[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 9, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           CONGRATULATING THE HOUSTON COMETS, WNBA CHAMPIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MAX SANDLIN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 9, 1998

  Mr. SANDLIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Houston 
Comets of the WNBA on their second consecutive WNBA championship. The 
women of the Houston Comets and the WNBA have brought a new 
respectability to professional sports--something that has at times been 
lacking in some of the male-dominated professional sports in recent 
years. These women, many of them working moms, are truly role models to 
young women across the United States.
  At a time when our young people desperately need role models, these 
women have stepped up to the plate. The teams have dedicated themselves 
to community service and feel a real responsibility to their community 
and to their fans. Team members have done public service announcements 
to promote breast cancer awareness; they have volunteered their time to 
work with homeless children; and they have volunteered in soup kitchens 
to feed the homeless. In short they have given as much to their 
communities as they have received.
  Another important result of the remarkable success of the WNBA has 
been its impact on women's sports in our high schools and colleges. It 
is a realization of the importance of Title IX programs. Today, a 
record 2.5 million girls compete on high school teams, compared with 
300,000 in the early 1970s. The success of professional women's sports 
should help continue this trend as our daughters are able to watch role 
models like Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson.
  So again, Mr. Speaker, my congratulations to WNBA Coach of the Year 
Van Chancellor, League MVP and first team All-WNBA Cynthia Cooper, 
first team All-WNBA players Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson, and the 
rest of the Houston Comets on their outstanding season and my thanks to 
them for providing our communities with such a positive image of 
professional athletes.

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