The WNBA begins its inaugural season this Saturday with
games in L.A., Cleveland and Utah. The ten-week season
concludes with a championship game on August 30. In L.A.,
Earl Gustkey reported that all 7,666 seats for the Sparks'
Saturday opener against the N.Y. Liberty have been sold out
and that the team will open an additional 1,400 seats. That
game will be televised live on NBC (L.A. TIMES, 6/18). In
Utah, the Starzz have sold out Saturday's opener, with a
capacity of 8,915. The upper bowl "won't be used." The
team does have around 5,000 seats available for its second
game on Monday. The Cleveland Rockers sold out all of its
10,006 seats for its Saturday opener (Lya Wodraska, SALT
LAKE TRIBUNE, 6/19). In Phoenix, "demand" for the Mercury's
opener has "driven sales above 10,000 to force the opening
of the upper bowl." The REPUBLIC's Jeff Metcalfe, on what
the WNBA game experience will offer: "Intimacy, interaction
and, to some degree, informality. Not to mention a light
tap on the wallet" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 6/18).
EARLY LINE: The WNBA's pre-season schedule, with seven
games open to the public, had a total attendance of 29,580,
four sellouts and an average of 4,226 per game (WNBA).
LIKE A GOOD PARTNER: This morning, NBC's "Today" show
profiled women's basketball. Jeffrey Pollack, Publisher of
THE SPORTS BUSINESS DAILY: "Women's sports is generally the
fastest growing segment of the entire sports industry, both
as consumers and participants. Women have come on to the
scene in a way that they have not before." Pollack added:
"One season does not make a professional sports league, but
whether it's in the form of two leagues, one league, a
combined league, women's pro basketball has arrived." After
the report, NBC's Katie Couric interviewed WNBA President
Val Ackerman and the Liberty's Rebecca Lobo. Ackerman: "The
WNBA is owned by all of the 29 member teams of the NBA, so
every NBA team has an incentive, has an interest in making
the league successful. ... There is a very close
relationship between the NBA at a league office level as
well as at the team level" ("Today," NBC, 6/19).
