WNBA President Laurel Richie Sits Down To Chat With New York Media

NEWARK, NJ- On Tuesday evening prior to the Minnesota Lynx-New York Liberty game, WNBA President Laurel Richie met with the media. Rather than stand behind a podium fielding questions, Richie used a more casual approach, having a seat at a round table and inviting media to pull up a chair to enter discussion.

In the informal atmosphere the WNBA president spoke about a variety of topics asked by assembled media. A few highlights follow the jump.

On last season: "We entered into a significant partnership with Boost Mobile. We also had an exciting season and some very good ratings on our telecasts."

On expansion: Richie said especially after last season a few cities have reached out showing interest. "We are not in a rush to expand," she said. "It is something we are looking at for the future and in the meantime we are in discussion with some interested areas."

On the draft: "Not sure how it looked being in front of the camera but from what I did see after the draft, the production looked very good. I am proud of our partnership with ESPN.' Richie went on to comment that overall, "the draft is just as much for the players as it is for the league."

On Title IX: "Clearly it (Title IX) has played a significant role," she said. "You look at a lot of our players and you can see Title IX has had a significant impact on their lives."

Down the road? "Build on the momentum of last season. We want to increase our sponsorships and just build on the momentum of the Olympics and anniversary of Title IX."

Richie went on to note the current roster size of eleven per team is fine for now but roster expansion is another item the competition committee will look into. Overall, the common theme of last year's positives and prospects for building on them was stressed frequently.