I’m sure you heard today that a new women’s pro soccer league, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), announced the home openers of its inaugural season in ‘09. The league, which is a redo of the failed WUSA, kicks off March 29 with teams in cities like L.A., Chicago and DC.
(Professional? Yes. Soccer? No.)
So how will the league do? The SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE gives us a clue, reporting in an Op-Ed that the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S.team played world soccer power China last Saturday at L.A.’s Home Depot Center.
Attendance: 3,619.
The last time China played the U.S. women’s team in SoCal, the game drew 90, 185 fans at the Rose Bowl in 1999. And the most recent appearance of the women’s team at the Home Depot Center, in 2004, drew 15,589.
Notice a trend?
More from the SGVT: “But nevertheless, a national team that once appeared on the covers of general news magazines now can’t attract more people than a typical high school game in a city the size of L.A?“
Yep. It has come to that.
*High profile* women’s sports is like the NHL in South Florida. It will never work long-term. It will never be self-sustaining, because the concept is incongruent with America’s sports consumption culture.
To make things worse, the economic downturn means the WPS has little chance of lasting more than one season (save never-ending capital injections from the few philanthropic billionaires who evaded Bernie Madoff’s clutches).
We also recently saw the first signs that the WNBA will soon be completely out of business, as perennial league champion Houston was forced to shutter operations because of lack of funds. Worse though will be when David Stern withdraws the financial support that has kept the league afloat lo these years. It’s coming, friends.
And how long will major universities continue compliance with Title IX, the absurd, gender equity athletic department requirement that bleeds millions from school budgets every year?
Making women’s sports financially accountable means that the pro sports leagues will go away, and scholarships will eventually be cut significantly. But I’m happy to report that blowing all that up will not reduce women’s overall sports participation one iota. Or, *gasp*, cut their self-esteem.
But cheer up ladies, there is a way to get money-spending sports fans (read: men) interested in your athletic endeavor:
8:11 pm on December 16th, 2008
Hopefully the upcoming Lingerie Football League will reverse this downward trend of women's pro sports leagues.
8:19 pm on December 16th, 2008
WPS - sounds like a TV station that holds monthly pledge drives.
8:25 pm on December 16th, 2008
There needs to be a professional women's volleyball league. Not the scattered AMP beach volleyball tourneys they have here & there, but a full-fledged league. Of course, with the competitors in the not-so-fully-covering tops & bottoms.
8:42 pm on December 16th, 2008
If the WPS really wants to raise attendance, they should sign some of the now-unemployed girls from Scores.
8:45 pm on December 16th, 2008
You never know - the economy might be recovering by then.
9:10 pm on December 16th, 2008
The WNBA is still around?
9:30 pm on December 16th, 2008
No need to poo-poo the effort. I'll probably go check out a game out of curiosity.
9:53 pm on December 16th, 2008
Oh, the economy will be on the upswing by the time this WPS "league" plays. Even with near-free money, though, it's going to be hard to justify funding a business plan for this "league" past this summer.
11:11 am on December 17th, 2008
I will flee to Canada if the women's professional beach volleyball league goes under.
1:14 pm on December 17th, 2008
Julie Foudy's hot. It might be worth watching if she came back.
2:13 pm on December 17th, 2008
Hey look here Mr.Dumbass title IX is the law of the land and will always be the law of the land has been ever since Nixon signed it into law in 1972.
Maybe you should get over it. In fact your neo-con thug friends tried to change this back in 2002 through 2004 and failed. The biggest backlash came from male athletes who know have daughters that play sports. That and the fact GOP controlled Congress had some many scandals they kind of lost controll of power.
You and your jack booted thug pals will always have to deal with the fatc Women's college sports will be around. Besides its stupid AD's who go hog wiold with bad contracts for Football and Basketball coaches that bleed money. On top of the fatc very few D-1 Football programs actually make money so who is subsidizing whom.