Citing failing finances, the organizers of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), have announced that the league will cease operations immediately. Since the league began play in 2001, it has lost more than $100 million, and a number of players too significant paycuts before this season in order to help cut costs.
The announcement comes only days before the opening of the 2003 Women's World Cup is to open this Saturday in Philadelphia. Not to be too cynical, but the timing of this announcement doesn't sit right with me. Something tells me this won't be the last we hear from the WUSA. Stay tuned.
POSTSCRIPT: If I were a sports editor, I'd have somebody on the phone to Don Garber, the commissioner of MLS, asking about that league's financial health.
UPDATE: Read the official announcement from the WUSA, here. The most telling line in the statement: that the league was only able to reach 50 percent of its goal when it came to corporate sponsorship. The reaction at the WUSA message board is predictably sad.
As for other reaction, we're probably still a few hours from hearing from women's sports activists and how they feel this might affect the development of women's sports. In terms of little girls playing soccer, that's never going to stop, whether or not they can make a living as a professional either here or abroad.
I would like to hear from Ted and Sara from Women's Hoops, and see what they have to say about the future of women's professional team sports.
I have always felt that without the sibsidy from NBA, the most WNBA frnachises will have folded by now. I am pretty avid sports fan and the only time I watch Women’s sports is during summer olympics and college sports. I watch olympics because … well it is the olympics. I watch college women’s sports because most of that is still ‘amateur’ sports in its best form (even more than Men’s college sports). But when it comes to professional sports, I would rather watch people who are getting paid to perform be the best at what they are doing. In most cases it defacto becomes Mens pro sports. The only women’s pro sports I watch with any enthusiasm is Grand Slam tennis, which I think is better than the Men’s version. I have a feeling many other people feel like me as a LOT of college womens BBall and VBall programs have healthy attendance figures, but this rarely translates to the pro leagues.
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Thanks