WNBA: On eve of 12th season, league is looking up

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, May, 2008 | by Mel Greenberg Inquirer Staff Writer

Forward progress  is not a phrase identified with women's basketball, but it appears to fit when it comes to the WNBA, which launches its 12th season tomorrow. Several years ago, when teams began falling by the wayside and attendance dropped, naysayers predicted the WNBA would soon join women's soccer and softball on the list of failed efforts.

But things appear to be moving along quite nicely, even if the WNBA doesn't come close to approaching its NBA big brother in terms of exposure, and millions of dollars in revenue and salary. A new nine-year TV deal with ESPN that begins next season includes the first rights fee that will enable franchises to obtain added revenue, according to several WNBA general managers. The addition of the Atlanta Dream this summer brings the...