WPS has been on FSC because of the deal Antonucci got with FSC for them to be a league partner/sponsor. It has nothing to do with the advertising mJ bought on FSC. Just like Proactive acne meds is not a league sponsor (srsly, why aren't they? WPS exec should be knocking on their doors all day) Sahlen also dropped at least $250k in sponsorship cash in addition to the expansion fee he paid to the league. That's why Sahlen's Meat had a patch on the jerseys league wide. Borislow did not have to pay an expansion fee. And if this list of sale prices is correct he didn't even have to freaking pay the cursory $1 sale price to take over the Freedom.
I think that they are not going to comment on it until they have the final agreement worked out and signed. There is not reason to start drama in public until it is finalized.
per twitter: (dure, of course) "Borislow-WPS update: Status hearing in court Thursday afternoon; postponed hearing now on docket for Feb. 1. If deal sticks, this is moot."
i'm not getting that article, just based on what little i looked over. what is the difference with the NTers playing 8 games for MJ vs 8 games for one of the other clubs? they still aren't playing a complete season. also, putting the brand names on one club is good travel business when they visit your town, esp after the olympics when the wps is finishing up the season into the playoffs like last year. is the writer one of the yahoos who just writes about the wps when he sees some controversy than forgets about the league the rest of the yr?
I like how the article headlines WPS, leads with the men's team, pooh-poohs Olympic qualifying in buzz-saw fashion (which we really haven't done for a while and isn't it nice that Dan Loney is in charge of setting WNT expectations?), and then vomits all over WPS with stuff from what, two months ago? Gee WPS avoided a lawsuit/business expense, kept a wealthy team owner happy, and in one stroke basically includes the entire WNT in its structure. Had to be a dumb move since WPS did it? I'm SO tired of what passes for soccer press in America having a knee jerk negative reaction to everything WPS does. Beau says it's not misogyny cause they're such nice guys. Whatever you call it, it's not objective reporting or an honest opinion (maybe it's an honest but stupid opinion that they repeat all the time?). If they'd reported on MLS this way there wouldn't be a league, so you've got to give WPS props for that!
Unfortunately, the writer seems to be more wrapped up in making his language as vivid and meandering as possible than communicating some excellent points about the integrity of this situation. There are some real nuggets of wisdom in there, though:
In case some of you haven't figured it out yet, Dan is one of those tongue-in-cheek kind of writers. Often very funny. Often very pointed comments. Be happy he's willing to irritate some of his regular readers by going off at length over women's soccer in the first place.
Yeah, with friends like him, you don't need any enemies . . . It's not like he irritate's his regular readers dissing WPS - hardly a high risk position to take. He may be an unpaid stooge, but come on - lead with a pic of Solo and a snarky anti-WPS headline, throw in a line about diarrhea, spend most of the article talking about how the men looked playing minnows, then complain the women SHOULD beat, well, everyone . . . and we're supposed to say "thanks sir, may I have another." Go right ahead if it makes you happy. Loney's been right before and he'll be right again. Not today. Today he's an idiot. WPS got Dan to spend dough on women's pro soccer playing games that will generate revenue for the other teams in the league with the carrot that if he plays nice, they MIGHT let him back in. And this is a bad thing???? A couple of weeks ago the number of teams was the bad thing . . . Asshat better buy some tickets.
Oh, he may grouse a bit (hey, this is BigSoccer after all) but when it matters he sticks up for the women's game. But speaking of Borislow, Abby has no compunction about playing for him Thanks to one of Dan's readers, sprovi, for the following link
They just need a new battery and that heaters' brain (we call it a thermostat in the midwest) will be as good as new. BTW, I can think Dan is a douchebag, that WPS got a pretty good deal in the end, and that WNT players should go to the highest bidder or best deal for them (which for some is to play for MJSC) all at the same time. These thoughts are not mutually exclusive. It's confusing, if you hate Abby and the game has passed her by, why is it so great that she wants to play for MJSC?
So, in the quick interview of Abby by Foudy, Abby said what we've all already known -- Abby is all in w/ Borislow as long as he's got a team. On the other side of the balance sheet, she did say she wants WPS to survive and "supports it" What's new w/ that? An aging star w/ achilles problems looking at her last big tournament wasn't going to play much non-USWNT soccer b/f the Olys even if Borislow wasn't in the picture. I keep going back to her "we failed" comment two years ago when she was talking about WPS/the Freedom (before the sale). I guess she figures at this point, sticking w/ the crazy guy that is throwing money her way is what's left for her in the very limited window. And as she said when Pia came aboard, Abby kinda likes coaches that yell at her :Gallic shrug: If you haven't watched a similar post game interview Foudy did w/ Rampone, you might want to. Sounds like Rampone isn't gun ho about Borislow and won't be playing anywhere prior to the Olympics.
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/story/_/id/7512129/us-women-soccer-team-qualifies-olympics Abby loves Dan Go MagicJack!
Well, according to lots of Twitter chat, the entire league will be suspending operations for 2012. Announcement at 1:00 pm today.
Yeh! go MJ... thanks for screwing the whole WPS. For a team he essentially got for free (no transfer price from the Hendricks). The guy is a douche. Go WPS!! Nice for you to pretend you were going to have a season, long enough to screw the players out of any options they had to play elsewhere this season. Ridiculous.
Dan went from being the Hero (after he bought the Freedom and saved the league) to the villain for his actions and helping the league fold.
My take on this, having no real factual knowledge whatsoever, is that MJ was being very difficult in the negotiations and the owners decided they wouldn't get a decent settlement agreement. Maybe the existing agreement of which MJ currently is a part expires during the next year. That might allow the owners to go ahead without him in 2013 under a new agreement? Who knows?
Interesting point of view. I don't know if I agree, but at least I got a laugh out of it. Check out the link so you know what I'm talking about. Regardless, the WPS needs to leave their pride at the door and partner with the MLS...similar to how the NBA subsidizes the WNBA. WPS bows out, anyone care?
Fans talk about this all the time, but there is 0 chance of it happening. MLS is not interested in supporting WPS. MLS has its own business to grow. They are just starting to reach a stable place.