U.S. Women's Soccer In Danger Of Losing Professional Status

The Mary Sue:

Women's Professional Soccer may lose its status as a professional league after the size of said league went from six teams to five. US Soccer, the sport's governing body in the United States, have a rule that says professional leagues are required to have a minimum of eight teams but they aren't letting that stop them.

The league officially began in 2009 with seven teams and the New York Times cites the recent loss of the Florida based magicJack team as the source of the current problems. "With only six (all in the eastern part of the country) in 2011, W.P.S. requested and was granted a one-year waiver by the federation's board of directors," writes NYT. "Now with only five teams a certainty for the 2012 season, W.P.S. requested an extension of the waver to take it through a season that will include the London Olympics in the hope of attracting new investors before 2013."

"Our primary goal is to retain our [Division 1] status. We just came off a phenomenal season in 2011 and it feels like this is our time," said Jennifer O'Sullivan, the league's commissioner.

Read the whole story: The Mary Sue

Comments

[Kati619]

05:23 PM on 12/12/2011

You have to drum up interest in the league, and that starts with people knowing there even is a league. It's pretty clear that a lot of people didn't know. I knew. My whole family knew. We WANTED to see the games. But, we live on the West Coast and all the teams are on the East Coast, and we could never find the games on TV. I think we were able to get one that aired after the Women's World Cup. How can anyone get psyched about games they can't see or don't know about?

And on the other side, the owner of majicJacks was a total tool. I really wonder why he even bought the team in the first place: http://deadspin.com/5863448/i-expected-nothing-less-from-a-bunch-of-blithering-idiots-the-angry-emails-that-helped-cost-boca-raton-its-all+star-pro-soccer-team

[bigtop1804]

07:37 AM on 12/06/2011

With the exception of the World Cup or the Olympics who cares-both men and women.

[p-niz]

05:09 AM on 12/06/2011

Thank god

[scholasticus]

10:07 PM on 12/05/2011

All WPS needs is to imitate men's pro sports and get taxpayer subsidies, advertising sponsors, and TV deals. Ticket sales never pay for multi-million dollar player contracts. Who do you think really pays for these massive stadiums that sit vacant 90% of the year?

[Just walkin the dog here]

02:45 PM on 12/06/2011

Sure, it's major sponsors and really large television contracts that would carry the league, but it still has to be based upon fan interest and it's simply not there in predictable large numbers. Not to be rude, because you can't question the dedication of these very athletic women, but Title IX does not apply to fans and the selection of how to use their sports dollars. For the record, I'll go watch a H.S. or college women's volleyball game anytime.

[Aequus]

09:44 PM on 12/05/2011

I didn't even know we had women's pro soccer, and I enjoy women's college ball when I see it and of course Olympic women's soccer. There's your trouble right there.

[Mike Cuthbert]

09:15 PM on 12/05/2011

What a horrible shame. ThebWashington Freedom, which got hijacked by less-than-magicJack, played excellent soccer but was almost unbelievably under-advertised and promoted. Their Florida sojourn was doomed to failure from the start and the league should have had the prescience to see that crash coming, maybe when their field in Florida had no stands for their opening??? I hope I live long enough to see them revitalized lik

[ptrgamb]

06:58 PM on 12/05/2011

One very wealthy and reasonably forward-thinking owner could solve this problem.
Eventually, women's pro soccer will be firmly entrenched. Tens of thousands of young girls and teens are playing soccer. The fan base, which includes their parents, is there.

[scholasticus]

10:14 PM on 12/05/2011

Joe Sahlen, who owns the Western NY Flash (current champs) is a sausage magnate who hired the best players on earth and included his daughter, who likes soccer.

[hellisonfan]

10:56 AM on 12/06/2011

As a long-time fan of women's soccer I would like to agree with you, but reality trumps wishes. That line about ".. thousands of young girls and teens playing soccer" was used when pro soccer for women was first tried after the 99 World Cup. Sad to say, there just isn't enough interest in this country to support a league. Our best players will have to go to Germany or Japan or England to find a place to keep their skills sharp between world cups, and eventually that will mean that the US women's team will become as irrelevant as the US men's team.

[Kati619]

05:34 PM on 12/12/2011

Sadly it's not the same for women as it is for men. There aren't many leagues abroad that are fully developed, and the U.S. is actually considered one of the best places to play professionally. That's why we have players like Marta. I think Germany has a pretty good women's side set up, but that's all I can think of. For instance England, most of those players have jobs on the side and have to work that in with training - meaning it's more like a semi-pro team, since it's not lucrative enough to live off of (they are working on changing that, but I don't think it's been fully implemented). I hope that this begins to change soon, both for the U.S. and other countries, but it's hard to say.

[Mark Montgomery]

03:08 PM on 12/05/2011

I caught a few WPS games on TV after the World Cup. I would like to see it survive. To reach professional level in anything requires hard work and dedication - they deserve it.

[Kevin Arthus]

10:26 AM on 12/05/2011

"We just came off a phenomenal season in 2011 and it feels like this is our time," said Jennifer O'Sullivan, the league's commissioner. "Many fans were happy that their team finished in the top three."

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08:57 AM on 12/05/2011

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[Spartan112]

06:56 AM on 12/05/2011

There is a women's pro soccer league? Who knew...?

[wsdave]

11:46 PM on 12/04/2011

The problem with soccer (women's or men's) is that it takes a lot of space for it's level of fans.

That MAY be one reason why women's basketball is doing better than soccer.

[Callyson]

10:58 PM on 12/04/2011

What really sucks about this is that one incompetent team owner's failings may lead to the destruction of a promising league. Hope women's soccer can survive.

[dgoshilla]

11:08 AM on 12/04/2011

The only ways sports can be successful is if 15000 fans come to each game sponsors line up and tv revenue is there. Womens sports just aren't as good as men's and can't draw the casual fan. WNBA would have folded years ago if it wasn't part of the NBA. Look at NFL Europe. That folded and was decent football.

[Shukr]

09:14 PM on 12/04/2011

Exactly. Expect the Afl to go the same way.

[thenisaid]

05:04 PM on 12/05/2011

"Womens sports just aren't as good as men's and can't draw the casual fan."

Its infuriating to read this kind of ignorance. Everyone in this day and age knows that if you SELL something, people will buy it. Nothing about women sells except for sex, which is so disgusting it makes me see red. Go ahead and roll your eyes- its easy when youre a man and nothing stands in your way. For every girl with the raw talent but NO options, there stands ten boys ready to sign the dotted line for a million-dollar contract.

The level of play around the world that has improved so much because of the WPS. The best in the world came to the WPS to play- it is definitely not just American girls who will be suffering at the loss of this league.

[Raffles Holmes]

09:43 AM on 12/06/2011

I agree with much of what you say. But, if women supported women's professional sports as much as they do men's, there wouldn't be an issue.

[Just walkin the dog here]

02:56 PM on 12/06/2011

Would or do you support a women's professional volleyball league? field hockey league? a water polo league, a softball league? or any of the other sports? There are many young women involved in those sports too. I personally like to race mountain bikes, but not a lot of money there either. The fans will define the success of the league. Lots of people "suffer" the lack of fan support/money but do it simply for the love of the activity. Get over it. Lots of sports are only shown during the Olympics, but people with passion will continue to play them year round.