Like most fans, I'm disturbed and concerned about the current state of sports. Baseball owners and players continue to argue over who's going to get the last nickel. Shaq turns his back on Orlando for the biggest bucks and to be close to his beloved Hollywood. Disney World be damned. And the true, everyday fans, the heart and sole of sports, need to hold up banks in order to pay today's ticket prices. Throw in Albert Belle tantrums, the Michael Irvin bust and the B.C. betting scandal and you've got a spiraling downward dash to sports meltdown. All it would take to finish the fans off would be to find out Cal Ripken, Jr. has a twin and he played half the games in Cal's record-breaking streak.

Is sports Armageddon nearly upon us?

Yes, if sports keeps dancing with the "devil" dollar the way it has been. But wait a minute, there may be hope. And believe it or not that hope is in the hands of women. The fledgling American Basketball League is bringing a sense of sanity and a "remember the way it was" attitude back to sports. The ABL is the latest effort to establish women's professional basketball in this country. Their strongest building block is having the league, players and fans join together to help make the league a success. Courtside seats at games are occupied by families and kids, not three piece suits. Players hang around after games and talk with fans and sign autographs. When asked for an interview, players say, "I'll give you as much time as you need." No attitude, no egos, except for where it counts - on the court.

Without trying to sound sexist, over the years of meeting, knowing and interviewing athletes, I've always found women athletes to be better focused, adjusted and able to see the big picture. Their instinctive, nurturing nature motivates them to find solutions. They prefer cooperation to confrontation. Fan inclusion to fan exclusion. Having said all this, the ABL players can play their butts off. They exemplify what a professional basketball player is in every sense. They have the talent, desire and drive. What they don't have is the "give me more, to hell with you" attitude that generally exists with their male counterparts in all sports. They're now the shining examples of everything good in sports and what fans long for and want in their sports heroes.

I recently did the national television broadcast of the ABL Game of the Week. A moment during the second half of the game clearly defines what's good about the league and what's missing from other professional sports today. San Jose Laser players Jennifer Azzi and Sheri Sam took the floor after a time out. A crowd of 4,500 were dancing to the Macarena. Azzi and Sam were the only two players on the floor. They looked at each other, smiled and started dancing at mid-court. The fans erupted. A small, but significant moment that bonded the ABL with the fans. Somehow, I don't think you'd see Shawn Kemp and Dennis Rodman dancing the Macarena. Well, maybe Dennis.

The bottom line is, sports is not brain surgery. It's not us athletes against you fans. Without cooperation, professional sports is going to be a continuing off the field, off the court war. As with any war, the real tragedy is the civilian victims. In the continuing sports wars, that means the fans. In the end, again it may be women who give us peace, direction and hope.

I'm Ron Barr.

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