P.S. Since it's the World's game did that mean that the the WUSA games were broadcasted globally? I bet not.
Are you speaking of the same collegiate system that hurts the men's national team here in the United States? You mean to tell me, that Norway, Brazil, China are BEHIND the US in every aspect of women's soccer? I don't think you truly believe that.
Apples and oranges, Eggy. What some people are soiling their diapers over is the "In the 1999 WC, we beat the world at their own game". They were not discussing or speaking of the WUSA.
I saw a blip the other day saying that something like 56 WUSA players would be in the WWC. If you assume 18 of them are American (and I think April has a couple College kids, but we'll skip that) that leaves 38 of the best players in the world who came to the US to play professionally. In SoccerAmerica ;ast year they did a piece about Women's soccer in Brazil. They had a pro league which folded under intense public ridicule with sportswriters openly calling them all dykes and freaks. A big crowd was 100 for most games. Remember Sisi (or Cici or whatever) and her shaved head? She did that as a protest for the way Women players are abused and treated like sex freaks in Brazil. We ARE in fact WAY ahead of everybody else in Women's soccer. A big part of it is Title IX whihc forced clooeges to give scholarships to thousands of bad players but also a handful of good ones. We also are a very PC society, so Craig Merz writing a column calling Julie Foudy a bull dyke would never see the light of day.
I am indifferent about the league folding, but feel terrible for the genuine fans. Whoever said this puts a damper on the WWC is absolutely right too. What would it have hurt to wait till after the Cup? That said, my Eagles are 0-2 and Notre Dame has no offensive line or quarterback, and the Phils start a huge series tonight so i have other issues to worry about and will get over this quickly. I am not sorry I didn't hear about it till this morning and missed Andy's rants.
College soccer helps the women and hurts the men because the men and women are playing two different games. The rest of the world doesn't put as emphasis much on women's soccer as we do here. Think about it this way, the WUSA - a three year old league - was probably the top women's league in the world. Wouldn't that lead you to believe that women's soccer wasn't as popular worldwide as you're making it out to be? If it were, wouldn't there be more established and lucrative leagues in countries that have a longer history with and a deeper passion for the sport?
The Yahoo! story Can't say much more than what has been said, other than I'm strangely aroused at the photo accompanying the Yahoo! story above:
Andy, you're unable to see the car from the rivets. I can't even begin to list the differences because there's so many. I understand you like the women's game. That's fine. But be objective. What I can't stand right now is the take that CNN has on all this. I have been listening this morning and they are acting like this is some kind of tragedy, as if they're personaly affected. I love it when these media types feign interest. And then they scratch their head about why the league folded. Idiots. Somehow, I think WUSA did this to screw SUM. I haven't figured out how. But that's my hunch. Maybe something to do with that the advertising deal the SUM made when they purchased the WWC rights.
http://www.1460thefan.com/tf.php?story=dispatch/2003/09/16/20030916-D3-00.html There's the AP article from the Dispatch. includes this: The league conceded the timing of the announcement was awkward but said the WUSA had to consider all its employees and players who aren’t in the World Cup. "We couldn’t keep the doors open even another 24 hours without jeopardizing a decent severance package for our employees," Hendricks said. I was wondering that same thing myself. The announcement may hurt ticket sales in some cities. I'd imagine there'd also be a black cloud, less enthusiasm among fans of the league when they attend the WWC.
Again, this morning I had a problem with those who had to bitch and moan about an advert about the USWNT "beating the world at their own game". Soccer is the world's game, no matter what sex plays it. Dispute that at your peril. I'm in agreement with others, in that the WUSA could have been run a bit better, and I'm sad to see it go. Any soccer league that folds, is not a good thing, especially here in the US.
Men's soccer is the world's game, Women's soccer, is not. It's as simple as that. Find me one other nation that has put the amount of emphasis on ALL women's sports that we have. American's have taken it upon themselves to be the top country for women athletes. There's nothing wrong with that, but for most countries on the globe, men's soccer is their sport. Just look at the size, and diversity of the men's game. I can almost guarantee who the final 4 women's teams will be.
There's men's soccer and there's women's soccer. Speaking on a professional level (not co-ed park kickarounds here) men play in professional leagues with other men and women play in women's leagues. Like Bill Archer said earlier about the Brazilian league, most of the world considers women's soccer a joke. What other countries have a women's soccer league with games telecast nationally and locally/regionally? IIRC, women's soccer was banned in England for several (i think more than 15 years), only brought back recently. But it'll take several years to erase the mindset that's more than likely set in. It's kind of hard to beat the world at their own game when they don't even take women's soccer seriously.
Exactly. Before the 2002 WC, who would have predicted that the USA, Turkey and S. Korea would have made it as far as they did? Men's soccer is hugely diverse. Women's soccer is not.
Soccer is the world's game. I don't see the need to branch it off like everyone else is accustomed/conditioned to do. Countries from around the world have women's soccer teams. A lot of those same countries put forth effort to make their team the best they can be. This "attitude" of belittling women's soccer is incredibly shortsighted, people.
It's comments like these that make me joke that you are the undisputed king of message board sockpuppets. I find it impossible to believe that any person can be so removed from reality. The "worlds game" insinuates that the world actually gives a flying piece of monkey crap about women's sports in general, women's soccer in particular. They don't.
I won't dispute that. However, does that mean that the US is the ONLY FREAKING COUNTRY that gives 2 damns about winning the WWC? Please. Don't insult my intelligence this way. This whole discussion is so out of control, it's not even vaguely funny. Some people bitch and moan because of a commercial celebrating the success of a soccer team, a WOMEN'S soccer team, and it turns into a belittling slagfest.
You are crazy. Nobody was belittling Women's soccer till you came in and sank the discussion to a below comical level. Everyone was showing genuine sympathy towards at least the fans that lost their teams, if not more. Then came you and your soapbox. If all women's soccer fans were like you it would be tough to have sympathy for the league. People like you would set back the league more than any media "soccer basher" if you had an equal platform. That's how outta touch you are.
Ok then if this is the case then the Women's team still has to beat the men's national teams to truly beat the world at their own game since it doesn't matter if you are a man or woman. Andy you are such an idiot.
Talk about apples and oranges, Andy. Women's college soccer is by far the best developmental tool - hell, it might be about the best "league" - for women's soccer in the world. Prior to WUSA, the level at which most college teams played, as well as the competition, most likely surpassed the overall level and competition of any women's league in the world. Playing college soccer, at this time, easily prepares women for their professional game. It's not that women's college soccer has different restrictions than the men's game that allows it to be better; it's the difference in world wide competition. Do any other professional women's leagues have developmental systems in place? For men, however, it's a completely different situation because a greater emphasis is placed on men's soccer world wide. When it's pretty typical for professionals to handle developmental duties for professional clubs through reserve teams, academies, etc. it's easy to see how men's college soccer might not be the best developmental scenario (there will always be individual differences). People argue that men's college soccer doesn't adequately prepare men to play on the professional and world wide stage. It's not that men's college soccer has more stringent restrictions than the women's game which hamper development; it's the difference in world wide competition. Do any other professional leaguse have developmental systems in place?