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I couldn’t believe my eyes. Yesterday, at the top of NCAA.org read the question,
Will the economy undo women’s professional sports? Would this have a trickle-down impact on women’s college sports?
My personal opinion is no. The economy won’t undo women’s professional sports. Our culture’s value system will. When the economy is down, so are programs (across all industries) which rely on sponsorship/advertising and aren’t particularly “popular” with the dominant class of society. Unfortunately, these days, women’s professional sports fall into that spit bucket.
However, it doesn’t mean we can ignore the problem - it’s a topic that rightfully deserves some discussion.
The Houston Comets announced this week that they will be suspending operations until they find a new owner for the club. We don’t know what this means for the future of the Comets, but as far as the 2009 season is concerned, the Comets are done.
Similarly, the LPGA announced in late November that it will be cutting back on three tournaments this year, as well as prize money. USA Today reports,
“The reductions come amid an economic downturn that is sweeping across the sports world, although the PGA Tour increased its purses for 2009.”
However, there is hope in the sky.
Women’s Professional Soccer is making a comeback. This article in Forbes discusses the mistakes that WPS’s predecessor has made. With all that investment, they couldn’t get people in the stands.
What I pose, however, is a larger question.
With the overwhelmingly large amount of young women (and older women) who currently - or at some point in their lives - participate in sports, why are female professional sports so unpopular? Where is that disconnect? Where is that market?
View Original Post at becauseiplayedsports.com
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