The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) held its 20th
annual awards dinner last night in N.Y. and awarded Mia Hamm
the organization's Team Sportswoman of the Year award and
Juli Inkster the Individual Sportswoman of the Year,
according to Lena Williams of the N.Y. TIMES. U.S. soccer
team member Julie Foudy was named President-elect of the WSF
and will succeed WNBA Shock GM/coach Nancy Lieberman-Cline
when her term expires next year (N.Y. TIMES, 10/19). USA
TODAY's Carol Herwig writes that Foudy "brings the energy
and enthusiasm of the" WWC to the WSF (USA TODAY), 10/19).
In other honors, track star Gail Devers received the Wilma
Rudolph Courage Award for her battle with Graves Disease and
former WSF Exec Dir Deborah Slaner Larkin received the
Billie Jean King Contribution Award (WASHINGTON POST,
10/19). Hamm, on women's athletics: "Everyone is waiting
for us as women athletes to fail, but this room is filled
with a testament to the courage and success" (N.Y. DAILY
NEWS, 10/19). But WSF Founder Billie Jean King said that
women's sports are still "not getting the corporate backing
we need." NEWSDAY's Laura Price, writing under the header
"Fight For Acceptance Isn't Over," notes, "The ABL failed in
small markets, the WNBA has survived with the backing of big
brother NBA. Despite the sizzling popularity of women's
tennis, the WTA has no sponsor. Women's soccer is exploring
a professional league but will tread carefully before
leaping." Hamm: "What we don't want to happen is to be
around two years and then go away" (NEWSDAY, 10/19).
THE VIEW FROM THE TOP: WSF Exec Dir Donna Lopiano
writes in this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL that last
night's event was "completely underwritten by co-presenting
sponsors" GM and Merrill Lynch, along with WSF's national
sponsor Mervyn's of California. Lopiano writes that there
"are generations of female athletes who have taught us that
there is a women's game that is different from the men's
game -- not lesser than or better than, but refreshingly
different" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/18 issue).
