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WNBA vs. NWSL

 
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toad455



Joined: 16 Nov 2005
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PostPosted: 10/13/19 4:09 pm    ::: WNBA vs. NWSL Reply Reply with quote

For the first time in women's pro soccer, the NWSL topped the WNBA in average attendance. A post-World Cup boost propelled the NWSL to a final average of 7,386, a 23% increase from last season. The WNBA finished 2019 with an average of 6,528, a record low. It's a shame the FIBA World Cup & USA Basketball doesn't get the attention that the FIFA World Cup & the USWNT get.





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Randy



Joined: 08 Oct 2011
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PostPosted: 10/13/19 4:16 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

I know nothing about NWSL attendance figures, but I think it is pretty clear that WNBA numbers often don't pass the eye test. Some teams numbers may be pretty accurate, others not so much. WNBA (like the NBA) uses distributed tickets - which includes however many they want to give away (whether anyone actually uses the tickets to go to a game). Does anyone know what NWSL uses?

BTW - the NWSL getting a bounce from the World Cup is nice. It seems to me though that the WNBA gets nothing from winning the Gold medal. I suspect it is because the US players are expected to win, so there is much "drama" and because Basketball (esp. women's) get lost with all the other events going on.


Stormeo



Joined: 14 Jul 2019
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PostPosted: 10/15/19 4:59 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

1. Hopefully the NWSL has a plan to capitalize on the resurgence in popularity in order to cultivate long-term interest. Crazy how Portland and even Utah to a lesser extent average soooo many more fans than the rest - anyone know why the Portland Thorns in particular are so popular?

2. Staying on the subject of Portland: those attendance figures + newfound high-level NCAA WBB with the two main state universities = #BringBackThePortlandFire. Kinda hurts to see that roughly half of these NWSL cities had but lost a W team Sad

3. Out of all the women's sports, the reality is, WBB gets sh!tted on the most, and I certainly don't want any other women's sports to get the same treatment. But even knowing it's a combination of factors (lesbian stereotypes, lack of dunking, perceived skill level compared to men, etc.), sometimes I still can't help but wonder why WBB gets it so bad Neutral

4. This is another opportunity for me to say that having the letter "W" in a league's acronym is such a mouthful Confused (Unless it's just "The W", as I and others call it) Idea Petition to switch every W for Women's into G for Gal's, or Q for Queen's Smile (but not L for Ladies, as the college level has surely ruined the use of that Razz "L"). Better yet, does a professional league even need to mention the general gender of the players in its name? Does one letter representing a gender also represent a source of pride, or is it there for marketing purposes? And having "NBA" in the league name to me hasn't seemed to matter as it relates to the W's popularity growth Rolling Eyes


pilight



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PostPosted: 10/15/19 7:23 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Stormeo wrote:
And having "NBA" in the league name to me hasn't seemed to matter as it relates to the W's popularity growth Rolling Eyes


Having NBA in the league's name helped to differentiate it from a fly-by-night league of the type that had failed so many times before, i.e. the ABL.



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toad455



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PostPosted: 10/15/19 8:58 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

In regards to Portland & the WNBA, there was a rumor a few years ago that the Timbers were interested in a franchise. Nothing came of it and those rumors have fizzled.

the NWSL has numerous interested potential ownership groups that would grow the league up to 14 teams by 2022(surpassing the WNBA in # of teams). To have 7-8 known ownership groups pursuing a franchise is incredible. Does the WNBA even have one group mysteriously looking for a franchise that no one knows about?



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ClayK



Joined: 11 Oct 2005
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PostPosted: 10/15/19 9:03 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

I believe that the WNBA attendance figures are more closely aligned with reality than in the past, and that many more of the tickets are paid for, as opposed to being given away or heavily discounted.

Knowing little about the NWSL, I could be wrong, but my guess would be that many of the franchises with lower attendance are fudging the numbers and giving away lots of freebies, just as the WNBA did for many years (and Atlanta still does).



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Stormeo



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PostPosted: 10/15/19 1:05 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

pilight wrote:
Stormeo wrote:
And having "NBA" in the league name to me hasn't seemed to matter as it relates to the W's popularity growth Rolling Eyes


Having NBA in the league's name helped to differentiate it from a fly-by-night league of the type that had failed so many times before, i.e. the ABL.


It made sense at the time, but certainly the past decade it hasn’t made much of a difference. Attendance numbers haven’t been collectively improving for a little while now. Although, one could argue that it’s been enough years that the league’s name & the league itself are forever intertwined.


calbearman76



Joined: 02 Nov 2009
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PostPosted: 10/23/19 8:55 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

A few issues on the differences between these leagues. I wonder what the average cost per ticket is, but I suspect that the WNBA is significantly higher.

As for the World Cup in soccer, it is significantly more important than the FIBA championships. This year Sylvia Fowles and Tina Charles played, but several WNBA stars passed. The biggest event in basketball is the Olympics. The WNBA adjusts its schedule for the Olympics, but not for FIBA. The WNBA has always gotten an extra push from the Olympics.

The racial issue is also important. The "our girls" concepts plays far better with primarily white players. And I don't know whether soccer players have as many gay players as in basketball but, Megan Rapinoe notwithstanding, I do not believe that is the widespread sense.

I have never been to a NWSL game, and doubt I ever will, but that is because I am not a soccer fan. (The only professional soccer game I ever attended was almost 50 years ago in England, between Arsenal and some other team.)


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