That's neither what I was arguing, nor what you said in your original post. You said that the scandals have ruined the Thorns' brand and therefore limited their ability to get good players and coaches. That is not true. They are still very much --by all accounts-- a desirable place to play and coach. Even during the scandals, none of the…
That's neither what I was arguing, nor what you said in your original post. You said that the scandals have ruined the Thorns' brand and therefore limited their ability to get good players and coaches. That is not true. They are still very much --by all accounts-- a desirable place to play and coach. Even during the scandals, none of their stars left. The difference is that there are now *tons of other options* for star players looking to come to the NWSL. I am not saying that the scandals didn't have an impact, just that said impact was NOT ruining the brand or appeal factor.
Saying that the scandals have created stagnation as a knock-on result of Paulson's lame duck ownership is true: Once Paulson was forced to sell, he became a lame duck owner and stopped investing in the team, allowing other franchises to pass the Thorns up as the league grew exponentially. Saying that the Thorns are no longer a pillar of the woso world is demonstrably, objectively false. They are not dominant on the field anymore because they are no longer the only attractive place to play! Since 2020, the NWSL has added franchises in three giant, player-attractive markets, tripled the salary cap, increased the media deal by 40x, and have had three existing franchises receive major investment. You HAVE to look at context instead of the Thorns in isolation.
So nah, no "denial" here. Just looking at the situation with a wider lens than "Thorns not dominant no more, must be because scandal."
That's neither what I was arguing, nor what you said in your original post. You said that the scandals have ruined the Thorns' brand and therefore limited their ability to get good players and coaches. That is not true. They are still very much --by all accounts-- a desirable place to play and coach. Even during the scandals, none of their stars left. The difference is that there are now *tons of other options* for star players looking to come to the NWSL. I am not saying that the scandals didn't have an impact, just that said impact was NOT ruining the brand or appeal factor.
Saying that the scandals have created stagnation as a knock-on result of Paulson's lame duck ownership is true: Once Paulson was forced to sell, he became a lame duck owner and stopped investing in the team, allowing other franchises to pass the Thorns up as the league grew exponentially. Saying that the Thorns are no longer a pillar of the woso world is demonstrably, objectively false. They are not dominant on the field anymore because they are no longer the only attractive place to play! Since 2020, the NWSL has added franchises in three giant, player-attractive markets, tripled the salary cap, increased the media deal by 40x, and have had three existing franchises receive major investment. You HAVE to look at context instead of the Thorns in isolation.
So nah, no "denial" here. Just looking at the situation with a wider lens than "Thorns not dominant no more, must be because scandal."
It killed the Thorns brand we knew before. Being “desirable” is a long run down from what they were before.
Some decisions have allowed KC and Orlando to pass them, but that scandal did a ton to the brand. None of it positive.