On Feb. 15, 2000, I was captivated by news that Discovery Channel CEO John Hendricks had raised $40 million in order to form the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), a premier professional women's soccer league.
The idea comes on the heels of 1999's most memorable sporting event -- the Women's World Cup. The American women captured our attention and our hearts with their thrilling run to the Cup. It was without a doubt a defining moment in American sports history.
The league is a great idea. And I stress great. However, I have major concerns as to the potential for the league's success.
Don't get me wrong. Soccer, particularly women's soccer, is an emerging sport in this country. I hate to be a pessimist, but let's examine the facts.
First off, there is the state of women in athletics and the culture of American sports as a whole. Not too long ago the opportunities for females in sport were almost nil. It wasn't until the last 28 or so years that females were given a chip with which to bargain.
1972 brought the passage of Title IX of the Federal Education Amendments, which requires that "no person in the United States, on the basis of sex, be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." Since then, American ideals about sex and sport have been changing. Women now have opportunities that their mothers and grandmothers could only dream of.
However, the idea of the woman athlete is still not universally accepted. Any professional women's league is going to struggle with developing a fan base. Now, not every American spends his or her autumn Sunday afternoons captivated by NFL games, nor do they daily stop working during the summer to watch every Major League Baseball game, but there is a difference here. Even the NFL and the NBA struggled to develop. These are men's professional leagues -- men, the same sex that have been historically accepted as athletically inclined.
A present look at these leagues even shows that they still struggle at times. Look at the Vancouver Grizzlies, the Houston Rockets, the Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings. All four franchises have discussed relocating to a different city as a result of poor stadium deals and low incoming fiscal revenues.
Maybe this is the result of over-expansion on the part of the NFL and the NBA, and maybe this does not apply to the prospects of a women's professional soccer league. So let's consider the premier American men's soccer league, Major League Soccer.
MLS began much like the WUSA will. Following large support for the 1994 World Cup, which was held in various American cities, MLS was born. Corporate sponsors endorsed the league and television contracts were signed. However, look at the league now. After four years, attendance numbers continue to drop off after a relatively successful first year.
This brings me to my second concern with the league. Can professional soccer leagues succeed in America? Ask most Americans what sports they classify as "American" and most will list football, baseball and basketball. Soccer is not often listed.
An important question here is "who will comprise the league's fan base?" League organizers are certainly hoping to ride the 1999 Women's World Cup wave of popularity and to attract fans of all ages and ethnic backgrounds.
My question is, "will those fans be available?" To answer this question, first consider the WUSA's season proposal. League play is supposed to begin in April 2001 and last for five months. If the league begins in April, it will join a crowded landscape in which the NBA and the NHL are nearing the playoffs and Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer are beginning their seasons. There is also the possibility that the XFL, the professional football league to be controlled by the World Wrestling Federation, will also be underway.
If the WUSA hopes to survive, it had better hope that it can attract a largely untapped source for its fan base. With MLS already underway, the number of traditional soccer fans available to attend games will be compromised.
And I have not yet even considered the logistics of stadium deals and television contracts -- both of which are essential to a professional league's success.
So, one might now ask, "what is the WUSA's fate? Will it be successful?" My crystal ball says no, because sadly, like most everything in this world, the league's future will be decided by money. If the league is going to survive, investors had better be prepared to lose money for some years before the league is financially successful. Unlike the Women's National Basketball Association, WUSA will not have the financial backing of a powerhouse league like the NBA.
Here's to hoping the league will survive. If it does, it will increase the level of female American soccer talent and possibly even increase MLS' popularity. In the ever-changing landscape of gender and sports, the WUSA is a huge step towards equality. However, America is not yet ready to embrace the WUSA.
