Lafayette Needs a PWHL team!

[Ragin9221]

Get a PWHL franchise in Lafayette the timing has never been better. The league is openly looking to expand, and women’s hockey just won Olympic Gold, which means national attention, surging interest, and real momentum.

People can say whatever they want about women’s sports, but the numbers don’t lie. The PWHL is exploding. Look at this: A women’s hockey team held an autograph session and fans were paying $2,000 per ticket.

now the league is signaling expansion again. They’re literally saying another announcement is likely within the next 60 days. Lafayette should be in that conversation. We have the facilities, the culture, and the fan base to support a pro team, and a PWHL franchise would instantly elevate the city and UL on a national stage.

Also bring jn revenue instead of selling assets!

https://thehockeynews.com/womens/pwh...oogle_vignette


Let me qoute the article!

The league's two newest teams in Seattle and Vancouver are currently leading the PWHL in attendance this season with Vancouver averaging 11,969 per game, and Seattle averaging 11,180.

[JAB]

You think the Lafayette hockey market is equivalent to Toronto, Minnesota, Ottawa, New York, Boston, Montreal, Seattle, and Vancouver?

[Ragin9221]

You think the Lafayette hockey market is equivalent to Toronto, Minnesota, Ottawa, New York, Boston, Montreal, Seattle, and Vancouver?

I’m not saying Lafayette is on the same level as Toronto or Boston, and it doesn’t have to be. Those cities have a century of hockey history behind them, but expansion leagues don’t look for another Original Six they look for new, sustainable markets with culture, facilities, and room to grow. Lafayette fits that profile. We have a strong sports community, an arena already in place, and a region that isn’t saturated with pro hockey teams. The PWHL is trying to expand its footprint, not duplicate the biggest markets, and that’s exactly why Lafayette deserves to be in the conversation.

[cjr3888]

You dream big but this will never happen. First, look at the leagues footprint and it's nowhere near the south. Second, Lafayette will show up the first year then disappear like they always do. Third, women's pro sports in the US do not get widespread support to be viable.

[Ragin9221]

You dream big but this will never happen. First, look at the leagues footprint and it's nowhere near the south. Second, Lafayette will show up the first year then disappear like they always do. Third, women's pro sports in the US do not get widespread support to be viable.

I dream big, but I’m not unrealistic. I know Lafayette isn’t a traditional hockey market, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be an expansion market. The league’s footprint today doesn’t limit where it can grow next, like when minor league teams and NHL started to expand down south, especially with interest in women’s hockey spiking after Olympic Gold. And the idea that Lafayette only shows up for one year, is ridiculous. Lafayette is a niche market where there would be nothing like that around.

For them to grow they would have to go after non-tradtional markets.

As for women’s pro sports not being viable, the numbers are changing fast: record attendance, record TV ratings, and fans paying thousands for access. I’m not saying it’s guaranteed, but writing it off as “never” ignores how quickly the landscape is shifting and how much opportunity a non‑saturated southern market actually has.

[JAB]

I’m not saying Lafayette is on the same level as Toronto or Boston, and it doesn’t have to be. Those cities have a century of hockey history behind them, but expansion leagues don’t look for another Original Six they look for new, sustainable markets with culture, facilities, and room to grow. Lafayette fits that profile. We have a strong sports community, an arena already in place, and a region that isn’t saturated with pro hockey teams. The PWHL is trying to expand its footprint, not duplicate the biggest markets, and that’s exactly why Lafayette deserves to be in the conversation.

The PWHL (and every professional sports league in the world) will only expand to cities that show a potential to truly sustain a team. They don't just throw a dart at a map to find something new and unconventional.

[jaxmc1023]

This idea is the definition of unrealistic

Deep south, mostly red city.. A city that already squashed hockey enthusiasm by taking all of the fun out of the Ice Gators and replacing it with 'just hockey', which failed miserably.

You cant get people to pay $10 for football or baseball tickets, even less for softball, but youre going to have success with a womens' hockey team? The numbers arent changing -- the WNBA has their Bird vs Magic for now, and it was polarizing enough to spike viewers. Yet they still cant survive without massive subsidies from the actual successful league

[Duggie35]

If we have enough people in Lafayette to support hockey, we need to get them much more involved and supporting UL!

[Ragin9221]

This idea is the definition of unrealistic

Deep south, mostly red city.. A city that already squashed hockey enthusiasm by taking all of the fun out of the Ice Gators and replacing it with 'just hockey', which failed miserably.

You cant get people to pay $10 for football or baseball tickets, even less for softball, but youre going to have success with a womens' hockey team? The numbers arent changing -- the WNBA has their Bird vs Magic for now, and it was polarizing enough to spike viewers. Yet they still cant survive without massive subsidies from the actual successful league

I don’t think leagues expand by throwing darts at a map, and I’m not asking them to. I’m saying Lafayette has more potential than people give it credit for. The PWHL’s footprint today doesn’t dictate where it grows next every league that exists breaking into new regions. The “deep south, red city” argument doesn’t change the fact that hockey in the South works when it’s done right; look at Nashville, Dallas, and Tampa ( NHL) i know those towns are bigger, but i would argue that towns like Mobile, Little Rock, Birmingham have more potential for a PWHL team.

As for the IceGators, that wasn’t a market failure, it was a management and product failure. People didn’t stop liking hockey; they stopped liking that version of it.

And the idea that Lafayette won’t show up just isn’t true. When this community feels ownership and identity around something, they support it look at UL baseball, softball. I will not use any other sport UL has just like the Icegators because attendance issues come from inconsistent promotion and weak experiences, not a lack of interest. A professional product with real branding, real athletes, and real investment is a different conversation.

The WNBA comparison ignores that the PWHL isn’t built on the same model and the way it is growing is different.

[fanof71]

Please, just stick to hats and helmets...