We shouldn't be surprised. The Sparks are the first WNBA team to reach out to the lesbian community, but they shouldn't be the last. It's about marketing to a group of people we think will buy tickets. As women's sports have grown, as professional leagues have begun in women's basketball, soccer and softball, those perceptions have met reality. All sorts of women play sports.
Spark crowds are diverse.
Boys and girls wear Lisa Leslie jerseys. There are boys and girls high school basketball players. There are lesbians too, and if you ask many of them, they're often coming as families. The Sparks have sat behind tables to sign autographs and chat with prospective fans at high school gyms, church basements, YMCA youth programs, boys and girls clubs, at malls and department stores, at amusement parks and grade schools. Previously, there were no TV cameras to meet the Sparks.