ESPN's Bob Ley reported last night that "part of the
upper deck" at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium for Thursday's
Germany-U.S. WWC Quarterfinal match "was opened" for
additional ticket sales: Ley: "Fourteen thousand additional
seats and tickets are being made available to meet increased
demand to see these U.S. women. A ticket frenzy for an
American soccer game? Pinch me" ("SportsCenter," 6/29).
The additional seats will be mostly along the sidelines and
will cost $30, putting capacity "near" 55,000. WWC CEO
Marla Messing: "This is a positive development in that the
demand has outstripped the supply" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/30).
The AP's Barry Wilner writes that the financial success of
the event "was achieved just halfway through the
tournament," as ticket sales "have gone far beyond initial
projections." The U.S. team has played to an average of
more than 65,000 fans for three games, while the non-U.S.
games have drawn an average attendance of "more than"
21,000, which Wilner writes is "better than" the average
attendance of 11 of 30 MLB teams (AP, 6/30).
COULD THIS HAVE A LASTING LEGACY? In N.Y., Rich Wilner
speaks with Muller Sports Group CEO Roberto Muller, who says
that "there are simply not enough top-level players to go
around" for a women's pro league. Muller believes that the
NCAA has to grow its women's soccer championships before a
pro league can survive. But Women's Sports Foundation Exec
Dir Donna Lopiano said, "Women's soccer is a surer bet than
men's soccer because it is less dependent on foreign talent.
It will be interesting to see if the U.S. Soccer Federation
steps up as they did with the [MLS], giving them grants and
interest-free loans" (N.Y. POST, 6/30). U.S. member Julie
Foudy: "There now seems to be a whole new mentality there
about women playing soccer." In L.A., Mike Penner: "That,
bottom line, is what this Women's World Cup is about:
spreading the word, breaking prejudices, opening minds"
(L.A. TIMES, 6/29). In Boston, Alex Beam writes under the
header, "Women's World Cup Is World-Class." Beam: "Will
women's professional soccer succeed here as a television or
stadium sport? No, it won't. ... Men won't watch it, and
most women have better things to do than gawk at the TV for
hours on end. ... So catch it now; it's the greatest show on
earth" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/30).
STRONG SALES FOR MERCHANDISE: The AP's Wilner writes
that WWC merchandise "has been a big hit at the souvenir
stands." Messing: "We are consistently selling out all
merchandise at the stadiums. The demand for our products is
outstripping your standard demand" (AP, 6/30). Nike Dir of
Soccer Sports Marketing Joe Elsmore: "There's basically been
a frenzy. ... Every retailer is screaming for more." But in
Hartford, Lori Riley notes there "has simply not been a
full-out blitz" of WWC advertising on the U.S. public "as
there has been for other major sporting events" in this
country. Gatorade "has probably maintained the highest
visibility of the sponsors" (HARTFORD COURANT, 6/30).
BRANDI'S REBUTTAL: U.S. team member Brandi Chastain, on
posing nude with a soccer ball in the current Gear magazine:
"I've been asked if that's the kind of publicity we want.
But I've given 20 years of my life working on my body as an
athlete. It was done tastefully -- I wouldn't have agreed,
otherwise. It's a picture of a confident, strong woman, and
if someone can't see it that way, maybe they should look at
themselves in the mirror" (Baltimore SUN, 6/30).
