Women's Sports Screwed Again

Is there any women's sports franchise that's tied to a men's sports franchise in Seattle that has yet to get screwed over by the guys? The Storm--the WNBA contingent of the Super Sonics, and arguably the most passionately-followed team in the city--are dangling on a finer thread than the Sonics themselves under owners who want nothing more than to move the whole franchise to Oklahoma City.

The Seattle Sounders soccer team has a much brighter future in the city as they're about to climb into the ranks of the MLS, but the Sounders Women aren't assured a continued existence once the men's team moves up to the big leagues (or, uh, as big as the leagues get in the U.S., anyway). Frankly, we weren't even aware that there was a women's portion of the Sounders franchise until just recently. Apparently they used to be the Seattle Saints and merged with the Sounder group at some point not so long ago to become the Seattle Sounder-Saints. They compete in the USL W-League and just as it's nigh impossible to find information on the Saints on the Sounder's site, it's also difficult to find information on the W-League at the USL site. Seems like they were in the playoffs this year. Maybe a third place finish.

Next year they may not exist, according to an email Seattlest received.

The Sounders Women's team will possibly fold before next season, mostly because of the loss of a major investor, reportedly (men's) Sounders owner and co-owner of the new MLS franchise Adrian Hanuer. The Sounder Saints finished third in the nation this year.

Is Hanuer forsaking the women's team to put all his chips in with the Sounders men and the MLS? We didn't call anyone to find out. However, if you're interested in the continued existence of women's semi-pro soccer in Seattle check out this site.