Ben Kelly

Laura Summerton

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Why could BASA not attract any other businesses to sponsor Adelaide's only elite sports team besides The Adelaide Thunderbirds Netball Team? Media exposure is the obvious problem.

Both the women and men�s national basketball leagues are quite low in Adelaide�s media landscape. Adelaide Lightning games would attract several hundred supporters whilst 36er games struggle to get a few thousand. The problem, as football fans would see it, is lack of media coverage.

Country umpire Matthew Peake feels that the commercial media does not interview 6ers or Fellas/Lightning players often enough. "AFL players are held in such high regard by the Adelaide public but NBL and WNBL basketball players are often forgotten."

AFL players are called on regularly for interviews and TV shows like Channel Nine's The Footy Show. This kind of exposure and hero worship exists only in the dreams of Adelaide's NBL and WNBL players.

A Glenelg Reserves match is likely to draw at least 100 people whilst a West Adelaide reserves basketball game will usually have 1 or 2 parents who often have to man the score-bench. Sometimes no spectators will be present at all.

Sponsors are much more likely to want to endorse a club that has high media exposure and more spectators. If BASA had seen to it that the clubs were in the spotlight more often the Lightning would not have had to become the Fellas.
Co-owner of Fellas Gifts stores Brian Werner says 'we know this is not an ideal name for a girls' basketball team. We would be more than happy for someone else to step up - we are prepared to stand aside. But they need funding.' (Independent Weekly, May 29)

Blood on BASA's hands
Players Verdict
Local League

BASA selling out our teams?

The Adelaide 36ers were named such because Adelaide was founded in 1836. Last season the team's name was changed to the Adelaide 6ers. The name now holds little bearing on Adelaide's heritage.

Similarly, The Adelaide Lightning were named on an aspect of Adelaide's history, city planner Colonel William Light. Now, that aspect of hostory and pride has been lost under the watch of BASA and CEO Philip Sanders.

The women's team has not only lost a piece of heritage but an important aspect of pride. Besides the fact that the Fellas is a rediculous name, a team needs a personification of themselves: a symbol which represents the club. That use to be the lightning, a sybmol of strength. But now, how can the players be expected to invest their pride and strength into a commerical name with no significance?

Girls Basketball at Port Adelaide. This court is used for ABA games.