Editorial

The timing of the WUSA folding days before the 2003 Women's World cup is due to begin, may actually be another brilliant marketing plan in a string of strategically timed moments-such as the successful launch of the major sponsor Nike's Black Sports bra, introduced to millions, by Brandi Chastain at the end of the tournament.

I had the thrill of sitting twelve rows up on the fifty-yard line for the opening ceremonies at the 1999 Women's World Cup, which the United States hosted and won. The noise and the enthusiasm on that brilliant June day were sensational. As I watched the American women win their first game, I knew the tournament would be the turning point in women's sports.

The event was a tremendous success. It was a significant cultural and societal happening. It truly represented a watershed event in women's sports history around the world. But that was really what it was - it was a marketing "happening" sold as an Olympic-type event, it was never sold as a soccer tournament. Two of the event organizers, Marla Messing and Olympic gold medal swimmer, Donna de Varona, knew how much we Americans love huge sports events and how much we love getting behind our American athletes during these events.

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Ultimately the WUSA league was founded in 2000, with its formation grounded in the euphoria of the American women winning the world cup. However, the tournament was a catalyst for something much more important than sitting back and watching sports: more girls are actually playing soccer in our country than ever before. Girl's softball, basketball and Ice hockey have never been more popular. Title IX has been through some very rigorous challenges this past year, and it now stands stronger than before.

Soccer fans from around the country are in motion - brainstorming ways to sway top sponsors to pony up the dough needed to revive the WUSA. These folks are doing exactly what the WUSA needs right now - cheerleading to get a rally going. But, the big push needs to get fans to attend games. If the league is to thrive and capture the attention of the sponsors, it has to sell many, many more seats than the current average of 6,600 per game. Dedicated fans need to collect signatures of intent and to pre-sell future seats. If fans could pull that off then the sponsors may sit up and take notice.

And, what if the league cannot be revived? My bet is that after every world cup the numbers of young girls playing sports will continue to soar and ultimately this is what we really want for our youth. Stay tuned.

Read more about this subject in Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports (Harper Collins) by Brooke de Lench. Brooke is also the founder and editor-in-chief of MomsTeam.com.

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Article Updated: August 25, 2007

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