The WNBA

[BBOvenGuy]

Unless the WNBA players union agrees to a new contract by April 18, there won't be a 2003 season. That's what NBA Commissioner David Stern said on Tuesday. And with no 2003 season, personally I don't know how there could continue to be a WNBA.



You can read the grim news at ESPN.com.



Personally, I can see the players' point of view. They feel like they're underpaid and they want free agency. They look at what the NBA players have, or what they can get playing overseas, and they feel like they should get more here in the US. But the WNBA hasn't made any money, two of its teams folded after last season, and another one was saved because the Mohegan Indian tribe bought it - they're going to play in the tribe's casino in Uncasville CT. It's not a good situation.



Fortunately, the players' union thinks they can still make a deal. I certainly hope so. Maybe then we can have the mods turn this into a general WNBA thread.

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Edited by a mod to make it the general WNBA thread since it's on, baby.

"The first task of anyone, lest you get canceled, is to entertain people, because they ain't there for message." - Dick Wolf

Edited by: BytrSuite at: 5/30/03 12:38:58 am

[sparrow]

I couldn't believe it when I read this. As I read further the article also stated that the college draft and camps had been cancelled. Have to agree with the players. They deserve certain rights, especially to have proper flight arrangements for them in the short season and they deserve a proper wage. I will be so bummed if my summer sport is cancelled. I was so shocked and saddened when Stern game them the 10 sign or no season warning. I need my Sparks. The Red Wings playoffs get me to the WNBA season.

And yet, I just can't seem to care
Buffy as you know it is over

[BBOvenGuy]

They need to make some changes to the WNBA's structure and marketing, I think. I'm hoping the move to Connecticut will be the start of a trend, allowing other teams to move to cities that don't have NBA teams. Men's and women's basketball have different fan bases - sometimes the men's game succeeds where the women's game doesn't and vice-versa.



Having gone to Vanderbilt and worked as a publicity photographer for the women's basketball team when I was there, I can tell you right now that the WNBA could put teams in both Nashville and Knoxville and they'd be successful. But neither city has an NBA team, so it hasn't been done yet...

"The first task of anyone, lest you get canceled, is to entertain people, because they ain't there for message." - Dick Wolf

[lauriebear]

Hopefully you're right Bob.



Being from CT, I could not understand why they didn't put a WNBA team here right off the bat.

The women's UCONN team is the big thing here in the state. Bigger than the men's team. A couple of years ago....people drove thru a blizzard just to see the UCONN women play Tennesee. The place was nearly sold out...even with a foot of snow on the ground. It's that big. Hell, last year all anyone could talk about was Sue Bird....this year...Diana Turasi. Even people who don't watch basketball know who they are.(my family)



And yeah,I bet if they put a team in Tennesee it would be pretty big.



GO UCONN HUSKIES



(sorry, I'm an alum..had to do it)

[xita]

That would be a shame. I wonder what makes certain women's sports succeed and others not. I look at Tennis and Women's GOlf and they are still going after decades. What is the difference?

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Only 50 cents

[mollyig]

I think this would be a terrible pity. One of the television stations here used to show highlights of the 2nd WNBA season and I became quite hooked. I'm a regular visitor on the WNBA website, and I had always hoped to one day be able to attend a match.



To be honest I prefer Women's basketball, the passing is superb (Ticha Penicheiro is a genius!) making it a much more artistic display.

Love is a place I dream of. A face that never leaves my mind
Luka Bloom

[Scout]

Gee, I hate to hear that. And you feel so sorry for all those college players who were looking forward to continuing their careers in the US once they got out of college.



I've always enjoyed women's college ball, and it's been fun to watch the big college stars make their way into the pros.



The Mystics are huge here in DC. They always draw a big crowd, even when they're playing poorly. Some would even argue that they're more popular than the Wizards NBA team.

[The Rose24]

Awwww man!!!! I love the WNBA. There are women who play as well as the men. This is a good way for women who love basketball to keep playing. I really hope they work something out.

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

[urnofosiris]

Quote:

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That would be a shame. I wonder what makes certain women's sports succeed and others not. I look at Tennis and Women's GOlf and they are still going after decades. What is the difference?

---

Maybe it has something to do with those being individual sports as opposed to team sports, but don't ask me why that should make a difference, heh. In the Netherlands there are only four sports I can think of where the men and women get about equal attention: tennis, gymnastics, athletics and speed scating, all individual sports. Basketball barely gets attention here at all with soccer being the main sport, you cannot open a newspaper here or watch tv without coming across it, but women's soccer hardly ever makes the news.

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Coffee, Food, Kisses and Gay Love........Get it while you are hot

[The Rose24]

It's on Kitties!!!!!



The WNBA reaches a five year deal. I am so happy. I love the WNBA!!!!

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

[BBOvenGuy]

Woo-Hoo!







I saw that this morning myself. I'm so glad they were able to work everything out.

"The first task of anyone, lest you get canceled, is to entertain people, because they ain't there for message." - Dick Wolf

[xita]

Oh yay, that's great news. Now this can become the WNBA thread When does the season start?

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Si nos dejan buscamos un rincón cerca del cielo

Si nos dejan haremos con las nubes térciopelo


José Alfredo Jiménez

[sprhrgrl]

Yay! I saw the thread subject and got REALLY sad. . . My cousin played college basketball and then was a practice player for the Portland Power. . . I was obsessive. I played basketball, with local teams where I was the only girl in the league. Basketball is *great*, and although I like playing with boys better than playing with girls, it's so wonderful that the WNBA is still alive. If only because the NBA is unfortunately still the MNBA.

sprhrgrl.com

counting*stars

racism=sexism=homophobia

The truth shall set you free, but first it will piss you off. – Gloria Steinem

[Rosenberg]

“When does the season start?”



I believe the pre-season starts on May 5th and the regular season, at least as far as the Detroit Shock is concerned, tips off May 31.

[JJtheCool]

Back when my then-girlfriend (now soon-to-be-ex-wife) and I lived in the DC area, we managed to see the Mystics play the Phoenix Mercury during their inaugural season. The place was packed, and the game was very entertaining. Though they had an awful season winning only 3 games that year, I knew that with the locals solidly behind the team, eventually things would get better, and w/ Chamique Holdsclaw on the team they have. Unfortunately for the Mercury, things haven't been the same since Cheryl Miller left.



Maybe I'll catch the Mercury for a game or 2. God knows I can't afford to see a Suns game. AAR, it's nice to know the season's on again.

JJtheCool

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*Sigh*

[mollyig]

I was really pleased to read that the WNBA will continue.



Maybe I'll get to see a game next time I travel to the US.

Love is a place I dream of. A face that never leaves my mind
Luka Bloom

[BytrSuite]

I don't watch any kind of sports on tv. If I did though, this is what I would watch.



www.wnba.com/

________
"Oh, good, my dog found the chainsaw."

[Warduke]

From Yahoo...

WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes comes out: 'I'm tired of having to pretend'
October 26, 2005

NEW YORK (AP) -- Houston Comets forward Sheryl Swoopes is opening up about being a lesbian, telling a magazine that she's "tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about.''

Swoopes, honored last month as the WNBA's Most Valuable Player, told ESPN The Magazine for a story on newsstands Wednesday that she didn't always know she was gay and fears that coming out could jeopardize her status as a role model.

"Do I think I was born this way? No,'' Swoopes said. "And that's probably confusing to some, because I know a lot of people believe that you are.''

Swoopes, who was married and has an 8-year-old son, said her 1999 divorce "wasn't because I'm gay.''

She said her reason for coming out now is merely because she wants to be honest.

"It's not something that I want to throw in people's faces. I'm just at a point in my life where I'm tired of having to pretend to be somebody I'm not,'' the 34-year-old Swoopes said. "I'm tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about. About the person I love.''

A release from ESPN The Magazine about the story did not disclose the identity of Swoopes' partner.

A five-time All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Swoopes is the WNBA's only three-time MVP. She played for the Comets during their run of four championships from 1997-2000, but missed the 2001 season with a knee injury.

She said her biggest worry about her revelation is that people will be afraid to look up to her.

"I don't want that to happen,'' she said. "Being gay has nothing to do with the three gold medals or the three MVPs or the four championships I've won. I'm still the same person. I'm Sheryl.''

Swoopes led the WNBA in scoring last year, averaging 18.6 points. She also averaged 4.3 assists and 2.65 steals while making 85 percent of her free throws and playing a league-high 37.1 minutes a game.

She said it "irritates'' her that no one talks about gays playing in men's sports, but that it's become an issue in the WNBA.

"Sexuality and gender don't change anyone's performance on the court,'' she said. "Women play just as hard as guys do. We're just as competitive.''

[dorksrcool]

I applaud Swoops for "coming out." Add her to the list of positive role models for gay kids everywhere.

[cattwoman]

From SI.com:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/b ... topstories

NEW YORK (AP) -- The only thing that outshines the exquisite diamond on Sheryl Swoopes' left ring finger is the glow on her face as she discusses the love of her life.

It's a love that the WNBA superstar has kept hidden for more than seven years. On Wednesday she "quit pretending," disclosing that she is gay and in a committed relationship.

"I feel like I've been living a lie," the Houston Comets star said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm at a place in my life right now where I'm very happy, very content. I'm finally OK with the idea of who I love, who I want to be with."

Swoopes said she currently lives with her partner, former Comets assistant coach Alisa Scott.

The story was first reported in ESPN the Magazine, which hit newsstands Wednesday. She also announced an endorsement deal with Olivia, a lesbian cruise line.

Swoopes, the only WNBA player to win three MVP trophies, said she never had feelings for a woman before Scott and didn't understand them when they began. But in the seven years since, she said she's been "hurting" while hiding her relationship.

Now, Swoopes said, she finally feels free.

Swoopes is a five-time All-Star, three-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion as a member of the Comets, whose run of four straight titles began when she was a rookie in 1997.

While piling up accolades and accomplishments, the 34-year-old Swoopes said she dreamed about the day when she could attend an awards banquet with Scott on her arm.

"We have had to celebrate behind closed doors," she said. "I don't want to have to hide from the world anymore."

But that's not to say that she isn't concerned about repercussions from her admission. She worries about her mother Louise, who has known for five years, but "doesn't think it's right."

"She'll probably never accept it," Swoopes said. "But she's dealing with it."

And she is nervous about the response from her hometown of Brownfield, Texas, about 600 miles northwest of Houston, where cotton is king and Swoopes reigns as queen.

Not to mention what people will think right down the road in Lubbock, where she brought Texas Tech it's only national championship in basketball by scoring 47 points in the final game in 1993.

"I worry about the reaction throughout the country, but I really worry about Brownfield and Lubbock," she said. "Because they're both small towns and Sheryl Swoopes is a local hero. Now what? I hope it doesn't change. It's important to me."

Swoopes is perhaps the highest profile team-sport athlete to come out and follows two other WNBA players. Shortly before she retired in 2002, New York Liberty player Sue Wicks became the first active WNBA player to open up about her sexuality.

"I'm happy for Sheryl," Wicks said. "I think all people deserve to be able to live their lives openly and honestly, and I applaud Sheryl for her courage."

Former Minnesota Lynx player Michele Van Gorp, who no longer plays in the WNBA, also came out while an active player in July 2004.

No man has ever come out while still active in the major leagues of football, baseball, basketball or hockey. If an NBA ever player did, commissioner David Stern said, there'd only be one question:

"How many points? How many rebounds? I think that it's a non-issue."

Swoopes said her news had been well received so far.

"What she does in her personal life is her own decision," Comets coach Van Chancellor said in a release. "I respect everything about Sheryl, how she's handled herself on and off the court. To me, she will always be one of the greatest ambassadors for the game of women's basketball."

She has long reveled in her position as a role model and hopes that parents won't discourage their children from looking up to her because she is gay. Her wish is that her coming out could help someone dealing with the same issue.

"If a kid out there who is struggling with their identity can read this article and say, 'If she did it I can deal with this,' then this is worth it," she said.

Swoopes said her decision had nothing to do with the proposed Texas constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, which is already illegal in Texas. In fact, she didn't know about it until Wednesday morning.

But she said would like to one day marry Scott.

"At some point I would love for that to happen," she said. "Right now I think we're very happy with the relationship we have. This is the person I plan on being with for the rest of my life."

Swoopes was married to her high school sweetheart and the two have an 8-year-old son, Jordan. Their divorce in 1999 had nothing to do with her being gay, Swoopes said.

When contemplating whether to come out, Swoopes said thoughts of Jordan were foremost in her mind.

"He goes to bed every night and he's peaceful and when I see that I never question that what I'm doing is right," she said.

[hahler]

she is not only a role model to gay kids but to ALL kids.
the issue should not be that she is gay but the kind of person that everyone can look up to.
gay or straight there should not be / we are all one species.

ok that was my only political view.





hahler

[xita]

Wow, I am going to say I am shocked. I am very pleased but I thought it would take longer for such a high profile WNBA woman to come out. wow, good for her, so many closet cases in the WNBA and other female sports. I was never a big fan but now.. Swoooooooopes all the way!

http://www.afterellen.com/People/2005/10/swoopes.html

[Emms]

I really think it's wonderful that Sheryl is comfortable enough in her life choices to make a public announcement about it. And it's really a testament to the love she has for her partner...to be able to say; heck with this being in the closet crap! (okay...so she didn't say exactly that.. )

Everyone deserves to live a life they are happy with and not have to hide who they love from society. So....good for her. She's definitely my hero.

xoxo
Emms

[Ben Varkentine]

The News Blog has some good commentary on this:

Two points: one, for a famous black woman, much less an athlete, to come out is an act of heroism most people can barely imagine, much less comprehend. If you're looking for a hero, she's one. There is the risk of personal and financial punishment and her finally making the decision to be an out lesbian is something to be commended, especially with the climate of open homophobia here.

Two: David Stern has tried to suppress the lesbian side of the WNBA for years. They are deathly afraid that the league will be linked to lesbianism and not draw support. This certainly puts a crimp in their plans.

http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2005/ ... loset.html

[BBOvenGuy]

Wow, I'm surprised this thread's gotten buried in the back pages, especially with the new season underway.

Bob Kravitz, sports columnist for The Indianapolis Star, has a new column about Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings, who he calls "this city's best-kept secret." One passage in particular was of interest:

I do think, though, there are some legitimate questions about this franchise's long-term viability.

I think as much as Hoosiers love basketball and especially good, fundamental basketball, they just don't seem, at least so far, to like spending their money to watch the world's best women play the game.

And I think -- shoot, I know -- there are people out there in this very conservative burg who would rather not bring their children to games where lesbians make up a sizable chunk of the fan base. To me, that's utterly mind-blowing and close-minded; I guess it's better to expose the kiddies to drunken, profane heterosexuals at Colts and Pacers games. But it's true. Sad, and true.

You can read the entire column here:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... 6/SPORTS05