The Texas Charge folded

[Eric F]

Sexism created a system that would not allow women to compete seriously as men's professional sports developed over the last century. If men's and women's professional sports had been allowed to develop equally for the last 100 years, there now might a long tradition of families watching women's professional sports.

While you have a valid point, I was speaking more towards family traditions of enjoying a particular team or sport, which will have an affect on attendance.

 

[Eric F]

Spoke with my DD's PC who is a former player for the Akron Racers about this issue. She said that the because most of the NPF players are college coaches the Summer season is the only time they can play where it doesn't conflict with their college coaching jobs. If you were to change the season to say the Fall you would either have to lose players who have to go back to their college teams or you would have to pay them a living wage so that they could be full time players.

From what I understand in my conversations with Janelle Lindvall, she didn't continue playing NPF because she is making considerably more money giving private lessons.

 

[FP26]

Sexism created a system that would not allow women to compete seriously as men's professional sports developed over the last century. If men's and women's professional sports had been allowed to develop equally for the last 100 years, there now might a long tradition of families watching women's professional sports.

I really have no interest in debating the reasons behind this, but I am curious what the solution is. Any thoughts?

 

[reagansdaddy]

I have been more and more convinced over the past couple of years that the only way for the NPF to survive and have any chance of thriving is for MLB to take it fully under its wing. The only reason WNBA games are on ESPN and get coverage on Sportscenter, etc is because the NBA mandates it in the TV package with ABC. No chance they are on if there is not that agreement.

If Rob Manfred is smart, he'd hop on this deal because it would build a more solid fan base for baseball among girls and young women. I'm hopeful because MLB is pouring money into fastpitch softball through its RBI program. Manfred even came to Cincinnati this summer for the RBI fastpitch world series games. The next logical step is to give those young women a game to follow once their playing days are over.

I think the second major hurdle that must be overcome is the rift between NPF and USA Softball. In the end, USA Softball being back in the Olympics may kill NPF but that would be bad for the sport and for the women who play it at the highest level.

We go to a couple of games in Akron each year and watched the Rebellion a couple times as well before they folded. I cannot express how awesome it is to watch the game in person and see the eyes of little girls light up when they see their hero. Lauren Chamberlain has been so kind to my daughter every single time that they have interacted. It's amazing. My son is never going to get close to having a postgame conversation and photo with Joey Votto after a Reds game, but the NPF women do it after every single game.

I would so hate to see this go away if the NPF cannot survive.

 

[Snotbubbles]

From what I understand in my conversations with Janelle Lindvall, she didn't continue playing NPF because she is making considerably more money giving private lessons.

DD's PC said she makes more doing private lessons than what she makes coaching college (and I assume she probably made more as a college coach than an NPF player) so it wouldn't surprise me. But when I asked her why they have the season in the Summer months, this is the reason she gave me.

 

[Bob516]

I really have no interest in debating the reasons behind this, but I am curious what the solution is. Any thoughts?

I know nothing about organizational management, business development, finance, or marketing to have even one idea as to a solution. But I do believe unless one understands the past, there is a good chance they are going to repeat it, or at least make similar mistakes. Those who are trying to move forward should keep in mind how the situation got to be where it is.

 

[FP26]

I know nothing about organizational management, business development, finance, or marketing to have even one idea as to a solution. But I do believe unless one understands the past, there is a good chance they are going to repeat it, or at least make similar mistakes. Those who are trying to move forward should keep in mind how the situation got to be where it is.

Thank you for the honest answer. I understand and respect the history behind these discussions. But I rarely see any constructive ideas towards fixing them. This is just one topic of many...

 

[_MIA_]

Maybe that is why I do not understand this as much as I might. Extreme athleticism doesn't get me as much as strategy and the complexity of a play. .

That is because you have a child who plays the game (or a similar one) and probably know it better than most. If you took away all of the casual fans, who would rather see 500 foot home runs than a perfectly
executed squeeze bunt, MLB would be floundering (even more than it is) just like NPF. Why do you think they let the steroid thing go on for so long? Sosa and McGuire hitting bombs did a lot to save
the game after the strike because it brought in all kinds of eyeballs it wouldn't have otherwise.

 

[marriard]

I am going to say this again... you can't jump from zero to being the NFL in a few years. You can argue 'eyes' and revenues and athletic prowess and reasons or whatever, but the reality is that when you are building ANY business it is going to take time. You can't skip steps and you have to set realistic goals and milestones on your path to success. Like woman's soccer, the NPF has tried to skip from zero to full-time pro and that has not worked - and has not worked at least 4 times now just for softball.

The question really becomes on how woman's sports are progressing. One person said that society isn't really all the interested in watching woman's sports at the moment and while I feel that is overly negative, if you go back a few years 'isn't really interested is progress on 'not interested at all'. Womans World Cup draws. WCWS draws. Tennis draws mostly. Golf has made strides. WNBA is drawing on average 7,700 people per game and so on. Title IX has had a major effect in the USA but other countries are coming along as well.

For example womans soccer was banned in Brazil until 1979......

It wasn't so long ago that these sports were drawing friends and families.

 

[Bob516]

That is because you have a child who plays the game (or a similar one) and probably know it better than most.

I thought a suicide squeeze was more exciting than a home run long before I had kids, but I guess that is just me.

I guess you are right about the causal fan.