Delivering the $10 million Atlanta Dream
With less than a week before the Atlanta Dream opens its season, local media outlets are turning their attention on the WNBA’s newest franchise.
Two recent features chronicle the effort to lure the WNBA to Atlanta, though it seems like the WNBA came calling first, and take a deeper look at Ron Terwilliger (photo above), the Dream owner who made his fortune in development.
Atlanta Magazine takes an in-depth look at the efforts of the WNBA and civic boosters to bring the team to the city with “Are We Dreaming?” WNBA President Donna Orender talks to the magazine:
“The WNBA will succeed because it’s reaching out to a different group of people who historically haven’t been served, or have been underserved, by the NBA.”
Unfortunately, writer Jay Busbee (who also pens a sports blog), didn’t dig into what that really means. He missed how the Dream has reached out to gay and lesbian fans and how those fans were intimately involved with the bid to create the team. Talking about women’s basketball without delving into the lesbian factor makes the piece a little shallow, though still an interesting read.
Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a lengthy piece on Terwilliger and his hopes for the team, which he bought for $10 million. The AJC reports Terwilliger has told Marynell Meadors (photo above) he wants a winning record by the third season and a championship contender by the fifth or sixth.