In Denver, Mark Kiszla wrote under the header, "WNBA
Scores In One Arena -- Hype." Kiszla: "But more appropriate
words that should come to the minds of Lisa Leslie, Rebecca
Lobo and the stars of the WNBA are: 'We got exploited.'"
More Kiszla: "The WNBA ... is sport for all the wrong
reasons. ... The WNBA is a cheap joke on women ... [that]
apparently was created to relieve NBA commissioner David
Stern's male guilt" (DENVER POST, 6/22). In Toronto, Steve
Simmons: "From the world that gave us Roller Hockey
International, arena football, indoor soccer, and box
lacrosse, we bring you the WNBA, a league of its own that
has no chance to succeed" (TORONTO SUN, 6/23). Also in
Toronto, Craig Daniels: "[N]o matter the motivation, what it
has created is a profile and a power base for women"
(TORONTO SUN, 6/22). In an op-ed to the N.Y. TIMES, Mariah
Burton Nelson: "The W.N.B.A. is being touted as a huge step
forward for women's professional sports. But will the
N.B.A. ... treat women like professional athletes or poor
stepsisters? ... I'm afraid the W.N.B.A. might become a
ladies' auxiliary, a semi-pro sideshow to the real game that
the men play" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/21). In N.Y., Mitch Lawrence:
"If I'm subjected to 'We got next' one more time, I'm going
to root for the [ABL]" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/22).
RUNNING THE FLOOR: WNBA President Val Ackerman was
profiled by Richard Wilner of the N.Y. POST. Wilner: "By
all accounts, Ackerman has done an outstanding job up to
now. But this has been the easy part" (N.Y. POST,
6/22)....The Mercury's Nancy Lieberman-Cline: "We've got a
better TV contract than the NHL" (S.A. EXPRESS-NEWS, 6/21).
...The marketability of Lisa Leslie was examined by Earl
Gustkey of the L.A. TIMES. Her agent, Leonard Armato, said
that Leslie will earn $1-2M this year, "roughly half of that
from her NBA personal-services contract." Her deal with
Nike is also expiring, and Gustkey noted sources put it at
$500,000 (L.A. TIMES, 6/21)....On "Good Morning America,"
ABC's Charles Gibson to ABC/ESPN's Robin Roberts, on the
WNBA's debut: "The crowds were good, the play was spotty."
Roberts: "That's a fair assessment ... But it was very
evident that [for] the players ... opening game jitters were
definitely there" ("GMA," ABC, 6/23).
