Agree they need a deep pocketed benefactor, and as resident wishful thinker I feel comfortable they have that for 8 years.
Im excited to see though the sponsorship dollars. I think there is tremendous potential there considering a few different things. Wnba revenue has doubled since 2019, now at about $200 million per year according to JWS. Arnone ‘s comments raise eye brows as well, ESG push may generate some dollars. I also just look at my own middle class household - my 9 year old asked me the other day if there was major league for softball; this morning she sat down and watched the World Cup for 20 minutes before starting her day….I also see how when she gets exposed to pro/national team/high school girl athletes she inevitably writes about it in her school journals, draws pictures about it or sets goals for herself! It is amazing and valuable. There has got to be some opportunity there for investors.
2 things I think a new pro hockey league needs to do to be different than the past:
1- get womens sports into the ESG conversation. There is consulting and lectures every day across the business world about this. They present about inclusivity related to race/gender/sexual orientation /disabilities….and they do sort of tie it to tangible actions companies can take but women’s sport needs to find a way to get supporting women’s sport included as a tangible action. What I see is well meaning companies sending their women to generic “women’s conferences.” It’s well intentioned but for me personally it’s more impactful to simply immerse myself in women’s sport fandom, a landscape that centers, celebrates, and gives a platform and voice to women and men who support women. Women’s sport is rich with bold, intelligent, ambitious, generous and innovative people…it’s healthy and Entertaining to be exposed to, imo.
2- Every kid, especially the girls, enrolled in USA Hockey and Hockey Canada needs to know about this league. There is no way on earth they all knew about the PHF or other leagues. It’s a major source of lost revenue and detrimental to the kids who don’t have visible role models. Almost 200,000 girls and women in the 2 federations. There’s a potential for millions of dollars in revenue in that crowd right there, if the various parties can work together. Not everyone will live near a women’s pro team but when I was a kid I didn’t live near an nhl team and I still had nhl sheets, hat, poster, books, jersey, movies, cards, read about the Canucks in the paper, and saw hockey on tv every Saturday night. There has got to be a way on the women’s side to get visible and generate revenue. If the federations and pro league worked together (like what the federations and NHL do) it would be win win.
So, definitely think a deep pocketed benefactor is necessary . But it’s an exciting time in womens hockey for sure. Women’s World Cup is 2 days in and already breaking attendance records. The next month will provide a ton of commentary on women’s sport, hockey would be so foolish to think nah, we can’t be part of that positive change.
