LPGA signs 10-year deal with Golf Channel

Interesting development.

The LPGA announced last week a 10-year TV deal with Golf Channel.

According to an article in Golf Week, this deal makes the tour the first stand-alone women’s sports organization to receive a rights fee agreement for domestic broadcast coverage.

“We’re not going to talk about any of the details about that,” Carolyn Bivens (LPGA commissioner, pictured above) said, “but it is ground-breaking.”

They’re not sure on specifics of the deal, but they do know that individual television production costs will increase for most events due to the structure of the new deal.

According to Golf Week, beginning in 2010, Golf Channel will provide fans virtual one-stop shopping for domestic events. It will broadcast start-to-finish coverage of most domestic events, including one major championship, and international feeds of LPGA global events.

In addition, Golf Channel will show early-round coverage of tournaments that will have weekend coverage on other networks. It also will continue to broadcast the Solheim Cup.

According to The Sports Business Journal (SBJ), it’s leaving tournament operators wondering whether or not they will get much ROI.

However, Golf Week quoted Paula Creamer, LPGA pro golfer, as thrilled.

““To be able to be on a network week in, week out is very important. It’s good for the game of women’s golf,” said Creamer.

According to Jon Show at SBJ,

“Events now pay in the low to mid-six figures to cover production costs under separate five-year deals with ESPN and Golf Channel. Two-thirds of domestic LPGA events pay about $250,000 for production on Golf Channel, while the others on ESPN pay $350,000 or more.”

I’m not incredibly knowledgeable about the golf industry, so if you have any valuable details to add to these, please feel free to comment.

In particular, I’m interested in hearing  what this means (if anything) for the league.

A salute to female athletes in 2008

Here’s a special treat – a homemade video that I created with Jane from Pretty Tough this week. I hope you like it! Please feel free to embed or slap on your Facebook page.

These women worked hard this year, and they certainly deserve the credit.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQUog8xS2FA

(NCAA) A drained economy: The end of women’s professional sports?

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Yesterday, at the top of NCAA.org read the question,

Will the economy undo women’s professional sports? Would this have a trickle-down impact on women’s college sports?

My personal opinion is no. The economy won’t undo women’s professional sports. Our culture’s value system will. When the economy is down, so are programs (across all industries) which rely on sponsorship/advertising and aren’t particularly “popular” with the dominant class of society. Unfortunately, these days, women’s professional sports fall into that spit bucket.

However, it doesn’t mean we can ignore the problem – it’s a topic that rightfully deserves some discussion.

The Houston Comets announced this week that they will be suspending operations until they find a new owner for the club. We don’t know what this means for the future of the Comets, but as far as the 2009 season is concerned, the Comets are done.

Similarly, the LPGA announced in late November that it will be cutting back on three tournaments this year, as well as prize money. USA Today reports,

“The reductions come amid an economic downturn that is sweeping across the sports world, although the PGA Tour increased its purses for 2009.”

However, there is hope in the sky.

Women’s Professional Soccer is making a comeback. This article in Forbes discusses the mistakes that WPS’s predecessor has made. With all that investment, they couldn’t get people in the stands.

What I pose, however, is a larger question.

With the overwhelmingly large amount of young women (and older women) who currently  – or at some point in their lives – participate in sports, why are female professional sports so unpopular? Where is that disconnect? Where is that market?

NCAA championship results, latest women’s sports news

Because I’ve been so busy this past week, I’ve seriously neglected my blog, particularly with coverage of women’s sports. This post is an attempt to cover what I’ve missed.

To highlight – the NCAA championships for all fall sports are in process. Some results are below, along with other news coverage.

NCAA Championship Highlights:

The Emory women’s volleyball team won the Division III NCAA championship. Their coach, Jenny McDowell, was named Division III National Volleyball coach of the year.

The Maryland Terps claimed their third NCAA Division I championship. This is their third year doing so. ACC Offensive Player of the Year Katie O’Donnell (cousin of Because I Played Sports contributor Lauren O’Donnell)  scored the game-winner. Congrats Katie!

Bloomsburg won its third consecutive Division II women’s field hockey championship title.

Nova Southeastern women’s volleyball team clinched the Division II championship after losing their coach to anemergency appendectomy.

UConn’s women Huskies captured the Division I championship for cross country, led by star Sally Kipyego, who the NCAA has called “unbeatable.”

Bowdoin won the NCAA Division III field hockey championship, led by a goal in the second half against Tufts by Senior Lindsay McNamara.

Adams State dominated the NCAA Division II cross country championships.

Other women’s sports news:

Nine NCAA athletes were named Rhodes scholars. Five of these individuals are women (go girls!).

Stephanie Brown Trafton won the Jesse Owen Award as the sport’s top female American athlete in 2008. Brown Trafton was the first American woman to win the gold medal in the Olympics in the discus since 1932.

In golf, South Korean Ji-Yai Shin claimed $1 million by winning the ADT Championship on Sunday in West Palm Beach, Fla., edging Kari Webb.

41-year-old Dara Torres announced that if she stays healthy, she hopes to race at the world championships next summer.

21-year-old Italian figure skater Carolina Kostner took the Cup of Russia title in Moscow.

The X Games announced equal pay to male and female athletes. Women’s ski slopestyle and best-trick snowmobiling are being added to the lineup for Winter X as well.

A very smart move… the Independent Women’s Football League announced it will partner with USA Football on education programs and women’s national teams.

Even with all of this, I’m sure I missed some news. Feel free to post your own in comments.

“Speak English!” says LPGA

A recent article in the New York Times explained that members of the LPGA must speak English in order to play. Interesting move, considering most of its athletes are foreign-born. Apparently, the concern is over appeal to sponsors.

“Being a U.S.-based tour, and with the majority of our fan base, pro-am contestants, sponsors and participants being English speaking, we think it is important for our players to effectively communicate in English,” says Libba Galloway, the deputy commissioner of the tour, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).

On the surface, I think this move is similar to that of Geno’s steaks in South Philadelphia, which sports a sign that says, “This is America. We speak English!” (Genos was later unsuccessfully sued for that sign).

This is not exactly the type of PR the LPGA needs right now internationally. But hey, anything to keep those sponsors happy, right? There has to be a line somewhere…

Wie is Disqualified from State Farm Classic

I just read on the Golf Chick Blog that because Michelle Wie failed to sign her scorecard on Friday, she was disqualified from the State Farm Classic. Only the LPGA failed to tell her about it until she had completed her round the following day.

Wow, thats a little rediculous. Kind-of makes you think the LPGA is using her for her publicity, right?

According to an article on newsday, Sue Witters, the LPGA’s director of tournament competitions, disqualified Wie in a small office in an LPGA trailer at the golf course after asking her what had happened.

“She was like a little kid after you tell them there’s no Santa Claus,” Witters said.

Wow, that’s really bold. Especially after what Wie has done for the sport.