The ABL and WNBA are the subject of columns by Steve
Kelly of the SEATTLE TIMES and Glenn Dickey of the S.F.
CHRONICLE. Kelly: "Make no mistake about it, there is a war
going on for the attentions and the affections of women's
basketball's players and fans. ... it is another war for the
hearts, minds and dollars of the American sports fan. And
in the war, the ABL can declare the biggest victory to date
with this week's Seattle Reign signing of Stanford's Kate
Starbird. ... Signing Starbird is like the New York Jets
signing Joe Namath. It opens eyes. ESPN's SportsCenter
gave the news almost two minutes yesterday" (SEATTLE TIMES,
4/23). In S.F., Glenn Dickey notes the two leagues "have
radically different concepts, and there's no question in my
mind that the ABL approach is the right one. The ABL
started small, hoping to grow into a big time-sport"
Dickey: "It's unlikely that both leagues will survive.
Merger has often been the answer ... It's important for the
women's game that the ABL is the league that survives
because it is run the right way by people who really care
about women's basketball. The WNBA seems little more than
an afterthought for its chief sponsor. It can be kept alive
by the financial resources of the NBA, but there's no point
in it. I hope NBA commissioner David Stern pulls the plug
at the end of the first season" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/24).
