WNBA depending on success in Athens

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The WNBA, which opens its season tonight in Seattle, will take most of August off for the Olympic Games in Athens.

But don't expect it to be a vacation.

"If we as Americans don't do well in Athens, it could be a downward spiral," said Dawn Staley, a veteran guard who plays for Charlotte Sting. "We know we better come back with the gold or a lot of careers and dreams could go down the drain.

"We all know the financial state of the WNBA."

The WNBA hangs on because the NBA decides it should. Teams lose money even though the salaries they pay the world's best female players are minuscule compared to the NBA's.

At any time, the NBA could announce it as a noble failure, especially on the heels of a loss by the Americans in Athens.

Should the American players have to carry not only the hopes of their country, but those of their league? Isn't worrying about security in Athens enough without having to worry about job security back home?

No one said it was easy being a pioneer.

"For the guys, it is different," Staley said. "They are their own corporations."

WNBA attendance declined to its lowest point last season, 8,830 per game. The league is so sure the exposure in the Olympics could help things that it suspended play in August, cancelled its All-Star Game and agreed to finish its playoffs in October.

Staley, in New York for the United States Olympic Committee's media gathering last weekend, is the spiritual leader of women's basketball as a feisty point guard and coach of the women's team at Temple.

She is also a budding author who will write her story of going from the projects in Philadelphia to three Olympic teams in a series of books for young girls.

A member of U.S. national teams since 1989, Staley, 34, cares about the future of American women's basketball. She cares so much that she was involved in selecting her successor as team leader.

"Sue Bird was picked to the team for the future," Staley said. "She can get the experience now, at a young age. She might not be me now, but I was her back then.

"She has to learn how to deal with personalities. How to get things done without ruffling feathers, but be willing that one or two times during the Olympics — when we really need it — to ruffle feathers.

"Right now, she is the silent assassin. She needs to improve on the verbal things. She is going to have to embrace the whole team and give directions. I want to teach her what Teresa Edwards taught me."

Bird, 23, is the lone Seattle Storm member on the U.S. Olympic team, although teammate Lauren Jackson will lead the Australian team that might be the Americans' — gold-medal winners in Atlanta and Sydney — stiffest competition.

"The world is closing the gap with us," admitted Staley, "and the evidence is right in front of us. The most valuable player in the WNBA is an Australian. We've got our work cut out for us."

Asked if Jackson is good enough to beat the Americans, Staley said, "If there were four other Lauren Jacksons in Australia we would really be in trouble, but there is only one of her."

The American women, obviously, are different from the American men.

While they had the perfect excuse for missing the Olympics — their season was in full bloom — they know they not only need the exposure of the Olympics, but they also cherish the thought of playing in the Olympics. They were going to Athens whether the WNBA suspended play or not.

"My country means more to me during these times," Staley said. "I am proud to be an American."

Staley talks about a purity of playing for the national team, something she doesn't experience in the WNBA.

"Lisa Leslie will dive for loose balls without thinking, 'I could get hurt, my modeling career could get hurt, my WNBA career could get hurt,' " Staley said. "She doesn't worry about her playing time or her stats.

"I love playing in the WNBA, but it is different when you put on your USA uniform and play in a different country.

"I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the men's locker room and see if they feel the same purity and innocence we enjoy."

The American team has 11 members. One more will be added — probably a power-forward type, perhaps Yolanda Griffith.

The stalwarts are there — Staley, Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson and Tamika Catchings.

Just recently, WNBA rookie Diana Taurasi was added to the team.

"She's legitimate," Staley said. "When an athlete has it, it is not very hard to see it."

The Americans haven't lost an Olympic game since 1992. They seem to have the perfect blend of experience and youth. More than anything, they have a purpose that goes beyond gold.

Blaine Newnham: 206-464-2364 or bnewnham@seattletimes.com