight.
True but it won't by and large change the sad state of women's soccer. For evidence look at the significantly subsidized WNBA. The NBA has been proping up the WNBA keeping them financially for years and their teams are still as unstable as WPS', their attendance is still by and large pitiful and the public has by and large ignored them...
We've been through this field before. The NBA does not subsidize the WNBA and a number of the current WNBA ownership are independent of the NBA (ie not NBA owners). Can we not go down this road of false comparisons again?
Incorrect. The NBA directly subsidizes the WNBA to the tune of 12 million a year covering losses. It has been doing so for year beyond just the few teams that have NBA partner teams. The league itself is subsidized by the NBA.
So barring a miracle the team doesn't see as likely the Pride are dead by this time next week... how sad.
Certainly not if the GOP takes control of congress. Lets just hope they don't want to repeal Title 9.
Time for Prayer? http://allwhitekit.com has a long and helpful article today. I am willing to purchase 4 more season tickets to help the cause!
Bad business decisions doomed this team. They took on too many high-priced salaries and moved the team out of the center of the Bay Area's population.
Agreed. First rule if you own a WPS team, don't buy Marta. She's not as big a name as you think and she's now been the death rattle for 2 teams.
A couple of years ago I had said that getting Marta in this league was a must. But I assumed that she would pack in the fans. Of which she did her first year. Mostly at away games. At home once and then not so much. so it seems that fans came to see the phenomenon that was Marta one time and that was good enough. I am now in belief that spending all that money on her is not worth it at these early stages of the league. America does not have womens soccer in its cultural fiber yet to appreciate a player like Marta. She is a one time draw. A one time phenomenon, one time freak show, what ever you want to call it. Not a consistent draw, especially at home. Sorry to say, as much as I love to watch her play and I appreciate the skill that she brings, but I don't want Marta anywhere near my team. Not worth the cost of a team folding.
I'm not sure Marta is the problem. I thought the deal was Amway covers a majority of her salary and whoever has her puts Amway on their jersey. Then Puma covers the rest of her salary. Maybe it cuts into sponsorship dollars. But I don't see much coming in anyway.
http://www.centerlinesoccer.com/201...-spot-in-the-wps-final-with-win-over-chicago/ Dont you want this..everyone log on and buy PRIDE Season Tickets now I just read the Pride GM post. I am so sorry this has to happen. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=22131808#post22131808
Or at least make a deposit. And spread the word. The more season ticketholders and season deposits for 2011, the better the situation is going to look for any investor doing his or her due diligence. The fans can play a part in saving the team.
I agree, it would be great to sell out with season tix, but even the SF Giants have somewhere around 50% season tix holders. I created a revenue model for the new FCGP stadium, using actual 2011 season ticket and estimated individual ticket prices. If FCGP actually got 100% season tix holders at current prices it looks like the 5,400 seats would yield about $1,180,000 in ticket sales revenues. However, if they reach a 50% season ticket holder point across all levels of tickets and sell out individual seats at a slightly higher price they would hit $1,385,000 in ticket sales revenues. Either way, my friends, that will definitely not cover expenses at 5,400 seats, to say nothing about what happens at 3,000 seats, which is the new target being kicked around the league. I have no idea what the revenues from concessions and gear is, but the numbers I have seen for NCAA college soccer programs suggests it could be in the less than $100k. So that brings me to the conclusion that sponsorships and TV revenues on top of selling out the stadium, are the holy grail to making this work. If TV is locked up with FOX (is it?) and gear is locked up with Puma, then bringing in a broad-range of 2nd and 3 tier sponsors might be key. In addition, since FOX broadcasts 1 of 7 games each week, and Comcast takes a few locally, maybe cutting a deal with ESPNW or Comcast, or whoever, to take the other 5 or 6 games per week, provides the additional marginal revenue needed to survive. Thoughts? Any by the way, I am not buying the argument that WUSA tried it 10 years ago, so it won't work now opinion. I'd dismiss any salesperson on my staff who used that as an excuse.