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Leagues and Governing Bodies

National Women's Soccer League Eyes Stability, Viability As It Enters Second Season

The NWSL is in the early stages of its second season, but its "long-term viability is uncertain," as women’s pro leagues in the U.S. "can’t draw fans, either at live events or on television, the way men’s leagues can," according to Juliet Macur of the N.Y. TIMES. Progress for women's pro leagues "always seems to be inch by inch, if there is progress at all." If there are "marked strides, they seem to be made on the back of a men’s league." The WNBA "would probably not exist without the help of the NBA." U.S. soccer players "are doing their best to succeed on an international level while pushing for the new league to catch on with fans." The U.S. women's squad has not won a FIFA World Cup since '99, but NWSL Washington Spirit and U.S. MF Yael Averbuch said, "It’s going to take much more than a World Cup win for this league to be successful." Spirit Owner Bill Lynch said that having 3,000 fans at every game "would 'really make the team sustainable' but that reaching the number might take three to five years." Macur notes the Spirit "had about 2,300 at their home opener last week." The U.S. Soccer Federation "has never been more invested in the success of a women’s pro league." Each team "is anchored by national team players whose salaries are paid by the federation." But the "lasting edge the league has -- or should have -- over men’s pro leagues is that the athletes can appeal to young female athletes in ways men never can" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/18).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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