The Texas Charge folded

[marriard]

Many generalizations to follow...

Men's sports are faster and more dynamic than the women's side of the same sport (basketball is a good example). This is just the nature of the difference in physical size and power of the athletes. Related to that, fans are attracted to seeing sports played at the highest level (fastest, highest scoring, etc.), which is the men's game. The revenue of a bigger fan base is additionally compounded by more sponsorship money targeting that larger fan base. The reality of the business side is that if there is more revenue, there is more money for salaries, facilities, etc. You can't pay athletes if the money isn't there. IMO, sexism has very little to do with it.

The other thing is we are talking about long established leagues - the NBA is 71 years old and can trace back further. MLB 114 yrs. NFL goes back 90+ years. MLS appeals to the world of people who are here. NHL somewhat regional in the USA but also has been around forever.

There are excellent and well supported woman's basketball leagues in Europe, Australia and other places. Netball is a purely woman's sport where regionally it is played professionally has a huge following. But these are built and supported from junior age groups on up - they are not independent teams. Long term - different models. You can't go from zero to NBA - you can't skip the steps and the work to get there.

And it is not just mens athletics and speed advantage - we have a great national volleyball team, but no one watches it. BUT there is a great pro league elsewhere where they do. There is a long list of other sports that have not and probably cannot support a pro league.

 

[Bob516]

What was the stadium size of the two?
Are women being sexists because they watch men's sports more than women's sports?

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If the WCWS had triple the demand for the number of tickets, do you think the size of the stadium would be expanded? I imagine it would be.

They probably are if they are acting on the belief that the men's game is superior to the woman's game.

 

[Bob516]

Men's sports are faster and more dynamic than the women's side of the same sport

Do you find baseball faster and more dynamic than softball? I am not talking about how long a game lasts, I am talking about comparing a grounder it to third in baseball and in softball. At bat, does a college softball player have more time to react to a pitch than a college baseball player has?

 

[FP26]

A lot of good points made. In order for pay to be similar, some history needs to be there. The first example that comes to mind for me is tennis. A google search regarding the highest paid tennis players of all time provided the following link. 30 players listed. Nearly equal numbers. 16 men and 14 women. Just found it to be interesting. Carry on...

The 30 highest-paid tennis players of all time - Business Insider

 

[newsoftballdad]

I have watched NPF games and they have been entertaining. I have followed some of our favorite college players to the Pride and continue to do so. One of the issues I see is that the SEC tournament and the WCWS usually provide an excellent product with the built in drama of elimination. The NPF is often a let down after watching and investing in the WCWS. I also agree with the softball in a baseball stadium, it doesn't show well on TV at all.

 

[Gtrips07]

If the WCWS had triple the demand for the number of tickets, do you think the size of the stadium would be expanded? I imagine it would be.

They probably are if they are acting on the belief that the men's game is superior to the woman's game.

Why would you say they probably are? Not a very scientific analysis. Why do you feel it is inferior?

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[Gtrips07]

I have watched NPF games and they have been entertaining. I have followed some of our favorite college players to the Pride and continue to do so. One of the issues I see is that the SEC tournament and the WCWS usually provide an excellent product with the built in drama of elimination. The NPF is often a let down after watching and investing in the WCWS. I also agree with the softball in a baseball stadium, it doesn't show well on TV at all.

Most, if not all SEC teams sellout every home game, not just the tourney

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[Sparky Guy]

One of the problems with the NPF is they are playing at the same time their fan base is. Rec teams play most of the their games during the week. Travel plays the bulk of theirs on the weekends. Hard to draw fans away from playing the game.

I know Bandits market pretty aggressively. I'm on their email list from coaching and get emails regularly from them. They have a 1st class stadium and they still have trouble drawing fans. Bill Sokolis recently turned the ownership of the team over to the village or Rosemont.

If you read about the history of the ABA. They played in hangers and other similar venues until the NBA and ABA merged.

 

[Bob516]

Why would you say they probably are?

I think the answer is very complex.

Why do you feel it is inferior?

What is inferior? Softball? Baseball? I don't think either is inferior, they are different games. Both are played at a very high level in the top colleges. I prefer softball because the speed of the plays are much faster. A grounder to third in baseball seems to take forever compared to softball, but the athleticism involved in both is extraordinary.

 

[_MIA_]

I think the answer is very complex.



What is inferior? Softball? Baseball? I don't think either is inferior, they are different games. Both are played at a very high level in the top colleges. I prefer softball because the speed of the plays are much faster. A grounder to third in baseball seems to take forever compared to softball, but the athleticism involved in both is extraordinary.

Would you watch the NPF if you never had a daughter or you had a daughter but she never played softball? As I stated in my first post on this topic, sports is watched in a large majority by men for various reasons and people tend to watch sports which they played growing up either competitively or recreationally. I never watched a softball game on tv until my daughter started playing even though my sister was a very good softball player and I have a cousin who played in college and in one of the earlier versions of professional softball. I don't believe I am sexist...I now would rather watch a college softball game then a college baseball game.