Noting "the league's vital signs are strong," Michael
Dobie examined the state of the ABL in NEWSDAY as it began
its first-ever playoff tournament last night. Dobie called
attendance "greater than expected" and noted the "high" on-
court quality of play. He adds that half of the eight teams
"came close to breaking even financially." ABL co-Founder
Gary Cavalli said the league expects losses of $4M, adding,
"It's not unexpected; it's not something we can't tolerate,
but it's something we intend to reverse by year three."
Ratings for the ABL's SportsChannel broadcasts have ranged
from 0.1 to 1.1 and league officials "remain frustrated" by
ESPN's "refusal" to run their scores, and "note pointedly"
to ESPN's contract to televise the WNBA. The ABL's
offseason plans include "upgrading" the coaching, attracting
more national sponsors, creating a merchandising and
licensing operation and "likely" adding two teams, with Long
Island one of the "strongest contenders" (NEWSDAY, 2/23).
The CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR's Ross Atkin profiles the
ABL's Jennifer Rizzotti, noting she is a "major reason" why
her team led the ABL with over 5,000 spectators per game,
despite a losing record (CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, 2/24).
In a front-page story in today's WASHINGTON POST on the ABL,
Marc Fisher notes league research shows about 65% of the ABL
attendance is women. Fisher: "While the ABL is eager to
expand the ranks of female fans, league officials know that
in the long run, they must reach men, and even men who don't
have daughters" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/24).
CONTINUING THE QUEST: BUSINESS WEEK examines women's
sports as Barnett & Rozin writes, "it's the girls' turn to
score and Corporate America is taking notice." Anheuser
Busch Sports Marketing VP Anthony Ponturo: "We saw an
excitement coming out of the Olympics, not only with women's
basketball, but across the board, that took women's sports a
credibility notch up." Barnett & Rozin report that brands
including Bud Light, Nike, Champion, Spalding and Lee Jeans
have reportedly committed about $10M apiece over three years
to the WNBA (BUSINESS WEEK, 3/3 issue.) In a sidebar, Skip
Rozin examines the popularity of women's hockey, which has
close to 21,000 registered players and will debut as a medal
sport at the '98 Winter Olympics (BUSINESS WEEK, 3/3).
