Breakin' the Glass: The American Basketball League, 1996-1998

In this short tape, we make the acquaintance of several of the key personnel involved in the formation, playing-seasons, and disbanding of the fourth attempt at supporting a successful U.S. women's professional basketball league. Viewers see footage from the women's games, hear from young girls who are being motivated by women professionals, and learn that the ABL simply could not keep pace with the Women's National Basketball Association, which was formed shortly after the ABL--despite the ABL's offering a longer playing season and better benefits to its players. Even though the video has good production values and a nicely inspirational tone, what distinguishes it most is what it does not tell us. We never learn how many teams were in the original league, the history of professional women's basketball before the ABL (an Internet search revealed that it was the fourth such league--the tape didn't tell me that), what exactly caused its demise, or how many ABL players went on to play for the WNBA. Given this inexplicable dearth of actual information, this tape is unsuitable for library collections, especially considering its price. Not recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (K. Glaser)