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A league of their own: The Silver Stars
Published July 21, 2009
In the past year, I have covered every level of women’s basketball, from select teams with 9-year-olds to every game of the Ohio High School Girls Final Four in March.
I have seen good teams, and have seen even more bad teams in the hundreds of games I’ve watched.
But one level has escaped my grasp — until last Friday, when I covered my first WNBA game.
Considering I am new to the Hill Country and have yet to cover anything in the professional sports world, I decided to check out the San Antonio Silver Stars.
Silver background
Thirteen years ago, the WNBA was born. It came into the sports world glaring at other male professional sports with the slogan, “We got next.”
And it was successful at first, but for whatever the reason, the league’s mainstream appeal and popularity crumbled. Teams such as the Cleveland Rockers folded. The Houston Comets, the first dynasty, folded as well.
Consider the Boston Celtics folding after 1970 — that’s what happened when Houston disappeared.
In 2003, an original organization moved from Utah to become the San Antonio Silver Stars, giving the city its second major professional sports team.
WNBA expectations
To be brutally honest, I expected something less than exciting, even though the WNBA’s current slogan is “expect great.”
Although I have seen great players and teams, and seen fans go crazy for girls basketball, everything I had read and heard didn’t give me high hopes.
For instance, I expected the crowd to be as thin as they are in large markets such as Chicago, which averages around 3,000 fans. I expected to be the only person on press-row and expected to have casual conversations with players as they ran up and down the court.
I was wrong, and realized that regardless of gender, pro basketball is pro basketball.
Attendance
The average Stars crowd is 6,558 people, which impressed me until I found out 6,500 is low for the WNBA. The league averages between 7,000 and 8,000 fans per game.
Friday’s game drew 9,524 people, 1,500 more than the Indiana Fever-Atlanta Dream game the same night and the highest all season. Although attendance seems low considering the Spurs get about 18,000 fans per game, I had expected to see hundreds of fans — not thousands — for a Friday night game that would feature fast breaks and no dunks.
Atmosphere and gameplay
It’s fast-paced, fundamental basketball. Becky Hammon, the Silver Stars’ resident superstar, pushes the ball, creating an up-tempo style. Players such as Erin Perproglou dive for loose balls and play at full throttle the entire game.
How many times do you see NBA players do that before the All-Star break?
Besides game-play, arena noise and atmosphere makes for a good sporting event, and the Stars do well for their fans.
The only thing different from a NBA atmosphere to the WNBA is the Lionel Ritchie song “Lady” playing from the speakers. The Silver Stars assign section leaders to help fans get into the game, turn out lights for home team introductions and in turn they get a young, loud crow — which I wasn’t prepared for at all.
Not only did I think the game was exciting, but I saw a strong fan base for a team in a league that I thought was unpopular and in a financial bind. But how bad can a franchise be when high school guys are walking around in Silver Stars basketball jerseys?
Straight down to the halftime dancers and the timeout contests, the Silver Stars do all but put a wig on Manu Ginobili to create an NBA atmosphere, which results in a fun time for basketball fans.
The star
My plans for in-depth interviews with the team were dashed after the Stars lost to the Connecticut Sun.
Hammon, whose game conjured up memories of a 20-something Allen Iverson as she scored 24 points, reminded me of a grizzled veteran when I entered the locker room. She had bags of ice on her knees and her feet were soaking in a giant Gatorade jug filled with more ice. She had a ticked-off look and was in no mood to talk about anything but how her team needs to play better.
Hammon was voted to her fifth WNBA All-Star game and had just returned from playing for Germany in international play. Hammon originally is from Colorado, but opted to play for the German national team after applying for citizenship.
“We’re just fortunate to have her in San Antonio,” Silver Stars coach Dan Hughes said. “She had a stellar career, but her play here in San Antonio is the best of her career, and I’m glad the fans recognize that.”
The final whistle
My first WNBA game served as a splash of cold water on my face. It was a league that I once used more as a punchline than anything else, but now entertained me more than some NFL games. But watching it live makes some sports, such as hockey, more fun.
And it’s not that far from Kerrville. Just 62 miles south, the AT&T Center is a quick drive. The ticket prices are about as reasonable as they can get, ranging from $10 to $125, and that’s for gate tickets. For just $9, fans can buy season tickets.
I’m looking forward to going back to the AT&T Center this summer as the Stars have 10 more home games left, and they better be ready, because next time my expectations are going to more than great.
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