The Sky's the Limit
At last, the Windy City has a professional women's basketball team
By Charlotte Robinson
Published: January 4th, 2006 | 1:19pm
It might seem like a WNBA team for America's third largest city is long overdue, so sports fan rejoice: When the WNBA enters its tenth season this spring it will introduce its first new team in five years, the Chicago Sky. Owned by Michael Alter, a real estate developer and founder of the volunteer program City Year, the Sky is the only independently owned team in the league (most are affiliated with their cities' NBA teams). The Sky acquired 13 players (one from each existing WNBA team) in an expansion draft last fall and plans to iron out contracts with two free agents soon. Rookies won't be recruited until April, when the college championships are over, which means the team will only have about a month to train with coach Dave Cowens before its May 20 debut against the Charlotte Sting. Like many others, Cowens, former center for the Boston Celtics, admires the teamwork that characterizes the WNBA. Unlike other sports, women's professional basketball is not known for individual superstar players. This is partly due to female players' shorter stature, which prevents flashy plays like slam dunks, but the WNBA has also enacted policies to nurture teams over individuals. Contract negotiations in the WNBA are subject to policies like pay grades for players and bans on courting two free agents from the same team. "It's about keeping the players with the team so there's that loyalty," says Marla Krause, the Sky's Director of Media and Community Relations. "It's more of a commitment, to the city, to the fans." Fan-friendliness is one way the WNBA gets people excited about women's sports, and for the Sky in particular, "fan-centric" is a mantra. In addition to planning a mascot, fan-inclusive halftime shows, and post-game autograph sessions, the organization has already started participating in community projects benefiting WINGS (Women in Need Growing Stronger) and Habitat for Humanity. "The WNBA does a huge amount of community work," says Krause, and most players go beyond their contractual obligations to help. "I think the women are still so grateful that they have a pro league to play in that I think there's something about that that makes them want to go out and share that with people," Krause says. Building buzz around women's teams in the male-dominated world of sports remains challenging, but Krause is optimistic. "The fans seem to be out there. With the media, it's just a slow process of getting people to the games and having them see, up close and personal, that this is really a great game."
For more info, visit wnba.com/sky.
Issue #20
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