Fresh from their mention in this week’s L Word, the WNBA has announced four new rule changes for 2007. I won’t bore the non-sporties among you by listing them all, but I will note that the new backcourt rule, requiring offensive teams to bring the ball across the midcourt line in eight rather than 10 seconds, means the WNBA now matches the NBA in this. Critics of women’s basketball have always said the distaff game is too slow. Nice to see the rules changing to help prove them wrong.
On The L Word last Sunday, Bette answered the question “When did basketball become the big lesbian sport?” with “The WNBA, they run from it, which is part of the reason they don’t make any money. They don’t want to be associated with their core audience.”
Superstar player and lesbian mom Sheryl Swoopes said much the same in her ESPN coming-out interview: “The WNBA is well aware of the support they get from the gay and lesbian community. I think they should market to the gay community more. I understand why they don’t. They don’t know if everybody is going to accept it. But my thing is, money is money.”
The new season starts May 19.
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