Posted on 03/31/2016 6:11:01 AM PDT by C19fan
My error was relying on ESPN, who claimed that the women professional league in the U.S. outdraws the MLS. I’m shocked that ESPN would lie.
I do know that one of the toughest ticket in Kansas City is for Sporting KC. They could draw more, but they deliberately built their stadium to provide an intimate experience and to enhance the excitement with capacity crowds. As far as I know, there is no effort to bring a woman’s team to KC, one of the most soccer friendly cities in the U.S.
Exactly. I only watched women in the olympics. They don’t understand marketing and business. But then again, what do you expect when every little kid gets a trophy for being on the team.
Why don’t we just have a Soccer game to settle the matter
You make a good point. Women gymnasts have traditionally been much more successful financially because the audience much prefers to watch women gymnasts.
The women's team is FC Kansas City, and plays at Swope Soccer Village (capacity 3,557) and have won the national title twice in a row (2014 and 2015). Average attendance at their games is listed on wikipedia as 3,091 (up from 2,018 for the 2014 season, but half of the listed 4,000 for the 2013 season.)
The men's team there draws 20,000 fans.
No, I'm not an expert, until this morning I was actually firmly convinced there wasn't a women's professional league in the United States, simply browsed the internet to find the answers...
Who knew. I wonder if FC Kansas City encourage the fans to bring weapons to the matches, given that they play in Swope Park.
At least the women don’t lose to crappy teams like Guatemala. (Yes I know the US Men won the rematch).
Two women’s leagues have folded already (in 2003 and 2012); nobody watches - and the women’s national team doesn’t draw much more. If you see their (national team) games, they keep the cameras focused on the field because you can occasionally see that it looks like a high school field (you can see, beyond the empty seats, the parking lots).
The women’s NBA is funded by the real NBA; professional men’s soccer has no money to share with their slower, duller counterpart. One of my sons bought a pack of MLS cards once, and it had a couple of female players in it; he never bought another pack...
If they played as well they’d sell tickets; they don’t, so they don’t...
Exactly!
Well as it turns out the Women’s national team brings in MORE revenue than the men’s team, twice as much in fact so they have a legitimate beef.
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The numbers are infuriating given that the US Soccer Federation projects that in the upcoming year the women’s team will generate $17.6 million in revenue in the United States, while the men will bring in $9 million. But outside our country, the male squad brings in more, reflecting that globally, men’s soccer far outstrips the women’s game in popularity.
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So they have generated more revenue in the US, however less outside the US but the pay should be much closer if not equal.
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