NPF looses another

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JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
I wish a pro team would come to Atlanta. I feel like they'd do pretty well here. But who knows, women's sports just never seem to get as popular as men's.

Would love to have a team in Atlanta, but not sure how much support they would get...I am a Braves fan, but have not been to a game for years!
 
Oct 16, 2015
30
6
Oh no! I went to a couple Rebellion games last year. My dd and I had a good time and she is going to be bummed that they are no longer around.
 
Mar 1, 2015
131
0
A lot has to do with the owners have zero clue when it comes to the draft save for the pride. You can't have the likes of Lauren chamberlin sitting on the bench. They need to spread the high profile named players around the league. Also, put them in softball friendly towns.

Not sure what they charge elsewhere, but the pride had to move out of Disney at $15 a ticket.


A few years ago I knew of a few players that would only play for the Pride, that way they could make more money doing events and other things and get the exposure that comes from playing for USSSA Pride. Don't know if it is still like that, but that was a factor in the Pride having a stacked team.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
Sad.....
1. They need a big name sponsor to get the product out there, something like Coca Cola or Pepsi.
2. They need to do a better job at social media so that younger players become more aware. I'm always amazed how little the girls that play with DD know about the NPF.
3. I get why they are located where they are but having a team or two in SoCal would boost awareness. In the interim, have teams come here and play. Perhaps have teams travel to other softball hot beds.
4. Get the games on TV.... all of them and for free. This is where having #1 helps.
5. They need to convert the college viewers into NPF viewers. It seems the college World Series brings a lot of attention but it doesn't result into NPF attendance.

The WNBA has all of these things to some extent, but there would be no WNBA if the NBA didn't subsidize them. The WNBA doesn't actually make money on its own despite heavy promotion from the NBA.

In other words, Major League Baseball should get involved. They're making more money than they ever have before, and it might actually help grow their fan base if they created a (or invested in an existing) fastpitch league.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
The WNBA has all of these things to some extent, but there would be no WNBA if the NBA didn't subsidize them. The WNBA doesn't actually make money on its own despite heavy promotion from the NBA.

In other words, Major League Baseball should get involved. They're making more money than they ever have before, and it might actually help grow their fan base if they created a (or invested in an existing) fastpitch league.

I've thought of that idea myself. Would love to see MLB get involved. Of course,as you said, the WNBA needs lot of help to survive, and women's basketball is a much more popular sport in college and internationally than softball, so I can also see where MLB wouldn't have great incentive to try that.

As for me, I hate to admit but I don't have a big appetite for the pro league just because I enjoy the college game so much, and that's enough for me. I can go watch NC State and UNC (and soon Duke) for free. Wouldn't pay much to see a pro team.

And another point - We think of our kids and all the youth players and how they idolize the elite college players and the pros. Well, I'm not so sure the attraction isn't overblown. Yes, they like to watch it, and they have favorite players, but they'd much rather play it. Participation and spectating are two different things. Imagine if a pro team came to your town. Would your kid want to watch? Sure. Would she want season tickets? Not necessarily. Mine wouldn't.

I do hate being such a downer, as I do love this game, and I do want the pro league to thrive.
 

Tom

Mar 13, 2014
222
0
Texas
Agree, if MLB teams (or even well funded AAA MiLB franchises) were to acquire a franchise, that could boost cross-promotion and funding exponentially, especially in some key "fastpitch focused" markets.

If you had not seen this, here is link to an article about the TV show "Pitch" where Cheri Kempf talks a bit about NPF's relationship with MLB.
https://sports.good.is/articles/fox-pitch-mlb-softball
 

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