Women's Professional Hockey at crossroads

[bthompson1286 5]

Honesty its a losing cause.  Striking or boycotting how will that really help?  What is the overall interest of womens hockey?  The WNBA can barely do well and basketball is a lot more popular than hockey.  Also the skill level of the womens game isn't as high as echl or ahl.  That's a fact.  What was the drawing numbers of the Womens World championships?  I'm sorry but this is a losing battle.  The Women's game is a minor sport.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

2 minutes ago, bthompson1286 said:

Striking or boycotting how will that really help?

It will force the NWHL to fold. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Looks like the Beauts have relinquished control back to the NWHL. They were one of the only teams (I think there was two of them) who actually had an owner rather than being owned by the league.

https://www.tsn.ca/pegulas-relinquish-control-of-buffalo-beauts-1.1302645

 

[bthompson1286 5]

1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

It will force the NWHL to fold. 

so that's a good thing?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

1 minute ago, bthompson1286 said:

so that's a good thing?

Yes very much so. The biggest hurdle was the two pro leagues, and the way they were organized and the way they were using the money. 

Just like when the CWHL folded and the players all said it was a good thing even when the media was reporting it as a bad thing. 

[chippa13 1844]

21 hours ago, adam14 said:

while I agree that neither women's league has a sparkling track record in how their leagues are run, there is no leverage in threatening a boycott or strike because not enough people give a shit about the sport.

I have the upmost respect for anybody trying to make a living playing sports in the grinder leagues whether Male or female, but them demanding to be paid or supported when they offer next to nothing in terms of collateral is probably the main deterrent in this situation. 

The NBA loses millions trying to support the WNBA every year, I cant blame the NHL for waiting to see how this plays out because the return isnt there for them.

They're asking for someone to pay their way when at this point in time the product cant even pay for itself, I'm not sure who would consider that a viable investment right now.

The idea is to have that something to strive for. Sure, the NBA would like the WNBA to be a money maker but there are other perks for supporting it. Having the WNBA gives young girls something to look up towards and can help to drive female participation and interest in the sport as a whole. That increased interest for the sport as a whole leads to increased viewership, ticket sales, and merchandising opportunities. Why wouldn't the NHL want to make that investment in their product?

I can't say for sure if we'd ever see a fully self-sustaining WNBA or WNHL, but then, most minor league hockey teams can't survive without assistance from the big club.

[adam14 182]

21 minutes ago, chippa13 said:

The idea is to have that something to strive for. Sure, the NBA would like the WNBA to be a money maker but there are other perks for supporting it. Having the WNBA gives young girls something to look up towards and can help to drive female participation and interest in the sport as a whole. That increased interest for the sport as a whole leads to increased viewership, ticket sales, and merchandising opportunities. Why wouldn't the NHL want to make that investment in their product?

I can't say for sure if we'd ever see a fully self-sustaining WNBA or WNHL, but then, most minor league hockey teams can't survive without assistance from the big club.

And I'm all for this as well, but even WNBA players are complaining that even while the NBA loses money by giving them a platform they want more. 

I sense a similar sentiment here in that women's hockey wants the NHL to eventually step up and build a league, but it has to be on their terms, which doesnt entirely make sense to me. 

[BenBreeg 493]

41 minutes ago, chippa13 said:

The idea is to have that something to strive for. Sure, the NBA would like the WNBA to be a money maker but there are other perks for supporting it. Having the WNBA gives young girls something to look up towards and can help to drive female participation and interest in the sport as a whole. That increased interest for the sport as a whole leads to increased viewership, ticket sales, and merchandising opportunities. Why wouldn't the NHL want to make that investment in their product?

I can't say for sure if we'd ever see a fully self-sustaining WNBA or WNHL, but then, most minor league hockey teams can't survive without assistance from the big club.

I dont know what the money situation is but even at the ECHL level you are getting a couple thousand people per game.  That investment to grow the game sounds good, but it awfully hard to trace a direct ROI and there is a considerable lag effect.  Not saying it isnt true, but that is a really low level of confidence for an investment.  There is already a lot of direct investment in youth hockey where girls are participating more and more. 

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

Devils just announced they will no longer be affiliated with the Riveters.

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/26768491/devils-ending-partnership-nwhl-riveters

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Good stuff. Progress is always positive. 

[2nhockey 21]

On 5/8/2019 at 6:07 PM, BenBreeg said:

I dont know what the money situation is but even at the ECHL level you are getting a couple thousand people per game. 

There is an ECHL team here and they do get 2-3 thousand people per game. But they aren’t doing well. Had an affiliation with Phoenix, lost that, then were affiliated with Minnesota and lost that. Last season they played unaffiliated and had to go to the city to get money to stay in operation and then later sold to an outside investment group. So even getting a few thousand people thru the doors and selling a few jerseys isn’t enough. At least not in this market. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]