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#376 |
No Keys, No Problem
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Denver
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The MLS hasn't "caught on" in the United States. The only claim to fame that they have right now is Lionel Messi. Who's playing in the United States because it is the last refuge for professional soccer players that aren't good enough to play in any other league.
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Posts: 31,309
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#377 | |
In Search of a Life
Join Date: Aug 2008
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Posts: 48,947
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#378 | |
Three-Pat
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Colorado Springs
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I am not against helping prop up a women's pro league either. I question how successful it would be long term. There is zero precedence showing that it will and I still think you are not grasping the difference between a national team that people will rally behind and support due to national pride and local teams. Just because the USWNT is successful does not mean that their success will carry forward. We can debate why women's sports are money losers all day, but the reality is they are. Maybe (and I don't know for sure) women's college basketball is self funding. Some of the USMNT players get big contracts in Europe, many do not though. They rely on MLS salaries which are far less in most cases. We live in an era of the internet, it is easy to follow almost anything now. People are not ignorant of local teams, they just don't show up in numbers reflective of the USWNT's popularity. This again goes back to the national support vs local support. European teams have and for the foreseeable future will continue to poach the best American talent and the state of women's soccer won't impact that even in the slightest. Soccer here is arguably team sport #5 on the pecking list, and unless that changes we will continue to lose the best players. Think Japanese baseball players. The best in Japan always move to MLB if given the chance as the best of the best play here. Now I am not judging women's pro leagues. I have a passing interest in soccer. I will watch a game or two now and then, so I am not in the "women's soccer sucks" category. I keep beating this horse or "Bronco", but attendance numbers and history do not lie. There are enough people out there who can grow and sustain the game......they just aren't. It's not a self fulfilling prophecy to say that the investment isn't there due to a lack of popularity. If women's soccer stadiums were selling out or being filled above capacity, the incentive to build bigger ones would be there. Media would line up to stream or broadcast their games and advertisers would line up to get ads and endorsements. Lastly, using what works in Europe as a gauge for what will work here does not fly. The US is not Europe, especially when it comes to sports. Could pro women's sports leagues succeed? Possibly. But I was born and raised in Missouri, so "show me". |
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Posts: 17,736
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#379 | |
My work speaks for itself!!!
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: So Cal
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LOL….Messi just won the World Cup. He can play anywhere in the world and still be a top player. |
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Posts: 12,590
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#380 | |
Beyond the Rapids
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Langley, VA
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But the league has stuck around for almost 30 years old now, and the teams play in better stadiums than comparable teams in other leagues... the third tier in England or whatever. It's doing OK for what it is. The level of play won't improve until the money improves, but with changing demographics in the US the money could improve over time. |
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Posts: 80,659
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#381 |
Supporter
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Liberty
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Posts: 16,952
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#382 | |
Sleeping on the blacktop
Join Date: Nov 2013
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Posts: 16,317
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#383 |
Banned
Join Date: Apr 2019
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Of course women don't watch women's sports in large numbers. They don't want to pay for an inferior product any more than men do.
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Posts: 1
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#384 |
(Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Diving
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Sadly athletes being radicalized is something we're going to have to put up with. Especially since owners won't put the kibosh on their employee's on-field, in uniform, actions. They can say what they want off the clock (if their contract doesn't have something covering things they can't do even "off the clock" personal conduct clause, or liking the wrong Tweet, and the team can deal with retaining the player later if the things they choose to do on their own time carries over and affects the team.
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Posts: 117,894
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#385 | |
In Search of a Life
Join Date: Aug 2008
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MLS is an inferior product yet it's doing quite well with men and women. College sports especially outside big conferences is inferior. Minor league sports is inferior. Women's tennis is inferior. We watch inferior athleres all the time |
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Posts: 48,947
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#386 | |
MVP
Join Date: Nov 2020
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Posts: 6,912
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#387 | |
Banned
Join Date: Apr 2019
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And those inferior sports/athletes generally don't bring in as much revenue as their superior counterparts. |
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Posts: 1
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#388 | |
In Search of a Life
Join Date: Aug 2008
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I just dont think it's fair to suggest that the league should thrive without investment and that investors aren't investing because they don't see potential. You have to have stadiums in good markets with good promos and experiences, and then you need expansion to build scale for better TV and sponsorship deals. It's an unusual situation where the balls out urgency to build MLS made that very challenging. So over the next year's we'll see where it goes now that they're serious about trying. That's a better benchmark than the past. Initial results are promising. International popularity is growing exponentially which means more money, sponsorships and prizes. Newer markets are pulling 15-20k per game which is way more than the highest wnba market (and they've been actually trying). Kc current is building their own stadium. And probably the biggest litmus test, two expansion teams are paying a $50m expansion fee which is really substantial. It's just so different from the wnba which was given time and investment and flat out failed. Or us softball which was never even popular on the national stage. There's teeth to this one. I also think the situation is way more favorable for the US. There's no reason why we couldn't be a premier women's soccer market. Unlike men's, there's little competition for the best athletes. It is THE sport right now for girls. And there's no competition with other women's leagues which have proven to be totally unviable. And I don't think there's as much competition for men's sports as we think as their market is very different. |
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Posts: 48,947
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#389 | |
Starter
Join Date: Mar 2021
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Posts: 908
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#390 | |
Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Red state
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The skills of women are not even remotely close. The same problem with women's basketball. That's not to say women sports can't be marketable. There's a reason why women's tennis has equal interest to men's tennis and why women's figure skating is more popular than the men's. Women fights are also popular in the UFC because a fight is a fight. |
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Posts: 2,411
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