The players in the Professional Women’s Hockey Player’s Association (PWHPA) were put in a position they didn’t want to be in.
And they were facing pressure they didn’t want to face. The media attention is high, and with that comes expectations. If a league like the Alliance of American Football fails, it’s on the administrators. If a women’s sports league fails, it’s on the product.
For women, and especially women in sports, there is no margin of error. Any failure, whether it is poor attendance, or cutting salaries, or folding altogether is seen as proof it will never work.