Let me just say this. Every year, every team is a new team. This is not the NFL or even college, whereas you can base a team on the previous year's team with a couple additions or subtractions. Every year, each team is a new team. There are changes within the coaching staff, management and more significantly the players. Stop comparing leagues via how teams perform the following year in a new league! They are a different team no matter how little things changed. Women's football cannot be compared that way. I have been around way too long to accept this notion being accepted by so many out there.
Here are some myth's about this year that seem to be the fact known by people on the message board(s):
Myth #1,2,3,4 - Dallas, H-town, Los Angeles, Las Vegas are the same teams that were in the 2007 WPFL. (The same thing happened when Detroit and Pittsburgh joined the IWFL.)
Reality #1 - Each of these teams were much better than the previous year. I have seen film, watched in person or had the chance to coach against each of these teams. The rookies came in with a year of experince under their belt, the new rookies added depth (some cases had an immediate impact) and people came out of retirement (Dallas) because they had something to prove.
Reality #2 - H-town is not the Energy. You can look at the rosters of these teams, and yes; they do have 14 players from the Energy. Calling H-town the Energy is an insult to what the H-town coaches, management and players accomplished this year. With a core group of players from the Energy they started a new team and made it a championship team with an infusion a leadership and desire.
Reality #3 - Dallas did not want it last year and not only had players playing out of position, but had members of the coaching staff and players being complacent. They had one goal this year, prove that they are the best! They never wavered from that sight and proved it against the Force.
Reality #4 - Los Angeles had a difficult year in that they were never really challenged and had the unfortunate circumstance of being in a league that had limited west coast teams. They are a very good team that needed to have the consistent challenge of playing every week. The H-town/LA would have been an even better battle had LA played more recently than three weeks prior.
Reality #5 - The biggest difference to me was to watch Vegas '07 and Vegas '08. Vegas in '08 was no joke! The only surprise to me was that they lost to Sacramento. But then again, that did happen after they had lost a hard fought battle to California for the division crown. That loss cost them a playoff spot. Just thought I would throw that out there.
Myth #5 - One league is better than other.
Reality #6 - Both leagues have their positives and negatives and I believe unless you are very familiar with the inner workings of both leagues, you should just keep your mouth shut because you don't know what you are talking about. I had the distinct advantage to see how things are run over at the IWFL Championship games and those ladies busted their asses the whole time I was there. Does that make this a better league? I can only simply answer that the only way I would coach in another women's league was if the IWFL was folding or being taken over by new management that had yet proved to me their willingness to sacrifice what they had for the betterment of women's football.
Reality #6 - With that being said, there are still others out there trying to create more leagues. Just because that is the easiest answer, doesn't mean it is the best way to go about things. I bet both leagues are very approachable with ideas, especially when it involves taken a share of the talent away from possible teams and possibly improving their position in the sport. Will they give up control, probably not? Instead become an innovator by building on what is there, insteading of starting from scratch. Why dilute the pool even further with the creation of a new league? Oh yeah, selfishness.
In my opinion, two leagues is good number to have. You may ask why because I have previously stated that we need one league in order to further this sport. The reason behind htis statement is that neither league is ready to be that league quite yet. With the competition between the two leagues, things can only continue to improve. Unless C.M. is willing to see her championship team leave year after year for the IWFL, she is going to have to up her game for sake that she may have no league within a couple years. Can she just keep creating teams to keep her league afloat, yes, but with all of the top notch teams leaving to join the IWFL, she will continue to lose credibility. I see the trend continuing and the IWFL growing into a three-tier league within three years, if not earlier.
I have been part of four different leagues and know all about league pride. Women's football will continue to grow and each year, every team will be put to the test in the league they play in and what needs to be recognized is the present. It isn't about what was done last year, it is about what you are doing right now. Just ask all the champions that no longer exist.
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2 comments:
Coach Penn could you look at a blog that I wrote on locochopper.blogger.com . It's titled "WWVD about Women's football?". It could possibly could be a topic on your show. Thanks.
That is a very interesting topic. I doubt that he would leave well enough alone but try to make it his own. Like what he did to the sport of men's football, he changed so much that it was not accepted after a few short weeks. The connections would be great but I doubt that he would just invest and grow like that of Arena football. His business is sales and he would turn women's football into something like that of the lingerie league, google that. If you would ever like to be on my show, email me @ headcoach@californiaquakefootball.com
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