WNBA Hopes Candace Parker Can Appeal To Casual Sports Fan
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WNBA Hopes Parker's
Charisma Can Attract New Fans |
WNBA fans are hoping that Sparks F Candace Parker can "provide the bridge the WNBA has long sought to bring its game to the average sports fan," according to Katie Carrera of the WASHINGTON POST. WNBA President Donna Orender: "Her charismatic presence and the originality of who she is has captivated this country. We're all waiting to see what happens." Carrera reported the Sparks' season-ticket base this season has "more than doubled, and its individual game sales increase[d] fourfold." Since the draft, WNBAstore.com has sold more Parker jerseys than "any other rookie in league history," and TV ratings are "up across the league, with games on ESPN2 experiencing a 44[%] jump." The Sparks also are leading the league in road attendance, but it "remains to be seen whether those numbers will hold up or whether interest in Parker will translate into broader interest in the league." ESPN's Doris Burke said, "I hope people give this league a chance at this point because there are much better athletes, who are far better coached and more highly skilled. Maybe Candace is the perfect storm, with the right timing, combined with the right skills and right personality to help" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/31).
OCTOBER ROAD: In Hartford, John Altavilla wrote with the Beijing Games forcing the WNBA season into October, the league will have a chance to "see how its playoffs fare against the NFL, college football and the baseball playoffs." If the WNBA "sees what it likes, it might alter its schedule to accommodate a start later than mid-May, which would offer players on foreign teams a chance to take part in a portion of training camp." But the "bigger issue of separating itself from the allure of the big money available on foreign teams will likely remain insurmountable" (HARTFORD COURANT, 6/1).
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