Posted on 09/16/2003 4:17:07 AM PDT by yankeedame
Sep 16, 3:08 AM EDT
Women's Soccer League Suspends Operations
By BARRY WILNER
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- In the midst of preparing to defend their World Cup title, the U.S. women just got a doozy of a distraction.
On Monday, the WUSA, which a dozen members of the current American team helped found, ceased operations. While they hold out hope of reviving the professional league sometime, the disappointment of its failure hit them hard just six days before they play Sweden in their World Cup opener.
"Yeah, I wish we had the opportunity to not have this distraction," said U.S. captain Julie Foudy, a member of the WUSA board of governors. "That's true for all the WUSA players in the World Cup.
"This is a sad day for women's soccer and women's sports. But we are not just going to give up, even though the odds are stacked against us. We will still hold out the possibility of reviving this."
The eight-team WUSA, built on the stunning success of the 1999 World Cup won by the United States, lasted three seasons. But an inability to attract new, deep-pocketed investors and sponsors, led to the suspension of operations.
John Hendricks, chairman of the WUSA board of governors, said the league needed eight sponsors to spend $2.5 million each per year. The WUSA recruited only two sponsors willing to spend that much, Hyundai and Johnson & Johnson.
"If we only had six or seven CEOs in America that had stepped forward in the past year ..." Hendricks said. "An independent women's professional league can survive - if it has corporate support."
TV ratings were minuscule and average attendance slipped from more than 8,000 the first season to about 6,700 a game last season. Most teams played in smallish college or community stadiums.
"We knew this could not be a league driven by gate receipts," Foudy said. "This league represents more than just soccer to us. It was a great platform of visibility for the game."
As will be the upcoming World Cup. So the timing of the collapse of the WUSA is even more damaging to the players who must ignore the fact there might not be any domestic teams for them to play for next year. U.S. coach April Heinrichs said "a dark cloud" hangs over the team right now.
While such stars as Foudy, Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain and Kristine Lilly already have established themselves as U.S. sports icons, the youngsters who will form the core of the American squad - and of other national teams - through the rest of the decade could be lost.
"When you're playing with the national team, you're not always necessarily playing teams as good as you," said midfielder Aly Wagner. "The (opposing) team might be overmatched and playing everyone back. You have to break down a bunker, maybe.
"Not in the WUSA, where both teams can win, and it's a hard physical battle for 90 minutes. It keeps you going and gives you a glimpse of what international play will be like."
No more.
The WUSA's owners invested more than $100 million to run the league. Foudy, Hamm and other founding players took pay cuts this season to help keep it afloat. Even after cutting costs, the league had a $17 million shortfall.
In all, the WUSA employed 375 people, including players, and had franchises in Boston, Atlanta, San Diego, Washington, New York, San Jose, North Carolina and Philadelphia. The Washington Freedom won the Founders Cup last month.
Some of the WUSA's biggest stars were non-Americans such as Maren Meinert of Germany, Hege Riise of Norway and Sissi of Brazil. The opportunity to play in the league vastly improved the quality of play of those nations and several others, and that enhanced skill level should be on display in the World Cup.
After that, who knows?
"We're sad. We're all sad," Hamm said. "This isn't like a bus that you missed. This is something that we've all invested so much time and energy.
"I haven't given up. I believe too much in this."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Is it possible -- maybe just possible -- that we won that Cup only because the rest of the world laughs at women's succer?
Gee, lady, you had 100 mil from investors in your dream. It didn't work, no one cared enough to support your effort and it failed. Thats the breaks. TS and all that.
Whats with the wailing and lamentation? Am I supposed to feel saddened by this or somethin?
Nope. If it has FAN support, it will survive. It didn't.
You are absolutely correct. Whether there weren't enough fans, or there just weren't enough fans at the artificially high price levels that they established, the end result is the same.
Yeah, but they never offer their own money to subsidize anything.
So, when the world finally takes men's soccer less seriously, the US men might then win a world cup?
Invented? She's the leading scorer in soccer. That includes the guys in all leagues around the world. Even Pele.
Invented? She's the leading scorer in soccer. That includes the guys in all leagues around the world. Even Pele.
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