History of the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's basketball has come a long way since Senda Berenson Abbott introduced the game of basketball to the women of Smith College in 1892. It wasn't until December 9, 1978, that a women's professional league (the Women's Professional Basketball League) was formed. The league only lasted three seasons. Other attempts, including the Liberty Basketball Association (1991) and Women's World Basketball Association (1992) also failed. It wasn't until the Women's National Basketball Association, or WNBA, that women's pro ball stuck on the American sports landscape.
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Founding
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The NBA Board of Governors approved the creation of the WNBA on April 24, 1996 so that play could begin in June, 1997. A summertime schedule for the league was chosen so it would not compete directly with the NBA or college basketball in hopes of getting more attention. Val Ackerman was the first WNBA president and three networks--ESPN, NBC and Lifetime--signed on to carry the games before any players were signed. In October 1996, Sheryl Swoopes was the first player to sign on to play in the WNBA.
Early Years
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In the first season in 1997, the WNBA consisted of eight teams: the New York Liberty, Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, Phoenix Mercury, Los Angeles Sparks, Utah Starzz and the Sacramento Monarchs. Just one year later, the Washington Mystics and the Detroit Shock were added to the league. In 1999, the Minnesota Lynx and the Orlando Miracle joined, bringing the league to 12 teams. After the success of the first three seasons, the WNBA added four teams in 2000: the Miami Sol, the Portland Fire, the Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever.
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League Evolution
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After the 2002 season, Miami and Portland folded. In 2003, the Utah Starzz and Orlando Miracle moved, and are the San Antonio Silver Stars and Connecticut Sun in 2010. At the end of the 2003 season, Cleveland folded. The Chicago Sky entered the league for the 2006 season, and Charlotte folded after the 2006 season. In 2008, the Atlanta Dream entered as an expansion team and the Comets ceased operations before the 2009 season. After the 2009 season, Sacramento folded and the Detroit Shock moved to Tulsa to become the Tulsa Shock. As of 2010, the WNBA is composed of 12 teams, with Atlanta, Chicago, Connecticut, Indiana, New York and Washington in the Eastern Conference and Los Angeles, Minnesota, Phoenix, San Antonio, Seattle and Tulsa comprising the Western Conference.
Significance
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The WNBA has been the most successful women's professional basketball league in the United States. The 2010 season will be the league's 14th season. In the first season, the league averaged over 9,600 fans per game. Attendance peaked in just the second season at 10,869 league-wide. Between the 1998 and 2006 seasons, attendance fell to an average of under 7,500 per game. However, league attendance increased in 2007, 2008 and 2009, with both Los Angeles and Washington averaging over 10,000 fans per game in 2009.
Past Champions
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The Houston Comets won the first four WNBA titles in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Houston's four titles remains the most for any team as of 2010. The L.A. Sparks won the next two titles in 2001 and 2002, but were upset by the Detroit Shock in 2003. In 2004, Seattle claimed its first title. In 2005, Sacramento won their first title, but could not repeat in 2006 because Detroit defeated them in the finals. Detroit lost the 2007 finals to the Phoenix Mercury, but won their third title the following year. In 2009, the Phoenix Mercury won their second title by defeating the Indiana Fever.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Basketball. image by Saskia Massink from Fotolia.com
