I'm not going to sit idly by while falsehoods get spouted. Let people mourn, that's fine -- I never had any hostility toward WUSA -- but if people are going to claim that MLS was hostile to women/WUSA, then they're just plain full of it. When I go to the MR parking area to tailgate before games, a hell of a lot more than 10% of the people there are women.
Other articles on WUSA printed today Here are some other articles in newspapers about the WUSA folding: Just like Brandi in '99, WUSA loses its shirt http://www.washtimes.com/sports/200...14722-4842r.htm By Tom Knott THE WASHINGTON TIMES WUSA demise no knock on women's sports http://www.suntimes.com/output/tela...spt-rick17.html BY RICK TELANDER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Soccer just won’t sell in U.S. http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/st...917011958.shtml Mike Lopresti Gannett News Service September 17th, 2003
Brian Straus of the Washington Post just concluded a chat today about the league's demise... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20498-2003Sep16.html
Leave it to mainstream columnists to mis-read the situation and blame it on the game. These guys never heard of WUSA until this week. They have no credibility. Unfortunately, they will sell their opinion to the idiots that buy their papers, and we'll have to re-live this argument all over again in WUSA-II (not to mention MLS).
Yeah, but since when has complete ignorance ever stopped anyone -- especially the media -- from voicing their opinions?
Hmmm. Did you read this thread from the beginning? Exactly one person posted something negative about MLS. And I don't believe that she said anything about the MLS attitude towards the WUSA League, she just said she didn't like men's sports (or maybe that she didn't like men, I forget ). You are letting one anonymous poster colour your perception of all WUSA fans. Now who's "just plain full of it?" Next tailgate, pony up the $10 and join the MR. While you're at it, ask Joe what the ratio is.
Unfortunately, the First Amendment protects the rights of columnists to display their ignorance and portray it as gospel.
I didn't try to claim that hordes of people were saying this. I was responding directly to the one poster you were referring to. And what makes you think I'm not already a member?
What she said. Brushes Sand, you don't get it. Get back in your sweat-sock-odored mausoleum with Bobby Riggs and Vijay Singh.
I just think the bitter irony of all of this -- the articles, the blogs, the editorials and polls -- is that the WUSA has seen more media coverage in its death than it ever did in its birth and even during its life. It's just funny how every major news organization has penned an opinion about it, published the quotes from the head WUSA people about corporate sponsorships and woe is women's sports and where little girls will get their heroes from and all that crap ... But yet I can't so much as find a two-second glimpse of a score or find a 1 column by 1" list of the weekend scores anywhere. (And I know the way the media rules play out, being a copy editor/reporter/photographer, etc for the past 4 years ...) I just sometimes wonder if WUSA hadn't made some sort of major announcement before this past season started about needing money and possibly folding ... maybe some of the stories would have generated some sort of buzz before everything was said and done. It's like I'm in shock, but I'm not. I've always known this day would come, probably sooner than later. In fact, I remember telling my rugby team this past season (Who gets paid by the Courage) to find other means of funding their season in case the league folded ... I dunno ... Like a lot of fans, I feel like I'm talking out of my ass because I've not given myself enough time to really think things through and let it all set in. That being said, I just kind of want to make a semi-blanket statement when I say: Thanks to all the men's posters who actually want to discuss WUSA's death with us. Even if the conversation stears toward the battle of the sexes, or the inevitable Title IX. Right now I'm finding the analytical viewpoints and discussion as somewhat of a comfort. Because I don't think I've fully prepared myself for the more emotional aspect of it. I'm not ready to discuss what we're going to do next summer when we wake up on a Saturday morning and wonder what time the game's going to start. And please let me say that if some of you want a real debate or some serious discussion from WUSA fans that isn't so knee-jerk, to give us a week, or a few more days to let us fully get our heads together and focus on what just happened. Because I do want to jump in and talk about the league's shortcomings and what happened. I want to talk about it because alot of people browse these boards. And it may do some of them some good next go round if they paid attention this time. I just need a little time. Unfortunately, that's all we have now. --B
Whoa! Careful! You have a serious pronoun problem there. Meanwhile, I'm off to drink a case of beer, belch and watch "Toughman!" on TV.
Ninety-nine percent of us are going to get better coverage from the media in our obituaries than at any time previous to that. For an optimistic note, here's a column from a local paper (from a guy who hasn't been very friendly to soccer as I recall) : http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/sports/columnists/gary_peterson/6791378.htm
What? From CBSNews.com Girls Get Booted, We All Lose Sorry, there are no arguments. She isn't even the best soccer player in her country. And this guy is in serious need of an editor.
Re: What? you cant be serious. she is the world all time scoring leader (male or female) and she has been playing better than ever lately.
Get off it, young Fire fan! When are the supporters of THE GAME in this country going to realize that this is not just a kick in the stomach for women's sports, this a kick in the gut for soccer in the United States. If we were a mainline sport like pointy-ball or one of the b-balls, you might be able to say that, but we're still a niche sport, one that probably ranks seventh or eighth (don't quote me on that, it's probalby less) in crowd draw. When one part of this sport goes down we all suffer. Someone made some bad decisions, let's hope that next time (and I am sure there will be a next time) they reflect on how they screwed up over the past three seasons and not make the same mistakes again. Bless.
Re: Re: What? I think you're the one who needs to get serious. Mia Hamm is a good female soccer player, but the best soccer player in the world? That's just a pathetic statement aimed to heighten the profile of the piece written - he assumes the majority of readers are none the wiser and could actually believe that a woman was the greatest soccer player on the planet. You need a dose of reality and drop your sociological agenda.
The demise of the WUSA is not a sign of the doom of soccer in America, as so many like to point out. MLS is on its way to doing fine, regardless the outcome of the WUSA. When normal people outside of the nuts on bigsoccer talk about the WUSA, they'll discuss how it was a women's league before they'll discuss the sport of soccer alone. When people talk about the doom and gloom of the WNBA, they mention it in regards to women playing basketball and trying to make a living at it. It does not bring the credibility of professional basketball to the forefront. The same applies here. Soccer is not being scutinized here - women's soccer is. And the verdict is in.
Re: Re: What? she's not even the best player on her own team. not that i'm anti-mia hamm, i think she's great. but there are better players.
Exactly right. WUSA showed that there was a market for women's professional soccer. It just wasn't as big as Hendricks et al thought. WUSA, in its last season, drew more than 6,500 fans a game. There are teams in soccer leagues in this country that survive and prosper on attendances around that level. Now, those teams have a team-wide payroll of $150,000-250,000, meaning that most of their players have to have second jobs during the offseason. They also travel by bus to a lot of their matches. And oh yeah, they also have their own stadia. And they're hardly ever on TV because TV games are time buys, and that costs money. But they manage. And frankly, that sounds a lot better than what the WUSA players have got now.
Re: Re: Re: What? ok, I guess I just assumed they were talking about best female player in the world. i do think she's that (although some disagree, and thats fine). I know I would be stupid to think she is better than many of the better male players. My bad.
A lot of people have said that WUSA turned off traditional soccer fans with the way they marketed themselves and presented their games. Well, I'll express the unpopular opinion that while WUSA may not have gotten the marketing right, ignoring the "hardcore adult soccer fan" was not their big mistake. MLS has already exposed that fan segment's inability to put its money where its mouth is. After all, they got better attendances when the shootout still existed and when the US men were on their way to 32nd place finish.