The Women's National Basketball League's new "condensed schedule" became a reality on Wednesday when the league released the '17-18 fixture, according to Roy Ward of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The WNBL "pushed 21 games into a 13-week regular season with the finals to finish before Australia Day." This is "both for new television broadcaster Fox Sports and something that has played a pivotal role in drawing elite players" to Australia as they can "potentially take up lucrative deals to finish the European season after WNBL." Head of WNBL Sally Phillips said that TV "drove the need for a shorter season." Phillips: "From all our discussions dating back to last year, no broadcaster looked favorably on a six-month competition." Some "might think" the Australian Football League Women's "forced the WNBL to retreat," but Phillips said that was not the case. Phillips added, "When these discussions started, AFLW hadn't even begun. It does so happen that we finish before it starts but we also finish before a number of other sports and any sport looks at what other competitions are doing and where they can find an advantage" (SMH, 7/26).
