Hope Solo, Wambach, others want a new pro league

The big U.S. track meets draw strong crowds -- Penn Relays, Drake Relays, Prefontaine, Texas Relays, Mt. SAC, U.S. Olympic Trials and USA nationals (depending on the year and the venue). NCAAs draw well at certain sites (Eugene, Austin, etc.). Others, not so much.

Of course, about half of the Penn crowd is Jamaicans (and that was the case long before anyone had ever heard of Usain Bolt). Penn is the only U.S. sporting event I've ever attended where they sell jerk chicken at the concession stands.

 

Sweet Pele, they wanted her to call Foudy - who was doing TV at the time - to apologize for "tarnishing the legacy" of the 1999 team? Fuck that.

 

I want to say the women's soccer team at Georgia draws fairly decent crowds. However, I'm also pretty sure admission is free. I know it is for students, and I'm 95% sure it is for kids. If adults have to pay, it's not more than a few bucks.

 

The best women's soccer attendance is University of Portland at 3,100 a game.

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_soccer_RB/2012/attend.pdf

It drops off pretty quickly after that.

 

For comparison, men's leader is UC Santa Barbara at 4,782. Only six schools average 3,000 or more per game.

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_soccer_RB/2012/attend.pdf

 

For a while last decade the attendance at Texas A&M's women's soccer games was off the charts. I see they're still No. 3, behind Portland and BYU.

(My second Aggie post of the day, and probably only my third ever on this board.)

 

Softball is drawing well at an increasing number of schools. I don't like the odds of a pro league surviving, but it would have a better shot than soccer.

 

Develop the league around a reality show. Make it a 13-ep (game) schedule with the 13th being the championship game. Make Hope Solo a "frenemy" of Alex Morgan, put them on different teams. Other players could just play in the games or they could agree to be wired and allow the cameras into their homes for extra cash.
The games will all be very real, the rest of it? Who really cares?

 

Vince McMahon wants in. He'll call it the XSL.

 

That's only because college softball coaches are smokin hot.

 

They already have a pro softball league (National Pro Fastpitch) and I believe it's down to four teams.

 

This team is doing another barnstorming tour. I know they are playing the Australian women's team at Home Depot Center, I believe this month.