I wrote a story today about Kelly Curran, a 2006 La Cueva grad who was the lone Albuquerque athlete invited to represent the United States in the Chianti Goodwill Games Softball Tournament in San Casciano, Italy, Aug. 7-16.
She has to pay her own way for the trip, but she's eager to do it because there are fewer and fewer opportunities for softball players to play at the international level. USA softball will make its last stand at the Bejing Olympics, then the IOC will drop the sport.
Softball, like soccer, is pretty big Albuquerque, but the women's pro teams have struggled.
The U.S. professional women's soccer league folded despite the unprecendented following the women's soccer garnered with the United States winning the 1999 World Cup.
The WNBA is celebrating it's 10th anniversary, but it's doubtful the league would have survived without the NBA as a partner. The league is inching closer to turning a profit, which surely would have sunk the enterprise were it not for deep pockets backing it up.
It's a touchy subject, but can women's sports be successful at the pro level?

Posted by ilimon at 02:45 PM | Permalink