Interesting to see the way people are reacting as women's professional teams become a larger part of contemporary sports culture.

A rather sizable deal was made how the Philadelphia Charge - the local entry in the WUSA, the new women's professional soccer league - drew more than 11,000 people to Villanova Stadium for their home opener. And that's fine. Take it from an old Philadephia Atoms fan, it would be nice to see soccer catch on at that level. But hey, don't the Wings and Phantoms draw those kinds of crowds all the time?

A more intriguing story was in Los Angeles, where the WNBA Sparks recruited fans at Girl Bar, described in newspaper reports as a "lesbian social club." That probably doesn't mean they play checkers and bingo there, but who knows? Anyway, it was viewed as either an innovation or an outrage, depending on whom you listened to, for the team to actively recruit gay fans.