Donna Orender, the WNBA's energetic president, juggled preparation for postseason award duties with answering fan e-mail and reporter questions on a typically busy afternoon. Her league may be winding down its 12th season, but she's still in overdrive.
Reached Friday in Indianapolis, where she presented Indiana's Ebony Hoffman with the Most Improved Player Award, Orender already was looking ahead to next season and more growth for her league. Her fan feedback keeps her motivated.
"What's really so gratifying, the consensus from all of our fans is that this was the best year yet," she said, citing some of her new e-mails. "When fans say that to you, they're not talking about business. It's the fan experience and that says a lot about the league.
"Our game continues to grow. The athleticism, the teamwork are truly touching more and more people in every aspect of the fan base - not just women, but men, young families. We're touching every demographic and that's great."
Her proof is in the numbers. Helped by an expansion franchise in Atlanta (the league's 14th team), overall attendance was up 2.2 percent to more than 1.89 million. That averages 7,943 per game. Attracting 139,066 at Arco Arena, the Monarchs averaged 8,180, down 2.7 percent from 2007.
In a tough economy, the WNBA had 46 sellouts, triple the 2007 total. The national TV audience on ABC and ESPN2 grew 19 percent both in ratings (0.32) and viewership (413,000).
Nearly 13 million fans - a 35 percent jump from last year - accessed the league's website, spurred by interest in rookie sensation Candace Parker. The Los Angeles forward also helped spark merchandise sales, which grew leaguewide by 36 percent.
The league also weathered the midseason fight between Los Angeles and Detroit, which may have done more good than harm to its image.
Q: How would you rate this season?
Orender: Deep breath and little step back; I've been in the whirl and swirl of it. Competitively, good as it's ever been, maybe the best. There was the addition of an incredible, exciting rookie class. Overall, not only the number of rookies who made an impact on teams but the quality. Candace Parker, Candice Wiggins, Sylvia Fowles; (Fowles has) been anointed as the next greatest center in the world. That's exciting. Talk about our future, talk about growth.
Then, look at all the veterans who stepped up their game. Diana Taurasi, she continues to take her game to another level. Sue Bird, in light of her teammate (Lauren Jackson's) injury, she lifted her game to where people weren't surprised but just grateful. Lisa Leslie continues to establish benchmarks of performance 12 seasons into it.
It's a really great blend. And we have outstanding coaching. I'm very proud of Coach (Jenny) Boucek. She's done an incredible job in the face of amazing challenges in Sacramento, really great.
Q: On your WNBA highlight reel for 2008, what are the top three moments?
Orender: Off the court, our aspiring women's sendoff to the Olympics; that was definitely a highlight for all the participants. The outdoor game (in New York); that was a definite highlight. I'll leave my third open for the playoffs; it could pop at any moment.
Q: What was the league's biggest accomplishment this season?
Orender: That we were able to continue to grow, that we are delivering on the promise of great basketball and even better entertainment. And the fact that we do it and at same time make a difference in communities around the country and produce strong role models.
Q: What was the biggest disappointment?
Orender: It's over. (Laughs) It was a great season!
Q: What was the final fallout from the L.A.-Detroit fight? Has it been forgotten?
Orender: Not totally forgotten; people still like talking about it, at least to me. It revealed the competitive passion in our sport, which was very much on display. Our sportsmanship became more evident. It was so out of our normal occurrence, it got a lot of people's attention on a much, much broader base. It brought more people to games. They saw core assets of our game: teamwork, athleticism, that we're growing.
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