The 11-team WPFL made its season debut last Saturday,
and the Houston Energy defeated the Austin Rage 52-25 before
about 1,000 fans at Leander (TX) High School, according to
Rachel Cohen of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Cohen noted that
each franchise "is expected to raise" $50,000 in revenues
from ticket sales and sponsorships this season (DALLAS
MORNING NEWS, 10/20). In Tampa, Bob Chick wrote that
sponsorships "are tough to come by," and ticket sales "are
few," with 150 season tickets sold for the Tampa Tempest.
With the league paying for uniforms and travel the first
year, the team budget is $131,000 (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 10/18).
The N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE profiled women's football in a four-
page section, and Hillary Johnson cited National Women's
Football League Founder Catherine Masters as saying that 80%
of the calls from "individuals interested in shelling out"
$35,000 to "buy a start-up team came from women." Masters:
"In three years, we could have enough revenue to sign Marion
Jones, if we play it right" (N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE, 10/22).
