Posted by: Angela Bryant - Executive Assistant - March 4, 2010
So...I'm too excited about blogging. I'm the momma here in the Sparks office. I'm also the Executive Assistant to Penny Toler and Coach Gillom. My day consists of various tasks from answering the main line, to running in and out of PT's office, to coordinating travel & hotels for players, to spoiling Colin (who I call "the baby"). Our office can go from one extreme to another. We love playing tricks on each other and boy are we competitive. Since we’re all from different ends of the earth we have our rivalries. College teams, NFL and NBA stats, wins and losses are always discussed and debated but of course since this is “MY” blog the best coast is the WEST coast and my L.A. teams (Sparks/Lakers/Dodgers/USC) are what it’s all about. One team we share and agree on proudly is the Sparks (of course). I often say our office should be a reality show. I know our ratings would break records.
I sometimes sit back and reflect on my time here in Sparksville. The great friendships I’ve formed, the different opportunities management has entrusted to me and learning every aspect of the business from the woman who scored the first basket in the WNBA has truly been rewarding. If I had to pick one of my fondest moments as an employee it would be when I stepped in as the interim Public Relations representative back in 2008 and I got to travel with the team for all the preseason games. When I tell you that it was bananas, it really was! People would ask if I was having fun or if the players and I hung out. I would respond and say, “hang out, um no…how about we’re jetlagged and hungry and the only thing we want to see is food and the bed.” Being on the road, living from hotel-to-hotel is challenging. I definitely gained a new respect for the players that endure this type of regimen and still manage to bring their A game. I did enjoy Bobbitt’s comedic impersonations, Candace singing her tunes and Coop being crazy as usual. We shared so many laughs.
Before I was an employee I was a season ticket holder for years (shout out to section 110 who Penny nicknamed "the HBO" section because of our passion in speaking towards the refs...need I say more!). The only draw back of my fan-to-employee transition is that I can't verbally reprimand the refs.
Being a Sparks employee trips me out some days. A lot of times when I have my Sparks polo on, (which I consider to be like a uniform), people will stop me in the streets and say, “OMG! You work for the Sparks? I love the Sparks.” A couple of folks have gone as far as to ask for my autograph. Is that crazy or what?? For those of you who are wondering, yes I gave them my autograph (LOL!). Hey what can I say…I’m a ham. My daughter Ahntice loves to share how she got to meet Lisa Leslie and the whole Sparks team. My son Aaron, who attends Pepperdine University, also gets told how cool it is that his mom works for the Sparks. He especially loved when he got to meet and obtain the autograph of Halle Berry. She signed his blackberry case (go figure).
Well I guess I’ll wrap it up. I’m sure Alayne is tapping her fingers waiting on me to submit my blog. Until next time folks…
Blessings,
&G
Posted by: Matt Basta - Vice President of Sales - February 19, 2010
This Time It's Personal
It's hard to believe that I joined the Sparks team more than 6 months ago. During that time, I have immersed myself in the WNBA and the Los Angeles Sparks on every level. My job is to lead a team to "sell" the Sparks to fans and corporate partners, and in this economy, it can be challenging. Quickly, I learned this is more than just a basketball game. We are about community. We are role models. We are leaders. We are different. Why? Because we believe in making a difference on and off the court is the key to our long term success.
Then, something special happened on December 14, 2009. We announced our new Head Coach Jennifer Gillom. When she walked into the Toyota Training Center for our press conference, I was completely struck by her presence, her confidence, her authenticity. Wow. And then I started to learn more about her. She IS so committed to enriching our community and making it a better place for all. Before even officially arriving to LA, she pledged to support the Girls Club of Los Angeles, a non-profit agency that meets the needs of underprivileged and at-risk children, youth and their families living in South Los Angeles.
I have always felt great leaders just don't lead, but they inspire you to imagine the possibilities and create the opportunities. Coach Gillom inspired me. I pledged to personally bring 1,000 kids from the Girls Club of LA to a Sparks game this summer. How? I was going to contact everyone in my personal address book around the country to make a $99 tax-deductible donation to purchase a Go Pass package to bring 16 girls to a game. Why shouldn't a friend in Knoxville, TN want to enrich the life of a young girl in Los Angeles?>
I am happy to report that so far I have raised enough funds to bring 240 girls to a game this summer. I have to thank so far Bob (Redondo Beach, CA), Joe (Hermosa Beach, CA), Travis (Los Angeles, CA), The Georgianne Inn (Tybee Island, GA), Adam (Chicago, IL), Rich (New York, NY), Marcus (Miami Beach, FL), Maggie (Marina del Ray, CA), Danny (Miami Beach, FL), Rick (Redondo Beach, CA), Damon (Irvine, CA), and Mark (West Hollywood, CA).
What about that friend in Knoxville, TN? Anita enthusiastically said Yes! If you would like to join my campaign, please give me a call. It's super easy to contribute.
Momentum is building. And all I did was simply ask a family member or friend to join the Sparks family and make our community a stronger place. This time it's personal!
Posted by: Joe Bucz - Senior Account Executive - February 11, 2010
As a lot of you may have heard me say on the phone, my last name is pronounced just like Boots on your feet, and I am a Senior Account Executive with the LA Sparks, but as Martin Sheen said to his son Charlie in the movie Wall Street when Charlie said, "But Dad, I'm an Account Executive," Martin said, "Do you call strangers and ask them for money" and Charlie sheepishly said "Yes" then Martin said, "Then you are a salesman!" So I am a seat salesman for the Sparks for everything – season seats, partial plans and groups, and am proud of it.
I got my start with the Sparks in the inaugural season when I was informed by the Lakers, where I was also a seat sales guy, that they no longer needed a sales staff so I was going to sell season seats, along with one other Laker rep, for the start of the inaugural season for the as yet unnamed LA franchise in the newly formed Women's National Basketball Association that would be operated by the Lakers – I gulped and said "Sounds good!" Since this was before the popularity of the internet, the only ticket leads we had to start with were Lakers season seat holders and fans that we met at their games in a Sparks promotional booth, but we were overwhelmed by the response leading into that season – between my colleague and myself we sold over 1800 season seats for the Sparks for the old Fabulous Forum, including one Kathy Goodman, now one of the current owners of the Sparks – we were all surprised and amazed by the demand, and we rewarded the initial faithful with an inaugural seat discount which is still in effect to this day - by the way, the team name Sparks was suggested by the father of Brandi, the then assistant to team president Johnny Buss – it worked well, didn't it?
I will never forget the home opener of the Sparks at the Forum – well before the game even started, there was an energy and electricity in the building that I had never felt for any other team at that time, and I quickly realized why – this was not your typical laid back LA sports crowd, everyone was there because they were women's sports fans and they wanted to be there, not because they were corporate clients, and I dubbed the Sparks "The Team of the People" ever since – current Sparks GM Penny Toler scored the first points for the franchise and we were off and running – it truly was an exciting moment in LA sports history
I pretty much have the same memories as long time fans of our most exciting moments, including the championships (especially Nikki Teasley hitting the championship winning bucket at the buzzer) and the first in-game dunks by Lisa and Candace, but one of the more unusual exciting moments for me personally was when the day after the Lakers won one of their championships in the early 2000s, who should walk into our game through the Sparks tunnel in the first quarter but Shaquille O'Neal! The crowd went crazy! He could have gone anywhere in the world that day and he chose to support his friend, Lisa Leslie, by appearing at our game – THAT was special, and typical of Laker players supporting us at our games over the years, including Kobe Bryant (especially when his Dad, "Jellybean Joe," was our coach), Derek Fisher, Rony Turiaf (he played with Sponge Bob Square Pants after one of our games!) and most recently, Ron Artest.
I have to admit that my all time favorite Sparks player is Delisha Milton – Jones – she truly lives up to her nickname Sunshine, and she even autographed her jersey for me, "This is the 1st jersey that I am signing with my new married name, Milton-Jones" – she really is a wonderful person and always has time to spread a little Sunshine among our fans.
I want to share one more emotional Sparks episode before I better get back to selling some seats – one long time MVP, Denise McCarthy, started bringing her daughter Kristen to our games when she was ten years old, and I always made a point of talking to them at our games because I thought that it was so neat that they were bonding at our games – I continued to see them every season there after and before you know it, Kristen was playing basketball for Bishop Amat H.S., and I attended one of her games and thought, Denise was not exaggerating with typical mother's pride – she is pretty darned good! Well wouldn't you know it, she was good enough to be offered a basketball scholarship to Temple University and if you go to their web site, you will see her game action picture featured on the women's basketball page, and it all started with her being inspired by the Sparks – we should all be proud of Kristen and her mother as members of the Sparks family and wouldn't it be something if she plays for the Sparks someday (are you listening Penny?)!
I really enjoy getting to know our MVPs and it should be noted that two other Sparks MVPs that I know of currently have, or have had, daughters playing in college – Debbie Schwartz and her daughter Allison, formerly at Brown, and Vicky Murray and her daughter Candace Nichols for LMU – another Candace for the Sparks? As a matter of fact, I am going out to see Candace play this Saturday, February 6th at LMU and am looking forward to it - Feel free to let me know of any other Sparks family members playing anywhere and I will do my best to go see them play – I really enjoy it – I also really enjoy going to high school football games – there's just something special watching kids compete for the sheer fun of it – well, I really enjoyed this and I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you all again in the future – remember, tell a friend and GO SPARKS!
Posted by: Kristin Bernert - Sparks Team President - February 4, 2010
Stay Strong, Play On
Yesterday on February 3, which happened to be National Girls and Women in Sports Day, I had the opportunity to tour The Archer School for Girls. Much to my surprise and delight, my tour guide was 8th grader Maia Barnett. Some of you may recognize her from her "photo spread" in Scholastic (CLICK HERE for article), but others may have seen her at STAPLES Center at Sparks games. She's a season ticket holder, or as we refer to our season ticket holders, an MVP!
There is not a doubt in my mind that this young lady's "MVPness" goes far beyond her Sparks season tickets. She excels in the classroom, on the court, and in her day to day life. Her smile lights up a room. Maia, as you said, the WNBA gives girls the permission to aim higher. I can't wait to see you in a Sparks uniform one day, just like Lisa Leslie (Morningside H.S.), Tina Thompson (Morningside H.S.) and Noelle Quinn (Bishop Montgomery H.S.). Also, thank you for reminding me why we do what we do on the day that we encourage girls to "Stay Strong, Play On."
About NGWSD. February 3, 2010 marked the 24th annual celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day! Thousands of sports educators, coaches, athletic directors, recreation directors, association members, sponsors, students, and parents across the country will show their support of the Day and of this year's theme, "Stay Strong, Play On." Athletes like Martina Navratilova, Candace Parker or Jessica Mendoza who played or are still playing are making a difference, overcoming difficult circumstances, breaking records and making things possible. Despite the stunning advances made in the 38 years since Title IX was enacted, high school girls still receive 1.3 million fewer participation opportunities than do boys, and evidence suggests that the money spent on girls' sports programs lags significantly behind the money spent on boys' programs. NGWSD is celebrated in all 50 states with community-based events, award ceremonies, and activities honoring the achievements and encouraging participation of girls and women in sports. For more about NGWSD, CLICK HERE.
Posted by: Chris Forrest - Director of Marketing - January 29, 2010
Happy Friday Sparks Fans! Hope everyone had a great week and is ready to kick back and relax for the weekend. The upcoming WNBA season is rapidly approaching and there is nothing but excitement in our office these days.
Some of you may have already heard, but for those of you who haven't, this year's All-Star game is getting a little bit of a make-over. Instead of the traditional format where the West takes on the East, the USA Basketball Women's National Team will be tipping off against the WNBA All-Stars. In my opinion, this new concept brings a lot more excitement to the typical All-Star game concept. I must applaud the league for coming up with a fresh idea to sort of reinvigorate this exhibition game. It's also a great way for the National team to get in some practice time against top-level competition before heading into the 2010 World Championships. The game will be on July 10 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, so definitely check-it out, if you want to see a great game.
It's hard to believe that since the first All-Star game was held in 1999, Los Angeles has never hosted the All-Star game. I mean, we have by far the best fans in the world, so why not hold it here? Maybe next season the All-Star game will be brought to the West Coast, or more specifically, LA!
Anyways, that's all I have for now. For those of you looking forward to the season starting (and all of you should be), let me tell you right now that it is going to be an exciting one to say the least. We can't go wrong with a talented team, experienced coach, great staff, and of course…the BEST FANS! Until next time…Go Gauchos! (UCSB Grad)
Posted by: Lindsay Amstutz - VP/CMO - January 21, 2010
Greetings Sparks Fans. To introduce myself, I am a recent addition to the staff, having joined officially in December. However, I've had the pleasure of working with the Sparks over the past few years in my role with the WNBA League Office. So for many, I am a familiar face and old news!
Working with my "home team" has been fantastic so far – we have a terrific staff and we're all focused on making 2010 great. In fact, not just great, but the best. Because if there is one thing that sums up our office, it is that we're all quite competitive. A bunch of former athletes and people who love sports will guarantee that environment. We try to be the best in, well, everything. Best fans. Best team. Best crowd. Best choice of lunch location.
So imagine our surprise when we realized that the Sparks were… umm…. #3?
That's right. We were #3 among WNBA teams in Facebook Fans with 2907. Behind the New York Liberty (4000+ fans) and the Atlanta Dream (3000+ fans).
Needless to say, we needed to fix that situation asap. So we have reached out to our fans and friends, and in just a few days, we have taken over second place and are charging towards first. But we're not there yet. So if you haven't already done so, please CLICK HERE and help us out by becoming a fan today.
Speaking of competition, our very own Greg Mundweil will head to Pasadena on Saturday at 10:30AM and will be representing the Sparks in an exhibition softball game in celebration of the grand opening of Robinson Park (1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA). We'll be there cheering him on. No pressure, but please don't make us look bad, G-Love.
Lastly, on a more serious note, our hearts go out to the people of Haiti. Despite the fact that we reside in earthquake country, and many of us remember the '94 Northridge earthquake all too well, we can still only imagine the pain and suffering that the people of Haiti are enduring. Our own Marie Ferdinand-Harris, a Haitian-American, will join a NBA and WNBA delegation in a visit to Haiti. For the rest of us, I encourage you to visit www.redcross.org and make a small donation.
'Til next time Sparks fans,
Lindsay
Posted by: Alayne Ingram - Director of Communications - January 14, 2010
2010?
I'm not going to be part of the group of people that says, "Man, 2009 flew by." That's not really me because at times I felt like it was dragging on day by day - actually I only felt like that in October and the beginning of November when I was waiting for my birthday to come. So we've started this staff blog and I think it could wind up being pretty interesting. We have some characters here in the office that I think will provide for some definite entertainment - we have some others in the office who may come off as dry. Judge for yourselves. Just kidding.
It's the middle of January and the season will be here before we know it. I had almost two weeks off over the holidays and these last two weeks have been jam-packed with preparation work for the season. It's insane how you can be at home deciding what song you're going to play on Rockband one minute without a care in the world and then the next minute you're in deadline central. It's been fun though getting ready for the season.
I'm so excited for the players to come back. It's my favorite thing about my job. We'll most likely do a draft party again, a couple coach meet and greets and then it'll be media day and soon after that Opening Day. I have a couple things planned that I can't reveal yet, but trust you me, you're going to like it.
That's all I've got.
