Submitted by MrAwes0m3 t3_10nobcb in boston

WSJ is reporting that Boston is set to pay $50 million to join the league. The important note is that there is no official timetable for when they would join, whereas Utah and the Bay Area have a 2024 start date. My guess is the NWSL wants a little more certainty about what the facilities will be.

All in all, I'm really excited to have the NWSL back in Boston if this is true and everything works out accordingly!

https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/article/report-nwsl-set-to-expand-with-three-new-teams-in-boston-utah-san-francisco-bay-area/

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jamesland7 t1_j6a4mgx wrote

VERY excited! I’ll be first in line for season tickets! Wonder where they’ll play! Probably BU?

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drtywater t1_j6agbsi wrote

Not to be a dick but how will they be financially sustainable?

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WiserStudent557 t1_j6ah361 wrote

Yeah, I guess I didn’t even realize (or remwmber) that the NWSL even left Boston so I have this question as well. There’s very little mechanism for smaller sports leagues to starve out a niche and even men’s leagues that aren’t the big four have hardly grown. Women’s leagues have an extra challenge and the big leagues aren’t exactly willing to share the market. (I could touch on the whole “NFL only invests in MLS and to keep it small” but that’s a deep wormhole)

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drtywater t1_j6ajjco wrote

Exactly. I’m a big fan of College Hockey and that has a rich 100+ year history in the area. Outside the Beanpot and maybe Hockey East finals it barely has any coverage though. I don’t see how this will any better

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Dances_With_Words t1_j6b5trh wrote

Cannot wait!! I moved here right after the Breakers folded and have been buying tickets to the occasional Gotham game instead.

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ekpyroticflow t1_j6bmbnc wrote

If North Carolina and Portland can have a successful NWSL franchise, Boston/New England should at least have a shot. The league, as well as US soccer fandom, is in a different place now than when Breakers left. Still not easy, though.

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Chappy_Sinclair_ t1_j6co3sa wrote

NWSL = National Women's Soccer League

Boston had a team in the league (Boston Breakers) for a few years before the team folded in 2017.

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DRZ36 t1_j6cz9pp wrote

The people who can pay a $50M fee usually aren’t in the business of bearing millions in operating losses unless there are huge growth opportunities.

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bubumamajuju t1_j6d0owq wrote

That will always have core fans because it’s an excuse for college students to drink and hang out. And it leverages the already large hockey fanbase here since you get to see a lot of good games / prospects. The fact that it’s actually exciting is just a bonus… which women’s softball definitely isn’t (baseball has had declining viewership relative to other sports because of its lethargic pace of play)

Edit: it’s soccer, not softball lmao

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bubumamajuju t1_j6d17j3 wrote

Women’s equivalent to MLS. The fact that we all collectively know a bunch of the players from the US women’s national team but don’t even know the name of their home teams/league tells you just how many people are interested in watching women’s soccer outside of the Women’s World Cup.

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joshhw t1_j6d5342 wrote

I should’ve been more clear in that sports teams are used to off set taxes and are normally reported as losses on their wealthy owners income taxes.

I’d say again, someone who can afford a $50 million price tag for a team, can afford to take a hit if needed. They wouldn’t do it if they didn’t think they could make the financials work. I’d assume neither one of us is a millionaire.

Edit: looking at your post history you might actually be a millionaire. Regardless, they should be able to handle the costs.

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giritrobbins t1_j6d8g0e wrote

Most were established decades ago and while there have been expansions the huge growth has really only been the last two decades or so with the growth of media packages. I think the smallest market team makes more from the NFL tv deals than ticket sales now but there's a reason plenty of teams changed hands for a pittance ages ago. It wasn't the winning proposition it is today.

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drtywater t1_j6ddae4 wrote

I mean having a lot of money does not make it sustainable. MLS has struggled for years and only more recently has had success financially. With the shifting sports landscape and move towards streaming etc I have serious doubts this can be financially sustainable even if they have a low burn rate

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