The Houston Comets were dissolved right after they won the title. They had some stats in the Detroit News today on attendance figures and the Shock ranked about average. it's not a sustainable league. Nice concept when someone else pays for it but it adds up. At a cost of 2-3 mil per year it's costed the Davidsons 20-30 mil for this. And that's not to mention what they could have booked in place of the Shock games. I know some of us are feeling bad about the team but this just does not translate over to predictions about the Pistons future in my opinion. With the Pistons, yea you may lose money some years but the potential is there.
Agree with you on the Shock. The reason I think the Pistons will be sold (but likely remain in Detroit...unless the economy gets even worse) is because I think she will find safer ways to invest her money. I have no facts to base this on, but I just doubt that she has that much interest in a pro basketball team. Not enough to make it worth her while to own a team for any length of time. Was there ANY talk at all of losing the Shock prior to Mr. D's death? I can't remember. Also, did Laimbeer leave prior to his death or afterwards?
the attendance was bad.... but from the stories over the years what attendance they did have was mostly from freebie tickets which makes the economy of the team even worse. The palace being booked for concerts and the like will bring in much more money on those nights. As much as I have rooted for the ladies to win year after year to win games/titles, I sadly can confess that i probably have watched 3 or 4 games over the years from start to finish.
Yeah, I hear ya Max, 3 more years of WNBA ball, maybe. Question, how is it that leagues overseas have been able to sustain Women's Professional basketball? What's that model look like?
I don't think men's basketball leagues overseas are making much money, either. I read in an article that owners there mainly keep the teams as hobbies.
It doesn't help to have them playing in an arena that appears to be mostly empty. It would be more exciting if they were playing in a small gym that was full and noisy. Also, it would keep the costs down and minimize the subsidies. Maybe they could avoid traveling as often and play more within their region. They could do 3 game sets against the same team and then move to the next one. Broadcast every game on NBA League Pass only and give everyone free access, so that it is free advertising for the channel and makes people aware of it. Put a few marquee games on major networks. [STRIKE] Have a fat lady dance crew similar to the Spare Tires... [/STRIKE]
Maybe they need to play in thongs like the women beach volleyball players. That might attract a crowd. :D (that is my quota for my one sexist comment for the day)
I think what you're trying to say is that they could save money on fabric costs by using less material for their uniforms. If Kareem Abdul Jabar did it, then it's not humiliating...
Exactly. It was like that for years. But Mr. D. still kept the team. Now... On the other hand he was seriously considering selling the IHL Vipers. That decision was taken out of his hands because the entire league folded anyhow. Also, he had bought an NHL team a couple of years earlier so he seemed to have lost interest in the Vipers (He was pulling guys fronm there and sending them to the NHL team (the Lightning).
He left after and now they are claiming there was talk before - after the fact. She still goes to every Pistons game so I don't know.
In the last 5 years, I went to more Shock games than any other professional sports team in Detroit. I felt that they deserved our support. Even sat courtside...
I can buy their jerseys for the wife, and subscribe to their monthly magazine. I'll also just have to plan a trip along the I-44 and visit the Osage indian reservation.
It seems to me that the real reason for the failure of the Shock and the small crowds for the WNBA, is that they do not dunk the ball. I, myself, am no real fan of the dunk but it seems that most of the people who watch basketball, are. I admit that dunks really fire up a crowd. And to get there, they need to lower the rim for the WNBA a foot or so, however much it takes, and let them dunk, at least the tallest ones. I have heard they they do not want to give the ladies less of a challenge by doing that, but they already play with a smaller ball, so that argument is not all that sound. To my personal knowledge there has been only one dunk in the WNBA during a game, although I might have missed one or two others. It just seems that dunks and lob passes really get the crowds going.
Good point, then again there is dunking in the D-League, and nobody watches that either. Although the D-League is not marketed in the same way that the WNBA is, and maybe doesn't have the same expectations.
Laimbeer could get the head coaching job a few games into the regular season because the Wolves ain't playing that well right now even in pre-season.
