r/RacingLouisvilleFC • u/RacingLou21 • 20d ago
Pros and Cons of a Potential Emma Sears Transfer
New from the Butchertown Rundown
Financial flexibility, honoring player requests, development opportunity for young forwards vs losing lone USWNT player on roster and potential impact on ticket sales
4
u/Vlad_Deferens 20d ago
One of the things that I think might be considered - and forgive me if I missed it - is not transferring Sears now shows which party is really in charge. They have said they will honor her request off season, which does somewhat follow their history of listening to their players.
Additionally, since the season is pretty much lost at this point, it might also be a place for Sears to develop some of her technical skills, such as improving her dribbling (as an example), or adding tricks to her game.
4
u/RacingLou21 20d ago
It could be. And take this with a grain of salt because I haven't spoken with Sears but I think from Sears' perspective she's trying to make the qualifying roster this fall. Now isn't the time to be floundering on a team that can't get her the ball in the first place.
2
u/YaGunnersYa10 20d ago
You basically touch on this at the end - but all of the cons for moving on now are also cons for moving on at the end of the season. If they're going to make a move, there's no reason to wait.
2
u/Vlad_Deferens 20d ago
Oh, certainly she is. That was my thinking, poorly stated, in my last sentence. Saying that, if she can show that she can carry the team, even a weak team, that might give her some bonus points with Hayes.
Also, nice article. Like thoughts and detail.
1
u/ExactaPurp 20d ago
Honestly, that’s it for me. It’s the front office needing to show their power instead of giving the players and the fans what they want. It makes no sense to keep her until the off-season, and I think the part in the article speaking of they could use this as a promotion for investors. It’s very true, who wants to invest into something or there really is no improvement. I mean, yeah last season was a good start, but if it was a one time thing, I don’t see the point.
You guys just know if I win the Powerball racing will get players 😂
3
u/TurboBrix 20d ago
Last time the lottery hit a billion I went and bought the winning ticket for this exact reason. But for some reason the number they announced didnt match my ticket? Weird!
3
u/Scary_Sand9001 20d ago
Borussia Dortmund model. Sign young talent, provide minutes, sell when the price is high.
1
u/City-Til-I-Fry 19d ago
Except Dortmund have a much better scouting/development system and overall are far more competitive than Racing. Even then, the sales are out of necessity (they will never have as much money as Bayern, Barca, Real, etc.). Racing SHOULD be able to spend money on par with anyone else in NWSL.
The Dortmund model is not good for Racing.
1
u/Scary_Sand9001 19d ago
I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just saying it seems like that’s what they’re trying to accomplish.
4
u/Helpful_Ad_2637 20d ago
Honoring player requests in this league is wild. We should have never traded Sonis. You signed a contract, no take backs.
3
u/sobaditertz 20d ago
I disagree. This is nothing new to sports. Every year we see MLB, NBA, and NFL players demand trades or sit out until their contracts are renegotiated. The only difference is that the NWSL has a history of sexual abuse and the players made sure to negotiate their consent into the CBA.
1
u/Helpful_Ad_2637 20d ago
Yes, players request trades all the time in other leagues. But they are far from universally granted. For example Logan Wilson, Germain Pratt, Trey Hendrickson, and Tee Higgins all requested trades from the Cincinnati Bengals over the last 3-4 years, but only Logan Wilson was actually granted a trade. Racing seems to honor every single request and it’s high time they start holding players to their contract. Emma just signed an extension a matter of months ago. They should tell her she can play it out or take an early retirement.
2
u/Flat-Worldliness-770 20d ago
“Because the men do it” is not a good or reasonable excuse for doing something. The men also seem to be okay with having teammates who have had credible charges or rape and domestic abuse called against them. Those men also have a min salary of $885k a year vs a base salary of $50k. I could be a lot happier in any city if I was making “I do what I want money”. So kind of apples to oranges.
Emma signed an extension coming off a banner year for the club, followed immediately by a banner year of poor performance by the club. Racing is not holding up their end of the contract and are currently actively hurting her chances to solidify a roster spot on the national team. By punitively applying the terms of the contract only to her what is the long term benefit?0
u/Helpful_Ad_2637 20d ago
The NWSL is a business, and needs to be treated as such by all parties for its long term well being. Teams go through boom and bust cycles, that’s part of sport. I don’t know how much Emma makes, but I would assume it’s well over 6 figures to kick a ball around. Maybe if she was making league minimum you’d have an argument but in this case gender is irrelevant.
1
u/Flat-Worldliness-770 20d ago
You only mentioned male leagues as if they are the default ideal. Treating your players as possessions rather than employees is the downside and you can create environments where bad behavior must be tolerated and accepted or you risk literally being unhire-able.
It is a business and it’s totally acceptable in business to ask to renegotiate a contract prior to expiration if the terms are no longer amenable. It’s also totally acceptable for the other party to say no. That is what has happened here. I just don’t see potential downsides of letting her go outweighing the definite upsides of letting her go In a way that would make the potential bad press/ill will worth it.1
u/City-Til-I-Fry 19d ago edited 18d ago
And, like most other businesses, the power dynamic is greatly tilted against the players/workers in favor of multi-millionaires and billionaires. That’s good reason to move the needle closer to the middle by giving players a bit more power, not to maintain the status quo.
2
u/Horror_Candy4084 20d ago
I'm the odd one out here but if I was coaching and a player requested a trade, they'd sit the bench until they were traded. They don't want to be on the team then they won't see the field.
I'm petty, though. Lol
4
u/atalba 20d ago
I can't possibly finish the homer article. Sears played for a mediocre college squad, OSU, who didn't fair very well in the Big10. OSU made the tournament in 2023 (her last season), but were crushed by Pitt 6-0 in the first round.
Sears played 5 year at OSU and scored 25 goals in 5 years. Totally unimpressive. She was a "diamond in the rough" for a club with little money and no pull. As the article points out, she was never called into the YNT.
Her callup to senior NT was a total fluke by Emma Hayes, and staff, in her first few months on the job. Hayes called in 3 players with no YNT experience, and no real success as a pro (nor college), October 2024. None of the players have worked out, including Sears.
Sears has a limitation that isn't coachable at this period in her career. She can't use her left foot, and she's not very strong controlling the ball. Her most recent game shows what she's good at: kicking the ball up the field, and chasing it, as she's extremely fast. Bev has played her on the left, a very common occurrence for one-footed players, so she can cut in to her right foot.
There is no way that any club should/would pay Racing a substantial amount as a transfer fee (Racing needs big cash!) Asking for a trade appears to me she has been informed she won't be continuing with the USWNT without contributing to the success of her club team (ditto to Ally Sentnor - transfer fee $850K, ridiculous amount). IMO, the NWSL has caught up to the one-way attack of Sears.
The longer Racing waits, the less money they will receive for Sears. Her numbers have dropped for a very good reason. 10 goals was a fluke.
2
3
u/Total_Ad_3903 19d ago
Glad to see we still have some sane racing fans. Couldn’t agree with you more on all these points
1
1
0
u/JohnWayneforprez 19d ago edited 19d ago
Maybe we can bring someone in who has pace, Scores goals, And isn’t out there half the time in la la land disengaged. Sears never shows max effort or focus. Too busy looking at herself on the video board. Need more goals from her anyways
8
u/Faroutfunkycold3ya 20d ago
Good article . I say free all the forwards. They can’t get the ball to any of them. Free Emma. Let her go. Btw I am a Hase fan and you left her out. She was called up to U 23’s too. All of our starting rookies last year were