Quote:
Originally Posted by fundmark19
To beat a dead horse and how much funding WNBA gets from teams I would still consider it successful and is a model NHL should go for. It isn't just about equal opportunity for women to have a professional sports team. It is about allowing the future generations of girls to dream and aspire to be better athletes.
Can this happen through amateur/semi pro means absolutely but it isn't going to. Canadian media has started taking small steps in broadcasting more female sports but it isn't close to enough. I can watch all the female NCAA sports my heart desires on ESPN in the states however we have nothing here. With 6/7 TSN/Sportsnet channels why can't we get more female content?
Success of WNBA
WNBA - 26 years running
Average Salary- 77k
144 professional players over 12 teams
Attendance continues to grow
NBA players promote and talk about their favorite players.
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The WNBA costs the NBA $10 million/year on average. How is that a successful business model and why should the NHL go for it? Because they can?
The WNBA averaged 7,700 fans per game. The CWHL averaged 177. That’s 2% of what the WNBA averaged. They bleed money with way more attendance.
The bottom line is that nobody wants to watch women’s professional hockey. That’s unfortunate for the women that play but right now it’s not a viable career choice for them. This isn’t about equality, it’s about supply and demand and right now the demand is nearly 0.