News Stories

Mystics, Fans Have Winning Numbers
East's Top Team Is No. 1 in Attendance

(Note: The lesbian fan base actually gets mentioned in this one).

By Jessica Hopp
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 11, 2002; Page D01

Barbara Johnson needs support as she slowly climbs the gray cement stairs from her front row seat in Section 200 of MCI Center following a recent Mystics game.

Step. Pause. Step. Pause. The 41-year-old D.C. resident stops, slides her hand across the cool metal railing and wipes the sweat from her brow. She looks up the steps and exhales, "I'm tired."

Her face is flushed, hair matted. In her damp, metallic blue Mystics jersey, one would think Johnson had just played in a basketball game -- not watched one.

If one thing distinguishes the Mystics from the other 15 WNBA teams, it is their sign-touting, jersey-wearing, top-of-their-lung screaming fans.

The Mystics market to community groups and women ages 25 to 54 with an emphasis on families, Director of Mystics Operations Julie Demeo said. With a fan base 78 percent female and more than 33 percent children under 18, the Mystics consistently have posted high attendance numbers -- even when their win totals were low.

"I usually don't have a voice the next day," said Johnson, who along with her partner, Ruth Gresser, has been a season ticket holder since the team's inception in 1998. "I feel like it is my responsibility to keep my section screaming. The first year it was a very quiet section. It has been transformed. Everybody got on board. It was either that or throw the screaming woman over the edge -- so they finally decided to scream with me."

Together Johnson and the other 18,371 fans attending the game against Charlotte on June 30 helped inspire the victory, and they have been rewarded thus far by the team posting its best record (14-5) in franchise history.

"They give us a huge lift," Mystics Coach Marianne Stanley said after the win over the Sting. "The noise was deafening a number of times. I hope that bothers the other team and it definitely energizes us. We're starting to get that sixth-man mentality, which is what I want our fans to have. I don't want our fans being like some fans in other parts of the country where they sit on their hands."

Washington went 40-88 its first four years of play, but by consistently averaging more than 15,000 per game, the team led the league in attendance its first three WNBA seasons. Last season they averaged 15,417, second to the New York Liberty.

Said Phoenix Mercury Coach Linda Sharp, whose team came to MCI Center Tuesday from New York on the second leg of back-to-back games: "There were 15,000 [in New York] and they were definitely louder here than in New York."

This season, the Mystics regained the league lead in attendance, averaging 15,280 fans through their first eight home games, all wins. To encourage attendance, the Mystics offer free tickets to local community groups and non-profit organizations, Demeo said. The Mystics also promote nights when canned food or a women's clothing donation is rewarded with a free ticket to a future game.

To keep the no-show rate low, the Mystics began a program in which season ticket holders and companies donate tickets they are unable to use back to the team. The tickets are then given to a local charity.

"[The fans] are quite impressive," Mercury forward Jennifer Gillom said. "They love the game and you can feel they have a passion for the sport."

The enthusiasm is infectious. Made-to-distract red, white and blue balloons spread through the crowd sitting behind the opponent's basket, and excited yells and disheartened groans ricochet off MCI Center's walls.

"I think there are two demographics who are really thrilled to have this opportunity," Johnson said. "Other sporting events are too expensive for families to go and have a good time, so I think families are really thrilled to have this opportunity. And I think that the lesbian community is really thrilled to have the opportunity to be able to enjoy watching people as they are playing a game that they can identify with, that we can identify with."

The noise makes it difficult for Michele Johnson, 38, and her husband, Carroll, to have a conversation, even during a timeout. But the Alexandria couple doesn't mind the commotion.

In matching Mystics visors, autographed by their favorite players, who include Asjha Jones and Coco Miller, the Johnsons take their eyes off the floor just long enough for an enthusiastic high-five.

"This arena is just so full of energy," Michele Johnson said. "There is always something going on you don't want to miss."

From the the high-flying, aerobic antics of the Mystics mascot, Charmed, to the spirited dance performances by the Mystics Mayhem, a dance group of 28 area boys and girls ages 7 to 18, fans would be remiss to look away, even for a second.

They even have a chance to get in on the action with the hot-potato volleyball game, which pits adjoining sections against each other with a large beach ball and an oversized net, or the on-court shooting contests between fans.

Not everybody enjoys the unruly noise. Four-year-old Jade clings to her father Kevin Neil's lap as he shouts at the referees from his seat in Section 101.

Today, father and daughter are alone, but Neil, 48, his wife and two older daughters, who are former basketball players, have been coming from Columbia to Mystics games since before Jade was born.

"WNBA fans are a lot less jaded than an [NBA] crowd," Neil said. "This crowd shows real enthusiasm. Even when we couldn't beat anybody, and we would be losing by 30, if we cut the lead to 20, this crowd would go nuts."

This season, the fans haven't seen many double-digit deficits, but they are still inspired by everything from a three-point basket to a half-court steal. Even the "defense" chants have fans on their feet.

From their seats in Section 418, 8-year-olds Wayne Hill Jr. and Andre Green wave their white "Let's Go Mystics" balloons and hope their shouts carry to the court. It is the boys' first Mystics game, and their fathers decided to take advantage of free tickets.

"We decided to make it a family thing," said Wayne Hill Sr., 36, from Landover. "My son plays basketball, and I am trying to show him it is not only a man's sport, it's an everybody sport."

© 2002 The Washington Post Company

Printed without permission from the Washington Post website. Read the story along with additional history on this story at the Washington Post website.

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