League Notes
In DC, Corey Masisak writes the "defining theme from these Stanley Cup Finals and the 2007-08 season is progress." The NHL for the first time in many years "can boast about rising television ratings and interest in its product." It was a "season to remember for many reasons and provided a glimpse of a golden era of hockey that could be quickly approaching" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 6/6). ESPN's Jim Rome said, "That's exactly what the sport needed -- a competitive Stanley Cup Finals, good ratings and a little bit of buzz" ("Jim Rome Is Burning," ESPN, 6/5). Comcast SportsNet's Russ Thaler: "The league got out of this series just about everything it could have gotten" ("Washington Post Live," CSN, 6/5). Miami Herald columnist Israel Gutierrez said if the league is "going to sustain this, there definitely has to be rivalries. There has to be dynasties. Parity doesn't work well for the NHL because the names are too unrecognizable" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 6/5).
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| Parker, Sparks Boosting WNBA Popularity |
SPARKS PLUG: In L.A., Dan Arritt notes the WNBA Sparks this season have played five consecutive road sellouts, a first for any WNBA franchise, and ahead of tonight's home opener against the Mercury, Sparks F Candace Parker "already has boosted the league's popularity to its highest level and placed herself on the fringe of Hollywood celebrity status." Parker's player page on WNBA.com during the league's first week received more views than the player pages of any NBA player except Lakers G Kobe Bryant. Parker: "The thing that's so great is, I didn't realize how many people watch the game" (L.A. TIMES, 6/6).
CRIME & PUNISHMENT: MLS FC Dallas D Adrian Serioux last week received a red card and a $1,000 fine for a tackle on Galaxy MF David Beckham, and YAHOO SPORTS' Martin Rogers wrote the league's punishment sent a "clear message that the MLS hierarchy will not tolerate over-the-top targeting of key players and will clamp down on offenders." MLS Commissioner Don Garber "knows his league must ensure MLS does not get a reputation as a league where talented individuals are targeted by lower-paid opponents who want to prove a point and make a name for themselves" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/4).
COVER TWO: The GLOBE & MAIL's David Naylor reports negotiations on a new working agreement between the NFL and CFL, which the two sides recently broke off, included "proposals from the [CFL] that the NFL take an equity position in the CFL and that the [CFL] might take on a player-development role, much like that of the now-defunct NFL Europe." But the NFL had "no interest in either of those ideas." Naylor writes, "In theory, having the NFL take an equity position in the CFL or acknowledge the CFL as a developmental league would provide some insurance for the CFL in the event an NFL team moves to Toronto." But without an agreement, the NFL "would have no obligations to the CFL in such a scenario" (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/6).
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