I have to be honest. I do not pay much attention to women’s soccer outside of the World Cup.
I did come across this interesting article in the Chicago Tribune debating the impact of the Women’s World Cup in 1999 and the first-year Women’s Professional Soccer league.
This is where women’s soccer is 10 years after a women’s soccer tournament made the covers of Time and Newsweek and Sports Illustrated, when the team David Letterman called “Babe City” drew by far the largest U.S. TV audience (13.3 rating for the biggest markets) for a soccer match, men’s or women’s.
Some will say the current stature represents failure, especially since the first U.S. women’s pro league, the spendthrift Women’s United Soccer Association, shut down after only three seasons in 2003.
Success and failure are relative terms. It depends on expectations. Are you going to rival second-tier sports like hockey (sorry hockey fans, but it’s true)? Or, do you want to be a very good niche sport and hope for the one breakout star that will attract people to your league.
For example, Danica Patrick bringing fans to IRL. Tiger Woods bringing fans to golf. Soccer wanted Freddy Adu to be that start for men’s soccer, but it has not worked yet.
The article noted that the league has a average attendance of 4,000-6,000. Not too bad.
As long as they are realistic, there is a place for professional women’s soccer on the sports landscape.
Red Card Sports 