I enjoy several sports and believe the strongest, fastest, and most skilled-athletes should participate in them at the professional level regardless of gender.
It was bad management but I disagree on the fault of Women's Professional Team Sports. What women's professional league (in any team sport) has ever made it? The WNBA would have been out of business the first year if it wasn't for the NBA. It is a dificult task to make a women's league work.
Hell yes!! As to little girls losing their role models...some of that may be true, but I'm not sure how important it is to the decision of girls to play. I was involved with my daughter's travel team for many years, and I don't think any of those girls viewed Mia and company as the reason they were playing. They loved the game and played it for their own sense of accomplishment and being part of a team. Ten went on to play in college...again not because of any role models, but because they got reinforcement from friends and parents (and in some cases the institutions in the form of scholarships) for being good at the game. But I certainly feel the loss and am saddened that the WUSA (and the Freedom) are gone. I really enjoyed watching them.
Re: Re: It is not a soccer thing but a women's thing With all due respect, the league missed its focus by marketing towards the you's of the world. The amazing achievement of the 1999 Women's World Cup was that it convinced men to watch women's team sports. When the league targeted its marketing towards 12-year old girls, it ensured that the environment would not be what brought out the money-spending league-sustaining male fans who showed in '99 that they would watch women's team sports if the athleticism were appealing enough. As for the timing, it's the best possible. What better way to generate coverage for a tournament whose publicity is sadly lacking so far?
There might be some WUSA fans and others for it but I don't think MLS even gets close to that one. MLS is worried enough about their own survival and cannot even bleed more with a women's league. It would not make much business sense.
Re: Re: WUSA shuts down Obviously. But you're not supposed to say things like that. Still, I feel sorry for the thousands of passionate fans.
Unfortunate, but I saw it coming. This has no affect on MLS though, as many of you know. In other forums, I have discussed my dislike of the WUSA and their business ways. That being said, I don't like the idea of a female league being closed down. Womens soccer is just as important as Mens soccer in this country. There is no doubt in my mind that the WWC will bring in nice attendence numbers and respectful ratings. But Womens soccer hasnt grown at a high enough rate since the last WC, hence the folding of the WUSA. What has grown, talent and publicity, is the MLS. A fantastic idea, once MLS has fully established itself, is take the same route the NBA did, but more on a personal closer level. MLS teams with women subteams. A WMLS is a better financial idea then the WUSA. One more thing. I bet the people who declined MLS' offers for help are biting themselves in the ass now.
Re: Re: Re: It is not a soccer thing but a women's thing Men also watch women's sports in the Olympics. People will follow BIG EVENTS for a few hours here and there. Americans would watch the women's World Cup of Cricket if Americans had a chance to win and it was perceived as a BIG DEAL. This has little to do with sporting tastes and more to do with spectacle. It's infinitely harder to get people to watch on a regular basis.
Re: Re: Re: It is not a soccer thing but a women's thing Mitts' "pictorial" looks pretty chaste. Freddy Lundjberg's(!) got a 5 page fashion spread in the latest GQ. No correlation per-se but you'd think Donovan, Mathis or one of the other "Strike Force" members would've had a spread in GQ instead of a Gunner. I'm sure we're gonna see a great WWC. Players are going to be wearing their hearts on their sleeves throught this tournament. Hope the WUSA comes back in '05!
Re: Re: Re: It is not a soccer thing but a women's thing Americans in general watch big events on a world wide stage against the world. When was the last time you watched Olympic events (track, ice skating, gymnastics, downhill skiing) when it was not the Olympics? The 1994 Men's World Cup had more fans than any other World Cup. Remember how many people said that the U.S. was poised for a succesful men's league. In 2000 many Americans who hate soccer watched the men play Germany in the wee hours of the morning. You cannot base your assumption that a league should succeed based on the amount of attention we pay to events that happen every 4 years like the Olympics and the World Cup.
Re: Re: Re: WUSA shuts down Not 'supposed' to say things like that? What things should he say? I thought forums were to express what you thought as an individual, not like some communist society where we don't want to upset people's fragile beings. Say what the hell you want. That's why this is America. It is still America, isn't it?
Exactly. Hopefully the timing of this announcement will do what it is supposed to, bring intrest during the WWC to future sponsors and investers. Also dead on. I love this league, I watch as many games as I can. But, being a 25 yr old male, I've never felt that the league cared about me one way or the other. Its too bad. The male demographic is an important category in any sports league whether it be a mens or womens league. If it wasn't because I already was a fan of womens soccer, I wouldn't have really known the league existed. Ultimately, I feel for those players. Hopefully the league will rebound and they will all get there jobs back soon. Amazing women - each and every one of them. Jay
GRRRR ... A lot of us (myself included) lost a team today, and it hurts even more to contemplate that we may not see our brightest stars, like Aly Wagner and Hope Solo, on a regular basis anymore. Any more of this manure-flinging between the "he-man woman haters club" and the "feminazis and Foudyites" should draw yellow cards. Its a horrible day for soccer in the United States. It's a horrible day for dozens of wonderful athletes who made an exciting, competitive league that was a joy to follow, if you chose to follow it. And it's a horrible day for the fans of WUSA teams. There were plenty of us, but probably there were never going to be enough of us to satisfy a TV-driven business model. But my last sentence is where there's hope. New ownership and a new business model may yet produce a women's professional league in this country.
Let me start by saying that I am not a WUSA fan, even though I've been to USWNT games and will be going to the WWC in Philly. (If the Power had made themselves more accessible to the average NYC resident instead of plopping themselves on Long Island, I probably would have paid more attention.) I don't see this as a cry for help or an attempt to get all of the issues out on the table. If it is, it's the most desperate attempt in the history of professional sports. This isn't a beloved school that stirs emotions and has a pledge drive to save it; it's a 3-year-old for-profit enterprise to which no one owes anything. Sponsors aren't charities who will take pity on the league and its massive debt. The league as we know it is dead. With that said, SUM and the MLS owners (not MLS itself) might want it for two reasons: -- Filling dates in new stadia built for the men. -- Improving the US women's talent pool, thus making it easier for them to win the WWC and generate the TV ad revenue needed to get a decent return. Neither of those reasons require an imminent response from SUM to save this particular version of the league. If anything, they'll let it die and start over in 2-3 years, when the USWNT will likely be trying to win back the title they will lose this September to China/Germany/Brazil/NK. Revenge always makes for great drama.
An opportunity I hope all you women's soccer fans who loved this league and supported it with your hearts and pocketbooks will turn to the WPSL, the W-League, the NCAA and continue to keep the dream alive. For those of us who watched the NASL die and had to wander in the wilderness until 1996, we know what it was like to find our fix where we could, at youth tournaments and local HS games. That's where the dream lives, and it will continue with the next generation of players who were lucky enough to see three years of world class soccer. For those of you who think this is a male/female issue I am sorry, because you haven't got it. Its about the "beautiful game", nothing more, nothing less. This is a game for every man, woman and child on this planet. This is something that I can share with my little girl for a lifetime, even if my wife thinks we're out of minds watching Manchester United at 4 a.m. or sitting in the freezing cold rain in Austin, TX for the Women's Final Four. Take this opportunity to support the game at the local level and you will feel that much better when the next league emerges in whatever form, in whatever year.
Re: Re: Re: Re: WUSA shuts down Maybe it would be better to wait until the initial shock wore off. What if MLS folded today? Would you want a bunch of American football fans here telling you how they knew soccer would never be succesful here? Look, womens sports are a hard sell - when its not sold right. I think it has more to do with managment then anything. By the way, the WNBA - also sold wrong. They need to get away from selling womens sports, and just sell sport. Jay
Re: Re: WUSA shuts down I think it's not the existence of Mia, Brandi and the gang that is so important for young girls in sports. It's more the simple existence of a pro league and the message it sends that is important. Obviously, the players provide instant role models for players, which is very valuable. But the mere existence of a professional league gives a talented high school player hope that they have a CHANCE to make it as a professional athlete, just as their male counterparts have a chance. A pro league means hope and keeps a dream alive. When I was graduating from high school there was no such chance and I left my dream of playing professional sports behind for a more typical career. You have to wonder if some high school players might do the same this year. To me, that was the value of the league these past 3 years - additional hope for young female athletes that I wish I'd had. I understand why the league didn't make it but it still makes me sad.
Yeah I'm suprised it has taken so long for anyone to mention this. Just a few days ago it was written about how SUM was going to benifit from the advertising revenue from the WWC, even from WUSA ads. I hope those checks were cashed. Although I never watched a WUSA match, and doubt that I'm going to be that interested in the WWC, I'm certainly sad for all of it's fans and players. The timing of this is especially hard on the eve of what was going to be a very hopefull time for the league. Although I often resented the fact that the WUSA would put its games up against MLS, and that the WWC team has gotten so much more attention than the men I certainly feel for the fans of this league. I sure wouldn't want to lose MLS, or any team I root for. This does make me concerned about MLS as I think a lot of us have been more comfortable with the idea that it's going to be around for a while. Certainly from a buisness stand point too, between SUM and hoping to fill more dates in it's stadiums, this does not bode well at all for MLS, or the reputation of soccer in America.
Hell no! The MLS can barely take care of it's self right now. The last thing it needs is to worry about running a whole nother league. No offense meant to WUSA fans but the MLS needs to stay far away for the time being. When the MLS has 20 teams and at least 10 SSS then it should talk about a WMLS or whatever you want to call it.
Re: An opportunity But who's dream? Not mine. My dream is a fully professional women's league. I saw my first ever men's college game yesterday. Why? Because I was bored, it was there, I wanted to try out a new lens that Scott got for the Womens World Cup, and UNC has 3 US U17s. For me the men's college game only offers up an opportunity to scout future pro and baby nats. I want professional team sports. The W-League and WPSL are the same as the PDL. To me they are transitory amateur development leagues. ---- "Women's team soccer of whatever level" may be your dream, and the dream of many others here, but you'll likely only find me at WNT games and other big events (like Decembers NCAA finals). Best of luck to you. Me? I'll be waiting for the next pro league to start up.