Olympic Gold Medalist and Inside Stuff Co-host Will Visit All Six Cities

Related Links Tour Information Summer Sanders' "Inside Stuff" Biography

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Why do you think American women's team did so well in Athens?
Summer Sanders: I think a lot of what happened in 1996 helped insure professional leagues were created. I think there has been a lot of opportunity for women to stay in their sport, make some money in their sports, get older, become stronger and perform even better at the Olympic Games.

What you saw was a veteran team in the Olympics. That's a positive and that's why I think you're seeing so many gold medals from American women.

Do you think the WNBA will get a positive bounce from the gold-medal winning team?
Sanders: I think so, absolutely. In basketball, it seems like it's expected. It would be a shock if they didn't win the gold medal. But I think it's how they go about winning that gold medal. They dominate. They're all business and they don't take it lightly.

And that's a credit to the WNBA. Because they appreciate the opportunities that have been given to them. They know they have to compete and work very hard to make sure, number one, the WNBA sticks around and number two, to win that gold medal because basketball has become an international sport.

What are you most looking forward to on this tour?
Sanders: Just being around such awesome athletes, just being able to share the excitement high that they are on just coming back from Athens.

What's it like winning a gold medal?
Sanders: It's hard to describe, it's the hardest thing to describe. I haven't experienced yet, but what's it like having a child. How much love do you have for that kid? It's a moment where you've put in so much hard work, so many years of sacrifice from you, but your family and you're friends. It's the culmination of all that hard work.

It's outstanding, to say the least, it's overwhelming, it's exciting, it's every adjective you can think of.

How long before you took the gold medals off?
Sanders: My gold medals stay in my sock drawer. I rarely take them out of there. Really, the process [of winning a gold] became more important to me. The medals are a symbol of all the hard work. It's really the moments that I shared with my friends and my family at that time that were the true medals to me.

That being said, I love my medals. They're outstanding, I just don't have them displayed yet.

What does this tour mean to you?
Sanders: For me, it's better than fantastic. It's an opportunity to be a part of something that's dear to my heart. I love basketball. I love my fan, I'm a huge basketball fan. But the Olympics are my passion. To be able to combine the two and to be a part of it and celebrate it, is magical.

For the WNBA, this tour is monumental. It's a credit to their commitment to women's sports, not just basketball, but women's sports as a whole. I don't think we celebrate women's sports enough. But we need to take every opportunity to give it a standing ovation.

For instance, the first U.S. person to win a gold medal in fencing in 100 years and it happened to be a woman. That's great. Let's get up and congratulate her. We are one big team, not just the WNBA, but all of women's sports.

You can look at the Australian team after they won the silver. It seems that the women seem to be enjoying the experience more. Why do you think that is?
Sanders: I think there's a mutual respect and it's not as if that's not true in the men's sports, but going back to what I said before, we're all on one big team and that is to help motivate young girls. And motivate young boys to get out there and challenge themselves and become the best you can in whatever you're passionate about.

We're all in the battle together and that's what I think makes us so close.

Do you think 2004 will be another cornerstone year like 1996?
Sanders: Sure, it always is. Softball was outstanding. Soccer. The women's basketball team. It's not to compare with the men's sports at all, but it's to say, "Hey, on the international stage, U.S. women are pretty outstanding." Why not be proud of them?

SEATTLE Wednesday, Sept. 8, 7:00pm Shock at Storm PHOENIX Saturday, Sept. 11, 7:00pm Shock at Mercury WASHINGTON DC Sunday, Sept. 12, 12:00pm Comets at Mystics HOUSTON Tuesday, Sept. 14, 7:30pm Lynx at Comets LOS ANGELES Friday, Sept. 17, 7:30 pm Lynx at Sparks DETROIT Sunday, Sept. 19, 2:00pm Sting at Shock *all times local

Join the WNBA in celebration of the achievements and successes of strong women and see where the WNBA ball is popping up.

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