Mystics Seeing Revenue Growth, But Still Struggling On Court

Mystics Experience Revenue Growth For First Time During Johnson's Tenure

The '08 WNBA season marks the first time since Sheila Johnson became President & Managing Partner of the Mystics that the club has "experienced growth in revenue generated," according to Kathy Orton of the WASHINGTON POST. While the team declined to release specific numbers, it indicated that sponsorship "had increased 26[%]" this year. Johnson: "I think for the first time I've got a leadership team in there that really knows what they're doing and I can kind of step back and let them run it now." Orton reports the team this season is averaging 8,995 fans per game at Verizon Center, up from 7,788 in '07. However, that is "far below the 12,615 the team averaged the season before" Johnson assumed control in '05. Also, the team is 10-20 this season, marking the fourth season Johnson has "watched in frustration as once again her team under-performed." Johnson: "I didn't expect, honestly, how hard it was. When you buy a franchise, they tell you everything's wonderful. When you start peeling away the layers, you understand the amount of work that hasn't been done to really make the team as successful as it should be. That was very naive on my part" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/9).

SUPPORT SYSTEM: In Atlanta, Mike Knobler reports the WNBA Dream players following the team's 81-77 loss to the Fever last night, the final home game of the season, "grabbed a handheld microphone and thanked the fans who stuck with them" this year. The first-year expansion team went 3-29 overall, with a 1-16 home record. The announced attendance at last night's game was 7,706, but it consisted of "about a third that many people." However, Knobler notes there were "no ticket-holders wearing paper bags on their heads, and there were no banners calling for any personnel changes." The fans were a "supportive group, even after a summer of losing" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 9/9).