Women's Professional Basketball League
The Women's Professional Basketball League (abbreviated WBL) was a professional women's basketball league in the United States. The league played three seasons from the fall of 1978 to the spring of 1981. The league was the first professional women's basketball league in the United States.
Formation and 1978–79 season
The league began with a player draft held in Manhattan's Essex House in July 1978, with eight teams participating. While few of the teams had firm commitments on playing locations (or team names, for that matter), the league planned to play a 34-game season with teams in Chicago, Houston, Iowa, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York City and Washington, D.C. Houston drafted Ann Meyers from UCLA, while New Jersey's top choice Carol Blazejowski of Montclair State University said that she wanted to retain her amateur standing to be eligible to play in the 1980 Summer Olympics. Lusia Harris, a collegiate star at Delta State University, was selected by the Houston team, but was reluctant to commit to playing after hearing the $3,000 to $5,000 salaries estimated by the Minnesota franchise. With its last pick in the draft, the Cornets selected Uljana Semjonova, a 6-foot-11-inch player for the Soviet Union's national women's basketball team who would be inducted as an inaugural member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 1999, but would never play a game in the WBL. The New Jersey Gems selected Carol Blazejowski from Montclair State College, but she announced while on tour in Bulgaria with the U.S. national women's team through her coach Maureen Wendelken that she had no intention of playing professionally and that her goal was to retain her amateur standing to be able to play for the U.S. at the 1980 Summer Olympics. Molly Bolin, who grew up in Moravia, Iowa, became the first player signed by any team in the WBL when she was signed by the Iowa Cornets.
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Watch Me Now
by: PlayDon't you cry, don't you look so sad
We both knew somehow this day would come
I know you want what is best for me
And I need to see you smile
From where I started off to where I am
It's a million miles, I can't go back there again
But no matter where I go from here
You will be part of me from now on
For every door that opens up
When another has to close
You got to trust me now
Be strong and let me go
Watch me now as I go my way
The time has come
And I gotta say I'm not afraid
Watch me now, every step I take
I feel stronger, so much stronger
The road ahead is a mystery
Your love is here
Oh and I believe inside of me
Watch me now, I can stand my ground
I will be alright, yes I'll be alright
You were someone who believed in me
When I wasn't even sure of myself
And I always will remember how
You were always there to help
And I heard so many things from you
And I'm ready now to try them out in the world
Though it hurts too much to say goodbye
We both know (We both know)
There's no other way
I will feel your loving arms
When I'm out there in the cold
'Cause all of my thoughts of you
Will still be mine to hold
Watch me now as I go my way
The time has come
And I gotta say I'm not afraid
Watch me now, every step I take
I feel stronger, so much stronger
The road ahead is a mystery
Your love is here
Oh and I believe inside of me
Watch me now, I can stand my ground
I will be alright, yes I'll be alright
You will find me running back sometime
When I really need a guiding hand
We'll be closer than we were before
And I know that you will understand
I know you'll understand
Watch me now as I go my way
The time has come
And I gotta say I'm not afraid
Watch me now, every step I take
I feel stronger, so much stronger
The road ahead is a mystery
Your love is here
Oh and I believe inside of me
Watch me now, I can stand my ground
I will be alright, yes I'll be alright
Latest News for: wpbl
Justine Siegal will go to bat for women in pro baseball once more as WPBL co-founder
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