NPF issues

[Ken Krause]

Some good points here, but I think you're all missing the biggest barrier to a pro league taking off, at least as it's structured now. As I've said many times the biggest issue is that the league plays at the same time as what should be its easiest-to-capture fan base - current fastpitch players. Most youth teams play every weekend from April through the beginning of August. After 12 hours at a tournament, with elimination coming up tomorrow, are you really going to clean up and go watch the Pro League? Doubtful.

During the week? Most teams practice 2-4 weekdays and/or have games, so those days are out too. So your most likely audience is locked out of games, except maybe if their season ends at the end of July. But that would make for a two-week Pro league because you have tryouts and then fall ball plus the start of school.

So if you can't get them, who's left? Do you think Joe Sixpack is going to randomly check out a game? Nope. Teenage boys? Nope. Even women who used to play don't seem to be very interested in going out to watch a game unless they're bringing their kids to one. That's not a big enough audience.

You can market all you want, or change the name of the league, or try all the other stuff, but if people can't get to games because they have other priorities you're just throwing money away.

I do agree that there is no tie to the players either. When I ask students who their favorite Chicago Cubs or White Sox player is they can always tell me. When I ask them who their favorite fastpitch player is I get crickets. So even the girls who play, at least the ones I work with, don't have any interest in following it. Most have never heard of Cat Osterman, Monica Abbott, Lisa Fernandez, Lauren Chamberlain, or most of the others we gush about here. They have heard of Jennie Finch, but it's 50-50 if they know she was a pitcher.

 

[YOCOACH]

Maybe the fixed venue and regions are part of the problem. In the early days of baseball and men's fastpitch in the time of Eddie Feigner, barnstorming was the way to go.

Imagine a league where the games are played at existing college facilities. A four-day barnstorming stop for two teams might include a two-day clinic for local players to learn from the pros with game tickets included in the price. Maybe an exhibition game against the host team. Fundraisers for the local rec leagues where they get a cut of ticket sales. These types of things would only work if you could get games into many more places than fixed venues can provide. Not to mention expanding the likelihood that people would come out to see a game if it were in their neighborhood. Not eight times a year, but once or twice. Think the Bandits would draw a few fans who would come out to see Aleshia Ocasio pitch in Gainesville? I think so.

Absolutely agree with this! This is a new marketing strategy that they've never thought of but could, and would, go a long way towards building league interest. Again I state that there is a serious lack in imagination of the marketing for this league. This is one of the best ideas I've heard yet.

 

[newsoftballdad]

We held a fundraiser for our team and reached out to NPF for some items for a basket, since we were having Lauren Chamberlain as our guest. First she got back to me too late to accept their donation, and second she informed me that the logo we, and many other teams, have used for years belonged to them and a defunct team (Thunder). And we should contact them to start paying them a royalty if we would like to continue to use the logo! Can you say PR problem!

 

[CoreSoftball20]

JD, You can have your opinion as can I, that's fine.

If NPF wasn't a money wasteland and the sport had any kind of legs, im sure money avenues would open up. But there is NOT ENOUGH
people that would pay to watch pro womens softball in person. Only reason why people watch at all, is because they catch a game on tv here and there.
Without live attendance, there is no way to make money and no reason for MLB to invest. Its not like they are getting any players from it, so the only
reason to invest, would be to make money...that's not going to happen.

They need to figure this out and show there is something here before any investing will be made. Too many think with their hearts and emotion over
what drives the world...finances.

 

[Lobster Birch]

I somehow found out that the NPF draft was happening or had just happened and went to their website to see if any girls from Washington had been drafted. I could not find any information about the draft there.

Apparently, the folks in charge don't even care.

 

[CoreSoftball20]

We held a fundraiser for our team and reached out to NPF for some items for a basket, since we were having Lauren Chamberlain as our guest. First she got back to me too late to accept their donation, and second she informed me that the logo we, and many other teams, have used for years belonged to them and a defunct team (Thunder). And we should contact them to start paying them a royalty if we would like to continue to use the logo! Can you say PR problem!

Nice, makes you wanna run out and buy a ticket, right?

 

[Lobster Birch]

I somehow found out that the NPF draft was happening or had just happened and went to their website to see if any girls from Washington had been drafted. I could not find any information about the draft there.

Apparently, the folks in charge don't even care.

 

[newsoftballdad]

Nice, makes you wanna run out and buy a ticket, right?

Yea, for sure. And up here no pro option anyway. They used to have some games in Reading/Allentown. Now if you want to see the Pride the closest place is a ride to Ohio!

 

[CoachJD]

JD, You can have your opinion as can I, that's fine.

If NPF wasn't a money wasteland and the sport had any kind of legs, im sure money avenues would open up. But there is NOT ENOUGH
people that would pay to watch pro womens softball in person. Only reason why people watch at all, is because they catch a game on tv here and there.
Without live attendance, there is no way to make money and no reason for MLB to invest. Its not like they are getting any players from it, so the only
reason to invest, would be to make money...that's not going to happen.

They need to figure this out and show there is something here before any investing will be made. Too many think with their hearts and emotion over
what drives the world...finances.

Once again, the NBA/WNBA refutes all these points.

The NBA isn't getting players from the WNBA. But they still find value in it. And that value is not making money on ticket sales (expecting to generate most of your income through ticket sales is an outdated model anyway).

The NBA isn't making money on the WNBA (at least not directly), but they still find value in it.

The reason to invest is to grow the sport, and while the sports are obviously not exactly the same, since there is no viable path for women in baseball (and there never will be), doing so through softball makes some sense. At least, it does if you feel people are more likely to want to watch a sport they also play(ed). I believe that's the case. You may not.

 

[CoachJD]

Some good points here, but I think you're all missing the biggest barrier to a pro league taking off, at least as it's structured now. As I've said many times the biggest issue is that the league plays at the same time as what should be its easiest-to-capture fan base - current fastpitch players. Most youth teams play every weekend from April through the beginning of August. After 12 hours at a tournament, with elimination coming up tomorrow, are you really going to clean up and go watch the Pro League? Doubtful.

During the week? Most teams practice 2-4 weekdays and/or have games, so those days are out too. So your most likely audience is locked out of games, except maybe if their season ends at the end of July. But that would make for a two-week Pro league because you have tryouts and then fall ball plus the start of school.

So if you can't get them, who's left? Do you think Joe Sixpack is going to randomly check out a game? Nope. Teenage boys? Nope. Even women who used to play don't seem to be very interested in going out to watch a game unless they're bringing their kids to one. That's not a big enough audience.

You can market all you want, or change the name of the league, or try all the other stuff, but if people can't get to games because they have other priorities you're just throwing money away.

I do agree that there is no tie to the players either. When I ask students who their favorite Chicago Cubs or White Sox player is they can always tell me. When I ask them who their favorite fastpitch player is I get crickets. So even the girls who play, at least the ones I work with, don't have any interest in following it. Most have never heard of Cat Osterman, Monica Abbott, Lisa Fernandez, Lauren Chamberlain, or most of the others we gush about here. They have heard of Jennie Finch, but it's 50-50 if they know she was a pitcher.

Nearly every other sport I can think of has their youth sport season running concurrently with the pro sport season. Boys find a way to watch baseball games even if they're playing all the time. I don't think that's a real issue (I would argue that turning youth softball into a full-time summer job for kids is a problem for other reasons).

But you do touch on something I find interesting: Girls don't seem to want to watch, especially on television. I agree that the girls who play for me who really love the sport all have favorite baseball players, but they don't go out of their way to watch softball. Why is that? Is it just because baseball is more established?

Niche sports can be successful. Niche sports can grow. I strongly disagree with so many here who don't seem to think that's the case.