Q [Ailene Voisin]: OK, so before we break this up, I would like to hear your thoughts on the WNBA, and what many observers believe is a general malaise settling over the league. With so many of the original owners relinquishing ownership the past few years, how committed are you to ensuring the WNBA's survival?
A [David Stern]: Attendance is going to be up this year, and over time, it's going to be fine. Yes, we're looking to make it easier for owners to monetize their investment. So you want to get somebody to operate it, fine, we'll help you. Over time, I see it expanding to a 16-team league. What people don't realize is that the WNBA has more network exposure than the MLS (Major League Soccer) and the AFL (Arena Football League), and, yes, there's a malaise, and we have to keep moving, keep improving.
Q: My sense is that the league still hasn't found an effective means of identifying and marketing to an audience.
A: Yes, we're not doing a good enough job getting the story out on a national level.
Q: But even locally, take the Monarchs, for example. They won the championship in 2005 and reached the Finals last season with a dynamic, engaging group of athletes who were very cognizant of the need to promote their league, and yet attendance is stagnating in Sacramento as well.
A: I tell you what. The media is tough to crack. It's very difficult, but it's coming. The WNBA is still suffering from the notion that every women's professional sports league has failed, and people are not yet accepting of the fact that it can succeed. And it's in its 11th year. But I think we have to make a little more noise about the WNBA, no question about that. It's here to stay. It has our name attached to it.
Q: Any thoughts of joining your former peers in retirement sometime soon?
A: Absolutely none.
