MTR wrote:anonlooker wrote:Which begs the question - why is there no NPF in CA, or TX, or AZ, etc.? It seems the game is more popular in the West and South, and might attract more support in those locales.
Could be sponsorship. The NPF, or any of the other incarnation of professional softball, hasn't been as financially sound as many would wish. The pay isn't that great that all of the players can go without a regular day job which can seriously restrict the travel of some. You would think that would handcuff the schedule makers to some level.
Think about it. Some of the girls in the SouthWest are on the field 8 days a week. When would they have time to go out and watch a pro game. Of course, it is true everywhere that the fan base is on the field the same time the pro players are on the field.
From what I've read, MTR is right. They say the least successful place for a pro team would be CA, followed by other warm weather, year round, ball playing states in the south & southeast.
Budget is the #1 factor. Extremely low fan base for a professional sport and they can't afford to fly, so all teams are located within driving distance. I still think if they relocated ALL the teams to the southwest they would be in better shape, but what do I know.
I hope the Riptide comes back, but it doesn't look good. All players were released and are now free agents.
