Anyone else getting an error while trying to submit questions? I keep getting a "server configuration" error...

Why you gotta slag on Ben Olsen like that, Goffinho?!?

looking forward to the stadiuzzzzzzzzm questions :-)

Is huh the new zzzzzz?

"looking forward to the stadiuzzzzzzzzm questions :-)"

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As opposed to the Women's zzzzzzzzzzzzzz League questions?

They tried, they missed. Stuff happens. The only reason the WNBA exists is that the NBA is bankrolling it in an effort to detract attention from their jail-bound stars and their game-fixing refs.

WUSA suffered from horrific mismanagement, outsized egos, and any other error you care to name. They paid their price NASL-style. That's the biz.

If they want to try again MLS-style, that's their choice, but my sports dollar is already accounted for. By my student loan bill, as it happens, but that's still a dollar that isn't going to be there to watch girls doing their best to mangle each other while balancing the "sports" factor with the "jiggle" factor.

As I said, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

le Rouge,

The WNBA is close to making a net profit for 2007.

Pro sports teams and leagues are generally not publicly traded (with the attendant scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission and others), so I would take any claims about the profitability of the WNBA/MLS/whatever, or any of their constituent clubs, with a grain of salt.

Boswell's contract is up after this season, I believe, what are your thoughts on his future? Europe doesn't seem likely to me, unless he goes the Scandanvian route, but you are the Insider, so you tell me.

No, Boswell's contract is not up. That question has been answered at least 20 times here in the last month.

Those dissing the women's game obviously don't have daughters that play and take the game seriously. The WUSA went after soccer Moms. They need to go after Soccer Dads with Daughters. There is an interest level, at least here in the DC area, for a crowd of 5000/game. They just need to find a stadium other than RFK.

Yeah - I suppose there's an interest level to watch women's professional soccer. But I'd be surprised if it could sustain prolonged interest for 5,000/game. Maybe in the first year, but after the novelty wears off, the teams would probably average closer to the best W-League numbers.

There are two W-League teams in DC and I'll bet their games are not regularly attended by more than 500 people per (at best).

I found attendance figures for 2002, the second year of WUSA's existence (i.e., after the novelty wore off), at http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=579. Attendance routinely exceeded 5,000 at each and every one of the league's eight venues. There is no reason why a new league can not do at least as well.

I wonder what the avg attendance was in 2002 Wash Freedom vs. DC United. The math would be complicated by the doubleheaders, but I'll bet it was better (from the womens' perspective) than 1:2. I would think 5K per game is completely realistic, but then what are the fixed costs, and will the players really play for next to nothing just to make it happen?

OK - I'm a little surprised at how high the WUSA attendance figures are. Of course, they did include doubleheaders with MLS games in those calculations and league-wide average attendance declined from year 1 to year 2 to year 3 (Freedom's numbers actually went up in year 3).

Did they really only play 10 games/team each season?

The regular season was 21 games; go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Freedom and then scroll down to the section labeled "Year-by-year regular season record."