Washington Mystics guard Alana Beard doesn't remember the television show she was watching nearly a decade ago, but one of the commercials made a lasting impression.
Three of the biggest names in women's basketball — Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and Rebecca Lobo — were competing against men on a playground court in a promotional spot for a new women's basketball league, the WNBA.
"That was the slogan: 'We Got Next,' " Beard said. "We Got Next. I'll never forget seeing that because it changed my outlook on basketball. I think the WNBA is one of the biggest things to happen to women's basketball. I always grew up thinking that I would be the first woman to play in the NBA. But now we have our own league backed by the NBA. When you attach those three letters to women's basketball, it can't get any bigger than that."
Today, Beard is a role model for younger girls and a rising star in a league that tips off its 10th season tonight, with the Mystics opening their ninth season against the New York Liberty on Tuesday night at Verizon Center.
But after a decade, the WNBA is still in its infant stages, still relying on the powerful NBA for support as it aims for independence. For a league that proclaimed "We Got Next," an appropriate question today is "What's Next?"
The WNBA is quick to trumpet that it's the longest-running, most successful women's professional league, outdistancing the American Basketball League that folded in 1998 during its third season and WUSA soccer league, which lasted three seasons. WNBA officials also point to a 30 percent increase in television ratings during last summer's playoffs and a more than 40 percent increase among viewers 18-54 years old since 2004.
However, attendance for the 13 teams dropped to 1,806,362 last year from 1,903,427 in 2004 and has decreased 24.5 percent in the past four seasons, according to the league.
"You have to look at sports as a property that can reach fans in a myriad of ways, and when you look at that, our numbers are growing," WNBA President Donna Orender said. "And we are focused on our attendance, and I think this year you are going to see a jump, and see the numbers start to go the other way. You can't ignore the fact that our numbers have also grown double-digits in terms of our ratings on television."
Orender said the league "is very close to breaking even" but refused to speculate on when it could turn a profit.
That hasn't stopped the league from expanding. The Chicago Sky joins the Eastern Conference in an ever-changing league in which three teams have folded and two others have relocated since the 2002 season. The Orlando Miracle became the Connecticut Sun and now plays in a casino in Uncasville. The Utah Starzz became the San Antonio Silver Stars and last summer averaged nearly the same attendance as in the club's final season in Salt Lake City.
But some coaches feel the key to success is strengthening the existing league. "I think the best thing the WNBA has going right now is that it's a great game and great product because it's a team game that I think people want to see," said Van Chancellor, Houston's coach since the WNBA's inaugural season.
This season the league will implement a 24-second clock — it was 30 seconds in previous years — to promote a faster game and higher scores. Ten-minute quarters will replace the 20-minute halves, and teams will be allowed four fouls per quarter before two free throws are awarded for fouls.
"These players are not playing college basketball anymore," Detroit Shock Coach Bill Laimbeer said. "With the guys, when they come into the NBA, they have to make adjustments. I think it should be the same thing in the WNBA."
Though the change from halves to quarters isn't expected to make much of a difference, the shot clock change has been greeted with mixed reactions. "The league feels it wants more of an up-tempo game, but I think it's going to take some time to adjust and I would say it's going to affect us in terms of our secondary break," Washington Coach Richie Adubato said. "We also have to start running our stuff quicker. It's not like when I was coaching the Orlando Magic and we could just throw it to Shaquille O'Neal and get out of his way or clear out for Penny Hardaway. It doesn't work that way in the WNBA."
However, one of his veteran players disagreed. "I've played in Europe and it makes the game faster because both teams are going up and down the court," said Washington power forward DeLisha Milton-Jones. "I think it's going to be a good thing for the league."
Though coaches differ on rule changes, they agree on a different point: The WNBA has more talented players that ever. Last year in the Eastern Conference, five wins separated the Indiana Fever (21-13), which hosted a first-round playoff series and the Mystics (16-18), who missed the postseason. In the Western Conference, four victories separated second-seeded Seattle (20-14) and Phoenix (16-18), which missed the playoffs.
"When the league first started, every team had maybe two great athletes," said Houston's Swoopes, last season's most valuable player. "Today, everybody in the league is great. There's just so much more talent."
Sacramento won its first title last year by defeating the Connecticut Sun, which posted the league's best regular season record. Western Conference teams have won eight of nine titles, but this year four Eastern Conference teams — Connecticut, Detroit, Indiana and Washington — are expected to be competitive with Western Conference favorites Sacramento, Houston and Seattle.
"This is the best the league has ever been — by far," said Milton-Jones, who is entering her eighth season. "I think this is just what the WNBA needs."
