New ABL franchise deserves a chance to play in Palestra

Justin Feil, Commentary At first, I thought a new ABL franchise might be a good idea. The more exposure for Penn, the better. But then I thought of the team. In a city that accepts nothing but the best from all of its sports teams, does bringing in an ABL team make sense, or even cents? This city's residents don't exactly jump at the chance to see a new product. Look at the inaugural United States Basketball League season for the Philadelphia Power. They averaged just about 500 people a game. Admittedly, that was the USBL -- not the most respected league though it does feature several decent players. Another point for Penn officials to ponder is how the scheduling headaches would be solved. The ABL season runs from mid-October to March. Tony Vecchione, the associate director of operations at the University, acknowledged that it would be difficult for any ABL team to play on Friday or Saturday nights during the college basketball season. Even earlier times would be difficult during the season because of wrestling and women's volleyball. Though there are problems to be ironed out, there are reasons to look hopefully for the ABL. There is the factor that the ABL team somehow could lure fans closer to Penn sports. Diehard Quakers fans know that the Palestra doesn't fill up for men's games, but how many of them even know just how many seats remain empty at a Penn women's game? Exposure to the ABL team could help the sister program by linking the Quakers to the professional team. Younger girls with a goal of one day playing professional basketball would be exposed to at least one end of Penn's campus. The most conceivable reason that fans would turn out for the ABL is Dawn Staley, who almost certainly would return to Philadelphia if a team were placed in the city of her high school -- Dobbins Tech. The ABL, which negotiates and owns the contracts of every player in the league, tries to pair players with a hometown team. Staley is very popular in the Philadelphia area, and she's one of the leagues most outstanding players, and maybe the best point guard in the world. Last year, she averaged 15.3 points per game and led the Richmond Rage, one of the ABL's teams, in steals and assists. Another local product is Amy Mallon, who graduated from St. Joseph's. Though the local identity didn't seem to help the USBL, remember that the Power were introduced to a much more diluted market. Men's basketball is everywhere in the city in the summer, and some of the people who might be interested in attending games are playing in games of their own. The ABL has only the WNBA to contend with and the Sixers. The WNBA doesn't play during the same months, however, and the Sixers, who play during the same time period as the ABL, don't play well. An ABL team would be a decidedly different flavor for the city. The players are at the highest level of women's basketball, a far cry from the USBL's squad of European hopefuls. According to Vecchione, the ABL is interested in the Palestra because it likes the history and atmosphere of the building. It feels that Philadelphians are accustomed to seeing good basketball in the Palestra. The league averages just over 3,500 fans per game -- not unlike the crowd size for a men's game between the Quakers and Brown or Yale. One advantage of the Palestra is that it can make a crowd of that size sound very loud. In addition, ABL games are reasonably priced so that it is a viable outing for a family -- or a college student. The preseason begins in September so the timetable for action is short. It should be a few short weeks before we hear what the ABL has decided. Let's hope it gives Philadelphia a chance, and then pray that Philadelphians give the ABL that same chance.