Eight months before its first game, the WNBA yesterday
unveiled the sites of eight charter franchises. The Eastern
Conference will be made up of Charlotte, Cleveland, Houston and
New York. The Western Conference will consist of L.A., Phoenix,
Sacramento and Utah (WNBA). The WNBA schedule will be announced
in mid-February, with team names and logos introduced later.
Team names will not be connected to the NBA teams in that market
so that the WNBA can "create a stand-alone identity for its
teams." The L.A. franchise will be run by the Lakers. The
league debuts June 21, '97 and each team will be made up of 10
players, play 28 games, with a championship game set for August
30 (THE DAILY).
DETAILS: The WNBA also unveiled its logo yesterday. It is
"similar to the NBA silhouette of Jerry West except that the
female version is portrayed with a righthand dribble and with the
faintest suggestion of an anatomical difference" (Joe Gergen,
NEWSDAY, 10/31). Greg Couch of the Akron BEACON JOURNAL reports
top players will make "slightly under $100,000 a year." Tickets
are "likely" to average between $5-15 (Akron BEACON JOURNAL,
10/31). In Phoenix, Jeff Metcalfe of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC
reports "hints" are the Phoenix franchise will be named the
"Stars, building on its connection with the Suns." Suns Owner
Jerry Colangelo said America West Arena would likely be
configured for 10-12,000 seats (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 10/31).
Ackerman puts attendance goals between 4-5,000 per game (Joe
Gergen, NEWSDAY, 10/31).
SELECTION PROCESS: Ackerman said franchises were selected
from 16 applicants cities. Those not chosen: Boston, Chicago,
Denver, Indiana, Miami, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Washington
(Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY, 10/31). NBA teams currently in arena
negotiations were not chosen and that the Bulls were "not
interested in operating a team" in the league's first year (THE
DAILY). In New York, Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES calls
Chicago not being awarded a franchise a "surprise." NBA
Commissioner David Stern: "There's some sense that with all the
distractions of Chicago, we might be served by waiting until the
next round. (N.Y. TIMES, 10/31). In Chicago, Lacy Banks notes
one reason for no Chicago team "could be the Bulls' ongoing legal
battle with the NBA regarding WGN's TV package. But Bulls Owner
Jerry Reinsdorf and the team's Marketing VP Steve Schanwald
"dismissed the notion that bad blood between the Bulls and the
league influenced the WNBA decision" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/31).
NBA REAX: MSG President Dave Checketts: "It's not about
being politically correct, it's about being interesting" (Mark
Asher, WASHINGTON POST, 10/31). Hornets Owner George Shinn:
"Five years ago you wouldn't give 10 cents [to watch women's pro
basketball]. Now a lot of these girls on the Olympic team are
household names" (Rick Bonnell, CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/31).
Cavaliers President Wayne Embry: "I think this is the beginning
of something that is going to be great for the sports world"
(Akron BEACON JOURNAL, 10/31). Jazz GM Tim Howells: "They must
think we're pretty good operators. I don't know why else they'd
come to the smallest market in the league" (Kurt Kragthorpe, SALT
LAKE TRIBUNE, 10/31). Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander: "No
league, men or women, has ever started out with this kind of a
solid TV presence at the network level" (Fran Blinebury, HOUSTON
CHRONICLE, 10/31).
