Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: The feud between the Women’s Professional Soccer league and Dan
Borislow, the outspoken unorthodox owner of the Boca Raton-based
MagicJack team, has gotten so ugly that the league is threatening to
terminate the club after this season.

Borislow struck back by
seeking a court-ordered injunction to prevent the league from taking his
team, which features Women’s World Cup stars Abby Wambach, Hope Solo,
Christie Rampone and Megan Rapinoe. The team – which has drawn record
crowds since the World Cup – is run Borislow’s way, without a front
office, without a website and without advertising.

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Location : Savannah, Ga.

MagicJack owner's (Dan Borislow) fires off a wheels-off statement about his lawsuit against WPS:

Quote :: Today we filed a lawsuit to get back what was stolen from us by the
WPS.The many travesty’s outlined in the lawsuit include a scheme by
Jennifer O’Sullivan and Kristina Hentschel ,being defended by their
lawyer Pam Fulmer whom in essence is one of the acting leaders of the
WPS,is a plot to extort magicJack of over $2.4 Million.O’Sullivan had
been quoted”Dan very much wants to be a partner in this league” when we
already were a paying partner(In the millions of dollars)in the
league.magicJack possesses these “invoices’ from the WPS .

The lawsuit also spells out how we saved the league when nobody
else wanted to,then went on to being the Focus team of the league having
the foresight to obtain the four most popular fan favorites of the US
Womens National team.magicJack was by far and away the largest draw for
fans to the league.If it wasn’t for the outrageous behavior of the WPS
management,it would have gone on to win the Championship too.There
wasn’t a team in the league whom we didn’t beat convincingly.Now the
league decided the best thing to do,is to steal the team and it’s most
valuable assets- the players-and enhance their own team after learning
how to be successful like magicJack.The problem for them is,and the
reason the US Womens National team cannot play for the WPS anymore,is
they think the dont have to pay these players.magicJack on average paid
its National team members an average of over $45,000 plus a super
apartment and many other valuable benefits.The others figured if they
got rid of me,there would be no competition to have to pay the players
what they deserve and need to live on.After they got rid of
magicJack,most teams have been offering these players in the $10,000 to
$20,000 per year range.This is an impossible salary for the WNT
players to play for.This is a league who’s primary function, in the eyes
of the governing body , to supplement the US WNT salary and provide a
farm system to develop the best players for our Country.What it has
turned out to be is a league who doesn’t pay a fair salary and it’s best
players will probably be foreign born.

We got into this to help the girls in our youth leagues,to help our
Country build the best National team and to help Women see a path to
fulfill their dreams.Now we have some foreign born coaches and Governors
who seem to care little to none about our Womens National team.I
personally play soccer with mostly foreign born people and share their
Love for the game.But I know,when it comes time to watch the World
Cup,they are cheerinf for where they were born in most cases.It’s a fact
of life and something I would practice if I lived abroad.The last Men’s
World Cup played,I participated in a game where we had Americans play
against English born guys.These are players who normally play together
all the time,but at World Cup and Olympics everything changes.I honestly
believe three of the teams in the WPS would like to see the Americans
lose to the Country they were born in.That being said,Pia our National
Coach is the most avid fan of her own players and the US National
team.It’s because she coaches the team,is ethical and understands this
wonderful opportunity provided to her.I am also sure that the team she
wants to come in second is the Swedish team.

So I believe the league is actually anti USA.It’s a league who
doesn’t want to do the right thing for it’s Women’s US National
Team.It’s a league who doesn’t follow one of the most valued principals
of the USA-due process of the law.Did you see the NFL take away Al
Davis’ team-NO.The NBA take Mark Cuban’s team-NO.The MLB take the
Dodgers-NO.Some people will have a different opinion of how things
should be and their opinions in many cases be cherished.The fact of the
matter is,magicJack was the success of the league.Now the WPS did
something that most undoubtly will be overturned in an American Court
because they didn’t allow us our rights.Can you imagine if the
government and others seized your valuable property for no
reason,something you worked your whole life for?.This wouldn’t be the
United States anymore.It would be anarchy with people getting killed.

I believe the only solution is to have a trustee run the league and
try and reverse the damages the best they can.To make sure our Women
get paid a fair wage and work in close cooperation with the US Womens
National team.Without WNT success,we won’t have a product anybody will
want to see anymore.It’s another unfortunate day in Soccer in the US,but
hopefully part of the process to better things.magicJack remains
committed to Professional Soccer for Women.

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: If you look at the list of players who [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] signed with WPS teams for 2012, you’ll see that an awful lot of players are in the “have not” category. That includes [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] assembled for Saturday’s revenge friendly against Sweden.

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: The top professional soccer league for women, which has only five teams,
is in danger of losing sanctioning from US Soccer, the sport’s
governing body in the United States.

According to US Soccer’s bylaws, all professional leagues are required
to have a minimum of eight teams. With only six (all in the eastern part
of the country) in 2011, W.P.S. requested and was granted a one-year
waiver by the federation’s board of directors. Now with only five teams a
certainty for the 2012 season, W.P.S. requested an extension of the
waver to take it through a season that will include the London Olympics
in the hope of attracting new investors before 2013.

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: “When W.U.S.A. folded, one of the worst things I continued to hear
was that it was too bad they [the general public] didn’t know more about
it.” When I read that in an e-mail from a fellow W.P.S. player, I was
moved to do my part.

If you don’t already know, W.P.S., Women’s Professional Soccer, may not exist in 2012.

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: Is it possible to have an epic rant on Twitter? Longtime U.S. defender
Kate Markgraf, who played in both the WUSA and WPS, hinted at a few
issues Sunday evening.

Location : Fort Worth, TX

Kate Markgraf is arguably my favorite former player/commentator. During the WWC games she called, she said that the players should go "balls out" during two different games and gave tips for defenders on how to properly pull a shirt without getting called for the foul. Oh and she knows how to pay attention to the game clock, unlike Julie Foudy. She was also on the mic with Bobby Rhine for the last game he ever called (a Texas A&M Women's Soccer game).

I'd love to be able to sit down and have beers with the woman.

Also here's an open letter regarding the future of WPS from Anthony DiCicco. DiCicco (not related to Tony) is deeply involved in the soccer community in CT and is respected in women's soccer circles.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Location : Fort Worth, TX

Here's a great interview with Tim Holt, the president of USL.

He touches on some WPS v W-League/WPSL tidbits.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Location : Fort Worth, TX

For a great running tally on the situation as it evolves, Beau Dure has been covering women's soccer in general for years and he's keeping tabs on the saga as it unfolds on his blog and over at espnW.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Hitting you up with a ton of info on this. I've been following along the whole time. A lot of stuff broke over Thanksgiving weekend. I've been battling a gnarly cold so typing coherent thoughts was painful. But I'm coming out the other end of said cold and am able to share links galore.

Location : Fort Worth, TX

Peter Wilt bringing the best suggestions yet.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: The reason given for the delay in WPS sanctioning was to give the league time to line up a sixth team.

That has not happened.

Location : Fort Worth, TX

Great blog from the players perspective from Ciara Mc Cormack.

It's more about the W-League team but it stems from comments made about how the women's game should maintain an amateur level instead of going pro, so it's relevant to the WPS conversation.

She's putting the Vancouver Whitecaps FO on front street!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Location : Fort Worth, TX

According to Beau Dure (@duresport on twitter), provisional approval for D1 status in 2012. Ownership for all 5 teams needs to sign off on all the conditions set forth, which are yet not known. Once US Soccer gets word that all 5 teams agree to the terms, they'll issue a full formal statement.

Location : Savannah, Ga.

Dana wrote:: According to Beau Dure (@duresport on twitter), provisional approval for D1 status in 2012. Ownership for all 5 teams needs to sign off on all the conditions set forth, which are yet not known. Once US Soccer gets word that all 5 teams agree to the terms, they'll issue a full formal statement.

Here's Beau's article on ESPN:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: U.S. Soccer's board of directors agreed Monday evening to continue its
sanction of the WPS with Division 1 status, its highest for a
professional league, despite it only having five teams for 2012.
Finalization of the decision hinges on WPS owners agreeing to certain
disclosed terms stipulated by U.S. Soccer.

Location : Savannah, Ga.

gwar0127 wrote:

Dana wrote:: According to Beau Dure (@duresport on twitter), provisional approval for D1 status in 2012. Ownership for all 5 teams needs to sign off on all the conditions set forth, which are yet not known. Once US Soccer gets word that all 5 teams agree to the terms, they'll issue a full formal statement.

Here's Beau's article on ESPN:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: U.S. Soccer's board of directors agreed Monday evening to continue its
sanction of the WPS with Division 1 status, its highest for a
professional league, despite it only having five teams for 2012.
Finalization of the decision hinges on WPS owners agreeing to certain
disclosed terms stipulated by U.S. Soccer.

Here are the stipulations:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: In order to be considered for Division 1 sanctioning beyond 2012, WPS
must increase the number of teams in the league over the next two
seasons to a minimum of six for 2013 and a minimum of eight for 2014.
Other conditions have to do with financial requirements, both at the
team and league levels, designed to ensure continued operation of the
teams through the 2012 season and to ensure the participation of a sixth
team for the 2013 season.

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: Underneath the occasionally amusing insults, we have a fairly
legitimate debate. Duane isn’t the only person suggesting that the top
North American women’s league should follow more of a semipro model.
Peter Wilt, who qualifies as a co-founder of WPS for his work with the
Chicago Red Stars, put forth a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and sparked an enlightening discussion. Bonnie D. Ford [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] at espnW and drew a few hostile comments as well as the typical Internet gaggle of juvenile responses.

Here’s the strange part to me: Why are we having this discussion now?

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: A few mornings ago, Nikki Krzysik, Rebecca Moros and I showed up to play
pickup with a bunch of guys. We entered the indoor facility in Clifton,
N.J., excited about our preparation for another professional season. We
left heartbroken, feeling as if we had nothing to play for. In the
instant I saw the e-mail that W.P.S. 2012 would not be taking place, my
motivation was zapped. I had a lump in my throat. Even worse was seeing
the faces of the two other women who were there with me. Our livelihood
had been taken away from us all at once.

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: The history of women's football in America shows that success for the
national side has a huge impact on the public's interest. An earlier
attempt to establish a professional league in 2000 followed victory in
the 1999 World Cup. That league lasted until 2003.

The day
before the WPS announced the suspension of the 2012 season, the national
team had qualified for the London Olympics. The potential for exposure
appeared huge. The positive spin is that the absence of league games
will allow more time for preparation. But the extra training hardly
takes the place of competitive action.

The bigger implication is
that it may prove impossible to reinstate the league after a break. The
Wall Street Journal acknowledged the part played in the suspension by
the magicJack dispute, but, significantly, noted that "disappointing
revenues" were part of the background.

Location : Savannah, Ga.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :: I’ve said before that there are plenty of reasons to own a sports
team or invest in it. You could argue that Barcelona is a “cause,” and
it’s sometimes hard to tell if that cause it the “more than a club”
philosophy or Keynesian theory on economic debt. (Yes, econ nerds, I
know I’m oversimplifying. Bear with me here.)

What we saw in 2011 wasn’t so much “cause” marketing as a different
type of ownership. Dan Borislow and Joe Sahlen differ on a few things,
but they had some similarities. They were willing to spend money on
talent. And their teams were, in part, outlets of their brands. Borislow
named the team after his product; Sahlen bought heavily as a league
sponsor with naming rights on their stadium.

So when we ask why Abby Wambach has sworn allegiance to Borislow or
why other national team players haven’t spoken up about the current
legal mess or Ella Masar’s incendiary blog post, are we really asking
what these players believe is possible in WPS?

» 2011 SMU men's soccer [R]
» "Soccer City"
» North American Soccer Almanac
» Crocketteers & San Antonio Soccer
» Soccer online vidjas