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Leagues and Governing Bodies

WNBA NEWS & NOTES: WNBA'S LONG-TERM VIABILITY STILL UNKNOWN

          Through nearly one-fourth of the season, the WNBA is
     averaging approximately 9,500 -- "far more than the 4,000
     the league had anticipated," according to Jim Utter of the
     CHARLOTTE OBSERVER.  But WNBA Commissioner Val Ackerman
     said, "Our job is to develop a stable fan base.  We have had
     a lot of people coming who are curious and want to see if
     this is something they would like.  They may come just once
     or they may come every game" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 7/10). 
     For complete WNBA attendance, see (#31).
          HOOPS HOTBED IN PHOENIX: In Phoenix, 11,892 attended
     Wednesday's Comets-Mercury game.  The ARIZONA REPUBLIC's Bob
     Cohn wrote that the game "wasn't art, but it was a sport,
     assuming a form many are finding entertaining. ... Still,
     the WNBA will have to get better.  Attendance in many cities
     is slipping now that the novelty has worn off, and it
     remains to be seen what will happen to the Mercury crowds
     next summer once the Diamondbacks are up and running"
     (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 7/10).  REPUBLIC columnist Jim Gintonio:
     "It will take more than fan acceptance in Phoenix and New
     York for the WNBA to survive" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 7/10).
          THE GREAT DEBATE: The next edition of HBO's "Real
     Sports" will feature the ABL and WNBA in a piece titled "Two
     Leagues of Their Own?" (HARTFORD COURANT, 7/11).

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