Los Angeles Sol: A Brand Lost or a Franchise Folded?

Just a Piece

Though this was a shocking announcement, it is not like it was totally unexpected. In mid-January ASN was writing about the ownership transfer and raised the possibility of a last minute pullout, Sacramento Monarchs style. Sadly they hit it on the nose and the Sol situation became the same story of league-scramble followed by franchise-closure.

Or, as Scott French at ESPN put it, “The league officially has suspended the Sol, not folded the franchise, with hopes that it can return in 2011 with new ownership and possibly a new name.”

So the Brand is caput (for now), but the location and the management are still in play for a revival if/when new $$$ can be found. Um. Ok that's not what I want to hear. The Sol being suspended is a very different thing from the franchise being folded. I mean the Sol logo is a bit AYSO, but the name's reputation is quite the opposite. 

Is this ESPN or is that the way the WPS league really feels? 

Surprised that I haven’t really seen the distinction being made in any of the other blogs/articles about the situation. Could be me just missing it...but what I'm hearing is: Termination of the franchise, Demise of the LA Sol, and as Fake Sigi put it, The Sol didn't make it, and as such, have failed WPS.

Didn't make it verus just outa the ring for one year sounds like a big difference to me. 

What exactly would make the league want to pull the brand of their marquee team? Honest question, would love to hear some opinions in the comments. Is it just keeping all the options open in case a new ownership group doesn’t want to take on the Sol baggage with the LA location? Or is it something to do with the former ownership group and their rights to the brand?

According to The Equalizer’s Jeff Kassouf (who read my mind or the BigSoccer thread I was commenting on), “the rights to the Sol name are being kept with the league, leaving the same name possibility open.” That’s good to hear. They’re not kicking the Los Angeles Sol under the rug just yet.

I am not quite sure what the whole situation is, but am keenly interested in the logic behind the comment. Knowing WHY is so much more fun than just guessing at it...

I like supporting the league, believing that they have plans and reasons for what they do. They are a bunch of smart people, after all. So I’m going to believe that they’re not plotting a plan to vindictively kill the Sol because of…well…something.

Seriously for a moment, this situation is terrible for everyone involved from the fans on up to the WPS. I know people want to lay blame on AEG or the league for “messing up” the negotiations, but sh*t happens and people should focus on sticking  with their favorite Sol players. Follow them where they go in the WPS and when a LA franchise is reborn (as the Sol or something else), push for their return to Naimo’s squad. ;)

Need a fix of women’s soccer in LA in the meantime? Check out the Pali Blues and join the Tony Danza Army as they cheer on this UNDEFEATED W-league TWO-TIME Champions. Take a gander at their rosters in the past two years and you believe me when I say that the ’08 or ’09 Pali Blues could take down a few of the WPS teams. Of course, that means that those WPS teams would be minus a few key players…

Find your Sol buddies, bring your non-soccer buddies, and go support Naimo and his W-league team. The women’s soccer community in LA can still grow without the Sol there and the more the area can prove that there is a strong community presence the more likely the WPS is to bring a team back to us in 2011.

(image from @christafa)

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Of the Bigger Puzzle

The WPS is not folding; the WPS was built to withstand setbacks like this. That’s what the whole franchise system is built for. An individual team’s success is their responsibility, but their survival is a league issue.

Obviously, the league can’t step in and just save the team. Maybe in a better economy with more financial backing of the main office, but in these bear market times it’s important to keep the focus on the big picture. What I mean by it being a league issue is more in the PR department.

And the WPS stepped up to the plate with a lot of interviews and such to assure the fans and the skeptics that they are not folding because the Sol has been cut for the 2010 season. They can do more, that's for sure, but they also are getting set to launch the second season. Lots of papers to file through on their desks, I'm guessing. But ESPN has written more articles about the WPS in the past week than I’ve been aware of from the entire past season.

Ok, maybe exaggerating there, but the reality is that the three biggest stories about women’s soccer in the past year were #1 Elizabeth Lambert, #2 Christie Rampone and her ultimate MVP season, and now #3 the marquee team of the WPS folds after just one season. 2 points to the WPS for exposure.

Silver Lining to #1 = Women’s soccer is definitely not a wimpy sport anymore. If people come to games to catch violence, at least they’re coming to games (and they won’t be 100% disappointed).

Negative to #2 = Soccer Moms Rule, but that turns off young adult demographics who don’t want to see moms play soccer (but anybody who thinks that way probably is way down on the list of people likely to go see women’s soccer…).

Silver Lining to #2 = Everybody loves the return.

Will be interesting to see how the WPS office continues to address the LA Sol issue throughout the season. Personally, I would hate to see it get lost in the rush of the season. I hope to see them tackle the issue head on and be the first to bring it into the conversation. Yes it folded, but it is a field test of the viability of the league. If you’re trying to praise the system then why hide when it’s working. Well, when the fail safe's are working.

I know it is not great PR and not what anybody wanted to see, but as (I believe) Shannon Boxx has said, this is a professional league with the risks of a professional league. Players leave teams, teams go under and then come back or have new teams take their place. The league HAS to approach it in a matter of fact way, not hide from it.

Reframe the situation. This is a bad spot, but this is a professional league and it’s what happens. We will survive it, in fact we are surviving it for example some of our teams are already pulling in better sales numbers than they had done by the end of the 2009 season.

Go get ‘em, Rob. Tweet your heart out, Amanda. Good luck to the whole crew, who have a busy couple of months ahead.

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Wait, I’m Still Puzzled

This situation also became more directly a league issue when they took over the Sol in November and led the negotiations with the new ownership group. Everything was in motion and the WPS was so sure that Sol was on for the 2010 season that they let them participate in the College Draft. But without warning, without explanation and without leaving any time to recover, the mysterious “individual who was in charge of a family trust” backed off.

What the hell scared this dude off at the last minute? If he was that shy of giving his John Hancock, why didn’t the league office start working on a contingency plan?

According to Commissioner Antonucci, "We worked incredibly hard for several weeks on it, and it just didn't happen in time. We don't really have insight into [potential ownership's] decision-making process."

So they didn’t see it coming. Charlie Naimo didn’t see it coming. Clearly the devastated Sol players didn’t see it coming, if you follow any of them on Twitter or are friends with them on Facebook then you saw their shock.

I’m dying to know what happened. Talk about a snowball effect; what insignificant thing or big dramatic confrontation scared Mister Mystery and caused this ripple through the community?

Hopefully time tells the truth, cause I’m feeling this is one of those times when the truth is more interesting than anything a writer could make up.

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Tears in my Sunny D

Tomorrow the dispersal draft happens for the former LA Sol player. If you feel the urge to complain, cry online, or whatever I recommend the LA Sol Faithful group on FB.

Some Sol players are in it, so words of support are mucho appreciated, too.