American Basketball League (1998)
Tombstone
Born: April 9, 1998 – ABL expansion franchise
Folded: December 22, 1998
First Game: November 6, 1998 (L 84-67 @ Chicago Condors)
Last Game: December 20, 1998 (W 80-73 vs. Seattle Reign)
ABL Championships: None
Arena
Nashville Municipal Auditorium (8,548)
Opened: 1962
Branding
Team Colors: Orange, Purple & Yellow
Ownership
Owner: American Basketball League
Attendance
The Noise played just seven home games during their brief history. The largest crowd (5,052) showed for the team’s home opener on November 7th, 1998. The smallest (1,511) for the Noise’s second home game on November 17th.
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Source: Fun While It Lasted box score analysis of all 63 1998-99 ABL games from NewspapersArchives.com.
Background
Thanks to reader @TimHanlon of the Good Seats Still Available podcast for sending in this rare media guide from the doomed Nashville Noise of the women’s American Basketball League (1996-1998).
The Noise were an expansion club for the ABL’s third and final season in the fall/winter of 1998-99. Two clubs were added to the league, with the Chicago Condors being the other new entry. The timing of the expansion was rather curious, as the single-entity ABL was in serious financial distress and was simultaneously contracting clubs in Atlanta and Long Beach and imposing salary cuts across the league. Former Chicago Condors GM Denise Hodges later told Lena Williams of The New York Times that league CEO Gary Cavalli called her on the day of the press conference to introduce the Condors to Chicago to tell her the league was out of business, only to call back moments later and say everything was fine and to proceed with the event.
The Noise signed a couple of players of local repute, including former University of Tennessee All-American point guard Michelle Marciniak and 1996 U.S. Olympic gold medalist Venus Lacy, a 6′ 4″ center originally from Chattanooga.
The Noise debuted on November 6th, 1998 with a 84-67 loss on the road at Chicago. The team flew back to Tennessee for their home debut the following evening against the league’s two-time defending champions, the Columbus Quest. An announced crowd of 5,052 showed up at Nashville Municipal Auditorium to check out the Noise. The team dropped its second straight, 84-76.
ABL Bankruptcy & Midseason Collapse
The Noise started the season notably weak, losing their first seven games. Attendance was grim. Five of the next six home games drew fewer than 2,100 fans to the Municipal Auditorium. The team began to rally on the court in late November, but by this point the ABL itself was in its death throes. Starved for national sponsorship dollars and without a significant television deal, the league abruptly terminated its season on December 22, 1998. The organization declared bankruptcy shortly thereafter.
The Noise played their final game, an 80-73 home victory against the Seattle Reign on December 20, 1998. The club’s final record was 4-11 at the time of the shutdown.
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