Women's professional sports
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Professional athletes are distinguished from amateur athletes by virtue of being paid. Throughout the world, most top female athletes are not paid, and work full-time or part-time jobs in addition to their training, practice and competition schedules. Women's professional sports organizations defy this trend. Such organizations are relatively new, and are most common in very economically developed countries, where investors are available to buy teams, and businesses can afford to sponsor them in exchange for publicity and promotion of their products. Very few governments support professional sports, male or female.
Professional sports leagues give athletes the training and experience necessary for international competition and are a prime pool from which Women's National Team players are recruited. The WNBA, for instance, enjoys financial backing via the NBA and supplies a stream of professional players to the USA Basketball WNT.
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[edit] History of Women's Professional Sports
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Beginning in the late 1960s, a few women gained enough recognition for their athletic talent and social acceptance as role models to earn a living playing sports. Most of these were in the United States. Among them was Joan Weston, a roller derby star who was once the highest paid female in sports, but she was the exception rather than the rule.
Things began to change in 1973 when Billie Jean King won "the Battle of the Sexes" and cracked the glass ceiling on pay for female athletes. Other players, like Martina Navratilova, broke through that ceiling, decreasing the gap between women and men athlete's pay on a regular basis rather than occasionally.
Even now, in the 21st century, most professional women athletes around the world receive very little notoriety or pay compared to men. Life acknowledged the importance of King's achievement in 1990 by naming her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century."
[edit] Women's professional sports organizations
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[edit] USA
Though women have been pro athletes in the United States, since the early 1900s, paid teams, leagues and athletes are still uncommon and, as of 2006, paid far less than their male counterparts. For instance, the WNBA had its first season in 1997, 51 years after inception of the men's NBA. The WNBA (under the NBA Board of Governors) pays the top women players 60 times less than the top men. In 2005, the WNBA team salary cap was $0.673 million. The NBA cap was over 60 times higher, at $43.87 million. The WUSA became the first American women's pro league in 2001, but lasted only briefly because of financial sponsorship. Fans enjoyed women's pro soccer for three seasons before executives announced suspension of the league, in spite of the fact that the US Soccer WNT was rated one of the world's top teams. Absence of a Women's professional football (soccer) league in the United States now makes it difficult for the Soccer WNT to find new players who are ready for international competition. A 2004 effort to revive the WUSA was launched. On September 4, 2007, a new North American women's professional soccer league, tentatively named Women's Soccer LLC, was announced, and ultimately launched in 2009 as Women's Professional Soccer. Women's baseball
Since many men were on the battlefield during the Second World War, the All-American Girl's Professional Baseball League(AAGBL), in place of Major League Baseball, was created in 1943 to provide entertainment of people exhausted by the war. It was such a success that the number of people who attended women's baseball games reached almost 1 million in 1948. Yet, when the war ended and Major League Baseball players came back home, female baseball players were obliged to fill the role of housewife at home. AAGBL lost its audience, struggled with finances, and ceased to exist in 1954.
Forty years later, in 1994, a businessman in Atlanta struck a $3 million sponsorship deal with Coors and formed a women's professional baseball team called Colorado Silver Bullets. About 20 members were selected from 1,300 baseball players nationwide for this team. The Bullets played games with men's semiprofessional teams and regional teams. In 1997, when the Ladies League Baseball was born and it included four teams, the Bullets fought with them.
The Ladies League Baseball changed its name into the Ladies Pro Baseball and added two teams into the league in 1998. However, after the first month, the league has been suspended, being faced with financial difficulties of its sponsors. The Bullets has not operated also since 1998 as Coors terminated its contract.
Women's volleyball The Women's Professional Volleyball Association was established in 1986. The association organized professional 6-player indoor volleyball leagues and beach volleyball leagues, such as Budlight Pro Beach Volleyball League in 1997, in which 4 teams participated. It was unfortunate that the Women's Professional Volleyball Association dissolved in April 1998.
Women's softball and soccer
The first women's professional softball league was established in 1976, but it only lasted for four years because of its financial reasons and failure in marketing. In 1994, the Women's Professional Fastpitch emerged to prepare a rebirth of the professional league, which came into existence with 6 teams in 1997. The teams were divided into 2 groups, had 66 games a year, and the winners of both groups did play-off. Several games were on the air. Another team joined the league in 1999 and the league will consist of 18 teams in 5 years.
There has been a proposal to create a professional league in women's soccer for several years, but it has been put off due to the lack of financing. A professional league is expected to be formed after the 1999 Women's World Cup to be held in the United States; but there is no definite plan yet.
Women's basketball
There are many countries where women's professional basketball league exists besides the United States, such as Italy, Germany, Spain, and Brazil. Many Americans players went overseas and some WNBA players play basketball in foreign countries during WNBA's off-season.
"Basketball Professional Leagues"
Women's Pro Basketball League, WBL Main article: Women's Pro Basketball League
The Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) was a professional women's basketball league in the United States. The league played three seasons from the fall of 1978 to the spring of 1981. The league is generally considered to be the first American professional women's basketball league to be founded.[5]
Women's Basketball Association, WBA Main article: Women's Basketball Association
The Women's Basketball Association (WBA) was a professional women's basketball league in the United States. The league played three seasons from the summer of 1993 to the summer of 1995. The league is considered to be the first American professional women's basketball league to be successful as a SUMMER league, like the WNBA.[6]
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION 1993 - 1996 [Played three full seasons with plans to play as a 12-team league in 1997, disbanded before 1997 season]
A summer league formed in 1992, the WBA played a 15-game schedule and games were broadcast on Liberty Sports of Dallas. When FOX Sports purchased Liberty Sports and the WBA, they disbanded the league.
1993 WBA AMERICAN CONFERENCE W L Pct. GB Nebraska Express 13 2 .867 .. Missouri Mustangs 10 5 .667 3 Oklahoma Cougars 3 12 .200 10
WORLD CONFERENCE W L Pct. GB Kansas Crusaders 10 5 .667 .. Iowa Unicorns 5 10 .333 5 Illinois Knights 4 11 .267 6
MVP: Sarah Campbell
WBA FIRST ROUND Iowa 119, Missouri 103 Missouri 98, Iowa 93 Missouri 117, Iowa 112 (OT)
Kansas 92, Oklahoma 77, Kansas 114, Oklahoma 64
Nebraska 166, Illinois 129 Nebraska 127, Illinois 115
WBA SECOND ROUND Kansas 121, Missouri 97 Kansas 109, Missouri 99
WBA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Kansas 125, Nebraska 119 Nebraska 118, Kansas 100 Kansas 111, Nebraska 96 Kansas 100, Nebraska 98 (*KANSAS: FIRST WBA CHAMPIONS)
MVP: Robelyn (Robbie) Garcia
1994 WBA AMERICAN CONFERENCE W L Pct. GB Nebraska Express 10 5 .667 5 Indiana Stars 8 7 .533 7 Oklahoma Flames 3 12 .200 12 Iowa Twisters 1 14 .067 14
NATIONAL CONFERENCE W L Pct. GB Kansas City Mustangs 15 0 1.000 .. Memphis Blues 10 5 .667 5 St. Louis River Queens 9 6 .600 6 Kansas Marauders 4 11 .267 11
MVP: Evette Ott, Sarah Campbell
WBA FIRST ROUND Memphis 126, St. Louis 111 Memphis 122, St. Louis 110
Indiana 107, Oklahoma 91 Indiana 103, Oklahoma 91
WBA SECOND ROUND Kansas City 98, Memphis 94 Memphis 101, Kansas City 87 (winner determined by total points - Memphis 195, Kansas City 185)
Nebraska 99, Indiana 89 Nebraska 91, Indiana 87
WBA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Memphis 102, Nebraska 101 Nebraska 123, Memphis 108 Memphis 138, Nebraska 128 Nebraska 111, Memphis 101 Nebraska 103, Memphis 101
MVP: Maurtice (Tice) Ivy
1995 WBA American Conference W L Pct. GB Chicago Twisters 15 1 .938 .. Nebraska Express 6 9 .400 8.5 Minnesota Stars 5 10 .333 9.5 Oklahoma Flames 5 10 .333 9.5
National Conference W L Pct. GB St. Louis RiverQueens 9 7 .562 .. Kansas City Mustangs 7 8 .467 1.5 Kentucky Marauders 7 8 .467 1.5 Memphis Blues 7 8 .467 1.5
WBA CHAMPIONSHIP 29 July l995 Chicago 107, St. Louis 96
WBA Photos, WBA references All Star Cards: WBA - 1995 - 20 1994 - 1995 All-Star Team 1 1994 All-Stars 2 Lisa Braddy 1.00 Kansas City Mustangs 3 Sarah Campbell 1.00 Kansas City Mustangs 4 Lisa Carlsen 1.00 Nebraska Express 5 Joy Champ 1.00 Kansas City Mustangs 6 Cledella Evans 1.00 Oklahoma Flames 7 Crystal Flint 1.00 Rookie 8 Robbie Garcia 1.00 Kansas City Mustangs 9 Kay Kay Hart 1.00 Iowa Twisters 10 Petra Jackson 1.00 St. Louis River Queens 11 Patrice Marshall 1.00 Oklahoma Flames 12 Evette Ott 1.00 Kansas City Mustangs 13 Lynn Page 1.00 Oklahoma Flames 14 Lisa Sandbothe 1.00 St. Louis River Queens 15 Danielle Shareef 1.00 Kansas City Mustangs 16 Lisa Tate 1.00 Rookie 17 Kiana Vines 1.00 Indiana Stars 18 Tammy Williams 1.00 Indiana Stars 19 Cynthia Wilson 1.00 Rookie NN Lightning Mitchell 1.00 League Director
American Basketball League, ABL Main article: American Basketball League (1996-1998)
The American Basketball League was founded in 1996 during an increase in the interest in the sport following the 1996 Summer Olympics. The league played two full season (1996-97 and 1997-98) and started a third (1998-99) before it folded on December 22, 1998.
All Star Cards: ABL
HISTORY OF WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
Compiled by Robert Bradley Contributors - Jack Black, F. Travis Boley, Robert Bradley, Tom Goddard, John Guy, Steve Mau, Shawn Oliver, Mark Pollak, Pat Premo and Dennis Slusher
BARNSTORMING CLUBS
ALL-AMERICAN RED HEADS Formed by C.M. "Ole" Olson (founder of "Olsen's Terrible Swedes) in Crossville Missouri in 1936, the All-American Red Heads were the most long-lived and best-known of the women's professional teams. Taking their name from a gimmick inspired by the chain of beauty salons owned by Olson's wife's, the players on the team either dyed their hair red. With the sale of the team to Coach Orwell Moore, and the leadership on the court of his wife Lorene "Butch" Moore, the Red Heads, now based in Caraway, Arkansas, traveled around the country and abroad playing against men's teams and featuring a brand of play designed to amuse and entertain the fans. The Red Head's players were recruited from high schools and AAU clubs throughout the country and stayed in operation for over 50 years.
HAZEL WALKER'S ARKANSAS TRAVELERS In 1949 Hazel Walker, a native of Oak Hill, Arkansas, chose to leave the All-American Red Heads to start her own bastrorming club, which she named Hazel Walker's Arkansas Travelers. Playing up to six nights a week against male competition, the Travelers proved their abaility as players, winning over 85% of their games. The Travelers played a total of 16 seasons before Walker decided to retire in 1965 at the age of 50.
LADIES PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION 1980-81 [Played part of one month, Oakland, San Jose and Tucson never played a game]
[edit] England
In England, the top competition of women's football, the FA Women's Premier League, is semi-professional. The major women's clubs competing are affiliates of male club counterparts, usually bearing the same names with the acronyms LFC or WFC, but they do not share the same large stadiums, instead renting smaller stadiums from lower-level clubs (no women's club actually owns their stadium). The competition is semi-professional, meaning that the players are paid above the old maximum for professionals but rely on part-time jobs or schooling outside the game. Full professionalism has been tried, mostly on the part of individual teams (Fulham L.F.C. was the first side to go full pro, but was downgraded later by the owners), but it will take years to develop a fully professionalised women's league in England. Backing by a male club does not necessarily equal success, and the level of success achieved by male clubs may be reversed in female counterparts (compare these local derbies: Aston Villa vs. Birmingham City; Bristol City vs. Bristol Rovers; Liverpool vs. Everton; and Sunderland vs. Newcastle United)
Similar semi-professionalism examples exist in women's rugby union and cricket. Common to most European sports, promotion and relegation is used for the leagues (which the WNBA and WPS do not have).
[edit] Denmark
The Danish women's team handball league, Damehåndboldligaen, is all-pro and internationally considered the strongest and most well paid in the world. Leading clubs are GOG, Slagelse, Aalborg DH and Viborg HK.
The Danish women's soccer league, Elitedivisionen is semi-professional. Leading clubs are Fortuna Hjorring and HEI.
[edit] Australia
In Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport has started many programs to help women's golf.
[edit] Women's professional sports competitions
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This section requires expansion. |
[edit] Football (soccer)
[edit] See also
- Professional sports
- Women's sports
- List of female sportspeople
- Category:Sportswomen by sport
- Category:Women's national sports teams
