The WNBA plays its inaugural All-Star Game tonight at
MSG at 7:30pm ET on ESPN, and USA TODAY's Deborah Barrington
calls tonight a "landmark night" for the league, as after 2
1/2 seasons, it "has sold the country on summer as the right
time for a women's league." WNBA President Val Ackerman, on
the Game: "We have the right ingredients: national TV, a
sellout and a night when baseball is dark" (USA TODAY,
7/14). In Orlando, Shannon Rose writes that "the timing of
the event couldn't be better. America is flushed with joy
over the Women's World Cup" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 7/14).
STATE OF THE GAME: In L.A., Earl Gustkey wrote at the
mid-point of the season, "the WNBA is unmistakably enriched
by the ABL players. The games are better, faster and more
intense than in the league's first two seasons" (L.A. TIMES,
7/13). In NJ, Tim Leonard: "The addition of the most
talented players from that rival league has improved the
skill and competitiveness of the WNBA. It also has brought
a sense of unity to women's basketball. ... It has allowed
the WNBA to have even more star power" (Bergen RECORD,
7/14). But in Hartford, Lori Riley writes that though "a
few [WNBA] teams have benefited from an infusion of ABL
talent, things haven't changed drastically." Riley notes
that TV ratings for the league are the same as last year and
attendance has dropped 12%. ESPN/NBC WNBA analyst Ann
Meyers: "I don't know what people are looking for. There's
going to be some changes. There's going to be some ups and
downs. What do people want?" (HARTFORD COURANT, 7/14).
DIFFERENT KIND OF CROWD: In L.A., Earl Gustkey: "WNBA
crowds bear no resemblance to NBA crowds. No Generation
Xers, no gold chains at courtside in this league. No big
guys in shades shuffling along in loafers with no socks.
Instead, there are teen girls, and they'll come bearing face
paint and placards" (L.A. TIMES, 7/14). See (#30) for more.
