Wanta talk about the Storm sale?

[6th]

I know that most of the members who read this forum do not read the other forums. That's okay. No one ever said you had to.

Anyway, since the thread about the sale of the WNBA Seattle Storm and the NBA Seattle SuperSonics got moved to the NBA forum, I thought that we could start a thread here for WNBA fans. The other one seems to be only about the Sonics.

So, what does this do to our league? If they move to Oklahoma City, does it change anything? Since we only have an East and a West, I think there will be no change.

I am not thrilled about losing Seattle though. They are a fun place to go for a road trip. I am not particularly interested in going to Oklahoma.

 

[MamaBristow]

I don't think it's good for the W to move the Storm out of Seattle. Seattle has a loyal and strong fanbase which is something that this league desperately needs. I don't know anything about Oklahoma City, so I don't know how well a W team would do there... but the Storm is a team that should stay right where they're at. I don't think this would be such a big deal if we were talking about re-locating Charlotte or Minnesota--teams that don't draw very well--but Seattle is one of the bright spots as far as fan support goes.

This situation reminds me an awful lot of our own situation here in Sacramento. They are having arena issues. The city doesn't want to pay for a new arena. The teams got sold to new ownership who, at this point, are saying they have no plans to move the teams out of Seattle. But Oklahoma City has an arena... and fans that want a team (at least an NBA team). So how long will the owners keep their teams in a city with an inadequate arena? This all sounds way too familiar.

 

[NothinButHoops]

Very true MB..& if the Maloofs move the Kings & Monarchs out of Sacramento, then LA will be the closest Wnba team. I know for a fact , I cannot become a Sparks fan. I could have become a Storm fan more so, because I really like the City. If the Arena deal falls through & we leave, it would depend where they relocate...Vegas is TOO HOT!

I agree Seattle has a great WNBA fan base & a championship to boot. It would be a shame for them to move. What a culture shock...Seattle to Oklahoma...no thanks!

 

[VF21]

Would both franchises HAVE to move, however? Just because they have the same owner?

I would think the Storm fans would remain loyal to their team, regardless of what happens to the Sonics.

 

[6th]

Oh, I think they will remain loyal alright. But, if the owner's move them then I think all bets would be off. BTW - I think Seattle picked up some of Portland's fans when their team folded.

 

[StevenHW]

Would both franchises HAVE to move, however? Just because they have the same owner?

I think that's correct. As long as both an NBA and a WNBA franchise have the same owner, they would have to relocate to the same place.

The only way the Storm could remain in Seattle is if the Sonics' owner decides to sell the Storm to a local person or group. Then the Sonics are free to go wherever they want, and not have anything to do with the WNBA anymore.

But even if the Storm are sold to a local ownership group, they would have new problems: (1.) Whether or not they want to keep playing in Key Arena, which would be too big for them, or (2.) move to a smaller, less expensive stadium, perhaps a college facility, such as the University of Washington's b-ball arena.

(Bill Gates, are you reading this?)

 

[StevenHW]

Personally, although I am not a fan of the Storm, I find it sad when I read about a WNBA team moving or (even worse) going out of business. In the Seattle Storm's case, it would be sad to see them leave. My sister and her family live in Bainbridge Island, in the middle of Puget Sound, across Seattle. I visited the area last month but didn't see any Storm games, as they were on a road trip at the time when I was there. Lovely place, and my parents just moved there recently, on July 5th. I was looking forward to the possibility of seeing the Monarchs play the Storm at Key Arena next season. But now, it appears that won't happen. And I feel sad for their fans.

Of all the WNBA teams, the Storm was certainly not what I would've expected to move to another city. They are two years removed from their WNBA Championship, they've got a very loyal fan base, in a wonderful city. By all accounts, all the players just love the town --- I believe Sue Bird bought a home there a few years ago --- and that includes even ex-Storm players such as Kamila Vodichkova.

Man, what a difference: Seattle to Oklahoma City! (No offense to any Okie natives here. Notwithstanding the fact that Seattle's Betty Lennox is from Oklahoma.)

From the Yahoo! WNBA page:
http://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/recap;_ylt=Aq4ROILk1t0xv2LRbzviZX52vrYF?gid=20060718016&prov=ap

Halfway through the article, it reads:

...Overshadowing the game for Seattle coach Anne Donovan was word that the owners of the Seattle SuperSonics and Storm were selling the franchises to a group from Oklahoma City, led by businessman Clay Bennett. Players weren't informed until after the game.

"For me, it was a little distracting," Donovan said....

Here's another weblink regarding Donovan's feelings about this matter:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/storm/2003136446_stormsale19.html


And from the Seattle Times paper, for any of you who still remember the Seattle Reign of the old ABL, it seems that history is repeating itself:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/storm/2003133799_storm18.html


As a Monarchs fan, I find it a bit strange that I'm actually feeling sympathy for the opposition. But I have human feelings too. And I say that this whole thing is just not right. The Storm's fans deserve better than this.

 

[Purple Reign]

I think that's correct. As long as both an NBA and a WNBA franchise have the same owner, they would have to relocate to the same place.

The only way the Storm could remain in Seattle is if the Sonics' owner decides to sell the Storm to a local person or group. Then the Sonics are free to go wherever they want, and not have anything to do with the WNBA anymore.

But even if the Storm are sold to a local ownership group, they would have new problems: (1.) Whether or not they want to keep playing in Key Arena, which would be too big for them, or (2.) move to a smaller, less expensive stadium, perhaps a college facility, such as the University of Washington's b-ball arena.

(Bill Gates, are you reading this?)

In my opinion the Storm are going nowhere. The fans will not have it. I think the going price for a WNBA team right now is in the neighborhood of 10-15 million dollars. I am sure that somebody can step up to the place in that rich town and keep the Storm in tact.

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

Seeing as Paul Allen unceremoniously dumped the Fire despite them being the most positive community thing he had going sports-wise in Portland, I'm not sure I have much faith in Bill Gates.

I don't think the Storm necessarily would move with the Sonics, I think this ownership group had to buy both to buy out Schultz’ group. There’s a chance the Storm could stay in Seattle with another local buyer picking them up between now and 2010 when their KeyArena lease ends ala the way the Mystics split off from the Wizards ownership and the model the Sun brought. I agree that there might be a ground swell of sorts to keep the Storm there if for no other reason than I think there should be an impetus by the locals to keep a tenant there even if that tenant is only leasing for a short portion of the year. However, the league also has been entertaining the idea of a team in the bay area and the Storm might be an enticing fit for an ownership group in the peninsula.

If they do move to OKC, while I would be disappointed that we would ha’ve now lost both PacNW cities, I think it speaks volumes though that the new owners see value in keeping the WNBA brand in their portfolio. Oklahoma is in the middle of Big 12 country, and Courtney Paris is leading a resurgence in attendance for the team in Norman. The other draws in that conference are various parts of TX so I’m not sure it translates well. But those folks came out in numbers to support the Hornets so they may be just as supportive of the women. The league has been courting St. Louis and that area for a while – which is a liiiiiiiiiiiiitle different demographically and not close geographically for that matter either. but its been on their radar screen.

I’m not sure I feel all that worried about this scenario playing out here…yet. I may get more worried if these current local talks start to go more sideways or worse, south, than they seem to be at the moment.