[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 16211]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 294--CONGRATULATING THE MINNESOTA LYNX WOMEN'S 
    BASKETBALL TEAM ON WINNING THE 2017 WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL 
                        ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIP

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Mr. Franken) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation:

                              S. Res. 294

       Whereas on October 4, 2017, the Minnesota Lynx won the 2017 
     Women's National Basketball Association (referred to in this 
     preamble as the ``WNBA'') championship;
       Whereas this is the fourth national championship that the 
     Minnesota Lynx have won in 7 years;
       Whereas the Minnesota Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks in 
     game 5 of the WNBA Conference Finals and bested the 
     Washington Mystics in the semifinals;
       Whereas the Minnesota Lynx finished the regular season with 
     the best record, 27-7, and earned the top seed;
       Whereas the 2017 WNBA Finals made ESPN history by becoming 
     the third-most viewed championship series, averaging 559,000 
     viewers for the 5-game series;
       Whereas attendance for this postseason rose to a high of 
     9,596 spectators per game, making it the highest-attended 
     WNBA Finals in 7 years, and attracting 10 percent more 
     spectators as compared to last season;
       Whereas 14,632 fans attended the sold-out championship game 
     at Williams Arena, known as ``The Barn,'' in Minneapolis to 
     cheer on the Minnesota Lynx;
       Whereas the Minnesota Lynx benefit from the stellar 
     coaching leadership of Head Coach Cheryl Reeve and Assistant 
     Coaches Shelley Patterson, James Wade, and Walt Hopkins;
       Whereas the Minnesota Lynx feature 4 world champion and 
     gold medal athletes, including Lindsay Whalen, Maya Moore, 
     Seimone Augustus, and Sylvia Fowles, as well as highly 
     talented professional athletes, including Rebekkah Brunson, 
     Renee Montgomery, Temi Fagbenle, Natasha Howard, Alexis 
     Jones, Jia Perkins, Plenette Pierson, and Cecilia 
     Zandalasini;
       Whereas Sylvia Fowles received the 2017 WNBA Finals Most 
     Valuable Player award;
       Whereas Rebekkah Brunson is the first WNBA player to win 5 
     championships; and
       Whereas the Minnesota Lynx join the Houston Comets as the 
     only team to win 4 championships, all under the coaching of 
     Head Coach Cheryl Reeve: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the achievements of the players, coaches, 
     fans, and staff whose dedication has helped the Minnesota 
     Lynx win the 2017 Women's National Basketball Association 
     championship; and
       (2) recognizes the Twin Cities area and State of Minnesota 
     for the enthusiastic support of women's professional 
     basketball.

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