Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Women's Professional Basketball League, 1978-1981 (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Across the arena, the home team's preparations were less dramatic..." (more)
Key Phrases: smaller basketball, pro basketball league, professional basketball league, New York, San Francisco, New Jersey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For a nearly forgotten league that lasted just three years, the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) enjoyed a surprising share of good stories, recorded here for the first time. Having represented WNBA players in her law practice, Porter is well-versed in women's basketball past and present, and treats her subject with care. From the beginning of its first season in October 1977, the league was populated by women whose motivation was "love of the game"-unsurprising considering the pay they were (supposed to be) pulling in, but surprising considering their astonishing level of commitment to the chaotic league. Players washed their own uniforms; crammed three or four to a hotel room; traveled long distances to games by van (often driven by their coach); and, of course, were generally paid very little, if at all (by December 1979, Washington Metros players had yet to be paid). Through it all, there was some good basketball played-and some really good players making it happen; WBL stars included Ann Meyers, Molly Bolin, Nancy Lieberman and Carol Blazejowski, some of whom remain in the game as coaches, managers and commentators. Still, Porter's account is largely about the forgotten names, the players who sacrificed so much to advance women's basketball long before the success of the WNBA, and pays fitting tribute to them. Dramatic and insightful, this should please anyone with an interest in the history of hoops.
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Review

"Porter has a keen eye for the telling detail, a reconteur's love of storytelling, and amid the important cache of stats and box scores, she creates vivid heroes of the league."-Cassie DeHahn, Aethlon (Cassie DeHahn Aethlon )

"Relive all of the great moments, the troubling challenges, the highlights, the star players, and gain a whole new perspective of what it took to get professional basketball into the spotlight that is today's NBA and WNBA. There's plenty for men and women alike to enjoy about Karra Porter's Mad Seasons."-Bill Ingram, Hoopsworld.com (Bill Ingram Hoopsworld.com )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books; 1 edition (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803287895
• ISBN-13: 978-0803287891
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #501,215 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A League Even I Forgot About, April 8, 2008

By	Jeffrey C. Bullock - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I was in college when the WBL existed - I remember we used to talk about going to see a game when we were home on semester break in D.C. but we never got around to it. The biggest game of the year was always when ODU and Lieberman and Nissen would come to maul our womens team - the gym was packed to beyond capacity and always outdrew the mens game. This is an interesting read with all the funny and poignant stories of a league's startup and also some sad stories, too - well worth it.

5.0 out of 5 stars So Close, Yet So Far, August 16, 2006

By	Mr. Richard D. Coreno "Mr. C" (Berea, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

What would you say about a league that survived for three tumultuous seasons due to players who many times had paychecks bounce higher than the basketballs, a handful of owners who truly wanted to operate a first-rate league and a fandom that came out in impressive numbers for the final championship series?

Karra Porter, an attorney who has represented several WNBA players, pens the first history of the WBL, that operated from 1978-1981. It is an important addition to the knowledge of a reader who enjoys exploring basketball history or wants to better comprehend the battle waged in women's team sports to have viable leagues at the professional level.

Porter covers every facet of the game - from the front office and hardcourt, to the media and fans - and thoroughly describes the financial stumbling off the court that doomed the product on the court.

Ultimately it was the shabby treatment of players that destroyed the league. In the final season, several teams and individuals staged walkouts in protest of not being paid. A showdown between owners who wanted the league to be operated professionally and those who had more shallow verbiage than cash caused a rift that sunk the WBL in a sea of broken promises.

But how close the WBL came to making it.

At least one NBA owner was interested in investing in an existing team, but watched to see if the league would stabilize financially. The league just missed on what became the sports boom in cable television, when a then regional operation in Bristol, Conn., espn, began its search to show sports 24 hours a day.

As much oral history as it is research, Mad Seasons is a great read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mad Love, July 22, 2006

By	Kim Callahan (Springfield, MO) - See all my reviews

This book from new author Karra Porter was well worth the wait. It is not a dry history of the oft forgot WBL, but rather an engaging and fun read. The years of research that went into this book is obvious with its detailed accounts and interviews. A true labor of love by a dedicated basketball fan, "Mad Seasons" offers an objective "insider's" look at the rise and fall of this pioneering effort.

Fans and women's basketball professionals alike should read this book to see just far we've come and what the phrase "playing for the love of the game" really means.

I would, however, have included the unpublished "Media Glare" chapter (see the book's website for more info) rather than the "Snapshots" chapter. While the snapshots are interesting and amusing, media coverage remains a hot issue among fans and I think many would have been greatly interested in it - particularly as it also gives us the history of the first women's college basketball poll.