Women's Pro Soccer Commentary: Still rising, despite the sun

By Alexander Kotler

Life should be easier for the second generation, in theory at least.

Obstacles faced by the first generation are overcome in the second by factors such as experience and cultural assimilation, making adjustment, adoption and advancement less cases of "if" than "when".

But in circumstances where the first\'s reputation is inherited by the second, for better or worse, it may be a challenge to meet expectations or to prove that one\'s fate is not predestined.

Such is the situation threatening Women\'s Professional Soccer (WPS), a league that has made tremendous strides forward but - in light of the news that the Los Angeles Sol, regarded by some as its "flagship" team, will disband and cease operations - is struggling to dissociate from its predecessor, the now-defunct Women\'s United Soccer Association (WUSA).

But, despite intimations otherwise, the collapse of one club will not signal the end of WPS, and the comparisons to WUSA, if anything, are simply unfortunate.

Unlike WUSA (and, for that matter, Major League Soccer) WPS is not a single entity structure. This means that, as a franchise business model, the clubs are not co-dependent and do not share profits. And, while a league is unsustainable without teams, WPS is not in grave danger as a result of the LA Sol\'s demise.

This, of course, is not to suggest that all is well or that the league\'s teams are profitable. However, as Davidde Corran wrote in The Roar, WPS should be commended for acting decisively and for bravely waging the unenviable public relations fight against obvious comparisons to WUSA.

I invite you to peruse the following articles, each of which has its own perspective, and decide for yourself. Comments are welcome.

WPS Press Release
Pitch Invasion
More from Pitch Invasion on WPS in Year One
Soccer Fanhouse
San Francisco Business Times
ESPN
[PSW Editor\'s Note: Had to add our own Potomac Soccer Wire story to Alex\'s list]

About the Author
Alex is a New York-based business analyst and soccer consultant who founded and runs Football Partnerships, the popular B2B networking groupfor global soccer/football professionals after completing his MBA in May 2008. For more information, please contact him directly at akotler@footballpartnerships.com