Would A Harrison Playboy Spread Be The Exposure WNBA Needs?

For the second consecutive year, Playboy.com is running its "Sexiest Babes of the WNBA" poll, in which it is asking users to choose the sexiest WNBA player among the nine players and one coach (the Miracle's Carolyn Peck) listed on the site. As photos of all the players and Peck are on the Web site, Playboy.com PR Manager Laura Sigman told THE DAILY that Playboy.com Sports Editor Blair Fischer obtained the photos from the WNBA. Efforts to reach the WNBA were unsuccessful. As of 8:00am ET today, Mercury F Lisa Harrison led the poll by 4,488 votes, with 6,714, or 38%, of the 17,369 total votes cast. As of about 9:00pm ET Tuesday night, before yesterday's piece in the Arizona Republic, in which Harrison said she may pose nude in Playboy should she win the poll, she had only 28% of the vote (3,038 out of 10,633). In addition to the Arizona Republic report, Harrison's story also ran on local TV news in Phoenix. Sigman said while the poll does not close until this coming Monday, Harrison is "looking like the easy winner.

ATTENTION GRABBER: In today's ARIZONA REPUBLIC, Jeff Metcalfe reports that after her comments, Harrison was "sought after for interviews from as far away as Detroit and Memphis, a topic of conversation on Jim Rome's national radio talk show and besieged by local media." Harrison: "I think it's sad I get all this attention because of possibly being in Playboy as opposed to what I do on the court every day. Obviously I want exposure, but I'd appreciate it if it would come for my job, which is playing basketball." More Harrison, on possibly posing nude for the magazine: "The contest isn't even over and all this has been blown totally out of proportion. I haven't even talked to [Playboy]. I'm not even there yet. It's fun, I have to take it as being humorous" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 7/12). WNBA President Val Ackerman, when asked about Harrison possibly posing for the magazine: "It's the player's decision." In Dallas, Kevin Blackistone writes, "It's also a little needed media attention for the WNBA. ... A WNBA player stretched out in Playboy couldn't hurt" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/12).

WHO'S NEXT? Playboy.com also ran last year a similar poll for female sportscasters, and Sigman added there are "plans for other polls, for sure." Sigman called the WUSA the "next natural choice" for a poll, as Playboy.com sports reporter Michael Malone has recently interviewed Power F Tiffeny Milbrett. Also, Sigman said there is a strong possibility for another sportscasters poll, as it has been "our most popular poll to date" (THE DAILY).

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