Pathetic Bee Coverage

[HoopMatron]

Okay, today is Tuesday, July 19. There is a meaningful Monarchs game tonight, which will be televised on ESPN2. Yesterday the team activated Sui FeiFei and Erin Beuscher and put Olympia Scott-Richardson and Maio Lijie on the IR.

The Sacramento Bee found it adequate to list the rosters for tonight's game and let it go at that. There was no mention of the status change of the players even in the transactions section. That's a total disservice to the team, IMO. What better way to get more folks ready to tune in to the game than by setting the stage for it. Houston trails the Monarchs by only two games, and this is a very big game for setting the stage for the second half of the season.

Additionally, we'll get a chance to see FeiFei for the first time. And there is a possibility that Tina Thompson will be returning for the Comets. Good grief! Certainly this warrants a 6 to 9 inch article.

I'm writing to the Sports Editor to let him know my thoughts. I hope other folks will join me.

Thanks for listening to my rant....

 

[SORF]

HoopMatron we are having the same problem in Houston.

And our owner refuses to market the Comets, so our attendance is down. Tonight we had one of the most important games in the Western conference, and only 4800 showed up. Most people don't even know the Comets are playing basketball in Houston...sad.

 

[6th]

HoopMatron we are having the same problem in Houston.

And our owner refuses to market the Comets, so our attendance is down. Tonight we had one of the most important games in the Western conference, and only 4800 showed up. Most people don't even know the Comets are playing basketball in Houston...sad.

4800? That is truly sad. Do you get any better attendance when the Sparks (or anyone else) are in town?


HoopMatron, I really do not understand how anyone can expect the WNBA to last much longer if the owners and newspapers in their local markets are not giving them much press.

The newspapers should be showing excitement for 'the product' in an attempt to 'sell the product'.

 

[NWFan]

HoopMatron we are having the same problem in Houston.

And our owner refuses to market the Comets, so our attendance is down. Tonight we had one of the most important games in the Western conference, and only 4800 showed up. Most people don't even know the Comets are playing basketball in Houston...sad.

Wow! I thought the crowd looked a bit sparse last night on TV but I had no idea it was that low.

 

[GeorgeofSacramento]

It saddens me to think of the vicious pattern we've seen too often in sports:

No publicity = low interest
Low interest = poor attendance
Poor attendance = team moving or shutting down.

We've all seen owners playing this game so they can get out of stadium/arena contracts in search of greener pastures. But this looks like a lose/lose proposition.

Here in Sacramento, we only have the Capitols (Team Tennis), Rivercats (AAA baseball), and the Monarchs playing at this time of year. What do we have to do to earn some respect in the media? Even the newspaper story from Houston was written by freelancer there, not by anyone assigned by the Bee.

 

[SORF]

4800? That is truly sad. Do you get any better attendance when the Sparks (or anyone else) are in town?

The Sparks make their first appearance in Houston this Saturday. We have averaged between 4-6 thousand this year.



The problem is the Comets organization are selling tickets for the lower bowl only this season. The seats along the sides of the court are approachable only through the clubhouses, which have their own monitored doors. These seats are $30.00-$50.00 a game. Not many families of four want to pay $120.00-$200.00 per game. The cheaper seats are on the ends from $25.00-$10.00 per game. This is where most of the fans sit during the game.



As good as the end seats are, most people want to watch a game from the side of the court, not on the ends. Since the upstairs is off limits, most people don't want to pay "big bucks" to sit on the sides. And some don't want to sit on the ends where the view is not as good. So they don't buy tickets.



I don't blame the Comets fans. Most WNBA arenas have lowered their prices, but our owner hasn't. Some people in Houston think he has done this on purpose, because there is a rumor going around that he wants the Comets to fold. It makes sense...high prices and no marketing would kill a franchise.

 

[6th]

The Sparks make their first appearance in Houston this Saturday. We have averaged between 4-6 thousand this year.



The problem is the Comets organization are selling tickets for the lower bowl only this season. The seats along the sides of the court are approachable only through the clubhouses, which have their own monitored doors. These seats are $30.00-$50.00 a game. Not many families of four want to pay $120.00-$200.00 per game. The cheaper seats are on the ends from $25.00-$10.00 per game. This is where most of the fans sit during the game.



As good as the end seats are, most people want to watch a game from the side of the court, not on the ends. Since the upstairs is off limits, most people don't want to pay "big bucks" to sit on the sides. And some don't want to sit on the ends where the view is not as good. So they don't buy tickets.



I don't blame the Comets fans. Most WNBA arenas have lowered their prices, but our owner hasn't. Some people in Houston think he has done this on purpose, because there is a rumor going around that he wants the Comets to fold. It makes sense...high prices and no marketing would kill a franchise.

What a total ****. This is one of the original teams we are talking about. The team that began the WNBA with 4 straight championships. Those ladies have worked hard and should at least get some respect by marketing their game.

 

[SORF]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3275561

The Comets organization can't even get the attendance correct.

Check out the poll. LA? Get real...they probably will not make the playoffs.