Sky still fighting to win over Chicago

— -- CHICAGO -- Not long after Michael Alter first became conscious of the WNBA 10 years ago, he was embarrassed.

Why, he wondered, was Chicago not a part of this? "It seemed to me," he said at the time of the country's third-largest media market as well as a famously passionate sports town, "that wasn't right."

A decade later, his Chicago Sky team was warming up for Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, and, while that alone was a resounding victory for the franchise -- and still is even after the Phoenix Mercury's hard-fought, 87-82 win for the league title Friday night -- there are certain irrefutable truths never more evident than they are now.

The Chicago Sky are the perfect representation of the WNBA.

They're still fighting for fans, still fighting for sponsors, still, almost inexplicably, fighting to be noticed.

At halftime of Friday's game, Jackie Robinson West, the Little League World Series national champions from Chicago, were introduced to a rousing and well-deserved standing ovation. During their run, the Little Leaguers received front-page and lead-story treatment in the newspapers and on the local news as they simultaneously won the notice and hearts of the city.

The Sky? A blurb here and a mention there as the 15-19 regular-season team squeaked into the playoffs, then clawed its way to a one-point, series-clinching victory over the Atlanta Dream behind a 19-point, second-half comeback and finally prevailed in the Eastern Conference finals thanks in part to a double-overtime victory in Chicago in Game 2.

The youngest team in the WNBA demonstrated then, as it did again Friday after two lopsided defeats to Phoenix, that under head coach Pokey Chatman, it will continue to be one of the gutsiest and entertaining clubs in the league.

But will that be enough to not just succeed on the court but off as well? They are currently one of six teams in the league still financially in the red, and Alter has never been of the mind that this was anything less than a business endeavor.

Ten years ago, he and his team president, Margaret Stender, literally walked the streets of the city, earnestly peddling their product to media and potential sponsors.

"We still do," Alter admitted. "It's still very much of a grind to be taken seriously, or at least as seriously as we want to be, and feel we ought to be treated.

"We think we deserve to be considered with all the other top men's sports teams, and we're not there yet. We are trying, but it's a constant battle. We have to earn it, but we have to demand it a little, too."

On Friday night, playing against a Mercury team clearly weakened by the loss of Brittney Griner, who sustained an eye injury in Game 2, the Sky showed how close they would be to the best in the league if not for the somewhat questionable way the Mercury obtained Griner (some WNBA fans thought Phoenix "tanked" during 2012 to get into the draft lottery, and then the Mercury got uncannily lucky with the No. 1 pick).

If that's not exactly inspiring for the Chicago team, Elena Della Donne's very presence in the playoffs, let alone her All-Star contribution when playing full time, should be moving enough to rally a city.

Last season's WNBA rookie of the year missed half of this season while battling the debilitating effects of Lyme disease, then suffered an injured back during the conference semifinals, limiting her time in the Indiana series and in Game 1 of the Finals.

"Elena's resolve was tested long before she got to Chicago," Chatman said of the condition that was diagnosed six years ago.

The team hasn't been long on luck. Along with Della Donne's health, the Sky's star center and 2013 defensive player of the year, Sylvia Fowles, underwent arthroscopic hip surgery in April; Swin Cash chose not to return to the team; Epiphanny Price reported late and Courtney Vandersloot (knee) and Jessica Breland (shoulder) both endured in-season injuries.

Going into the playoffs, the team had the unfortunate timing to run into a scheduling conflict with its suburban home arena, which was already committed to Garth Brooks concerts this weekend. Thus, the franchise gave up about 10,000 seats as the Sky were forced to return to the UIC Pavilion, their home court the first four years of their existence, when drawing a crowd of 3,000 -- half of which were giveaways -- was considered a good night.

On Friday, a late-arriving crowd eventually filled up the place with an announced attendance of 7,365 and was rewarded with a product Stender simply wishes more sports fans would give a chance.

"The lack of respect always comes from people who don't get it," Stender said. "And the essence of the Alter family courage is that they continue to take all the dissing from people don't even see it. That's why this is exciting, to get people on the bandwagon, because, once you see it, oh my gosh."

Stender, a marketing executive and former college basketball player who threw herself into a new career a decade ago with all the passion and commitment of her boss, says Alter is nothing short of a hero for convincing the league's Board of Governors to change its expansion draft format.

The new rules were too late to help the Sky but did help Atlanta make its first playoff appearance (before the Sky did it in 2013) and undeniably helped the league.

And ultimately, Stender said, it is still worth all of the ups and downs and frustration the Sky endured in trying to win games and fans over the years.

"It was always worth it," she said. "If we never won the Eastern Conference championship, it was worth it. We've touched so many people in so many lovely ways.

"It's a real tribute to the Alter family that they had enough courage to start it and enough courage to stick with it, and we all should be really grateful to him for that. Over time, it can really wear you down."

Friday night was a victory for the Sky, even in defeat. But, of course, Alter cannot afford to celebrate when there's so much more work to be done. First priority: secure a jersey sponsor. Not exactly a problem the  Bulls face.

"I am pleased with our progress," he said. "But we still have a lot to do."