And You Too Can Be in the WNBA

The Tulsa Shock is holding open tryouts for a possible roster spot. The full article is here.

The tryouts will be at 9 a.m. April 21 at Oral Roberts University. The Shock's first camp opens April 25.

Coach Nolan Richardson will oversee the tryout camp, which is open for women 22 and older who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility.

...


Registration for the tryout costs $120 and includes two lower level tickets to the Shock's home opener May 15 against the Minnesota Lynx. The tryout is open for fans.



All right. You want to play for the WNBA. Here's your chance. Since there are some Shock players that we still don't know if they're going to show up or not, you too can enjoy the thrill of being on Candace Parker's "Dunk" poster.

Nolan, Katie Smith Threatening to Bail Out of Tulsa

The Tulsa Shock had what just about any relocated franchise would love - a returning team that had contended for the Eastern Conference championship in the WNBA the year before. However, two important Tulsa players have stated - either to the press or through their agent - that they will not be coming to Tulsa.

The first player is point guard Katie Smith. She said on December 3rd that she didn't want to finish her career in Tulsa. There's nothing hostile or even strange about this - Smith was playing professional basketball before the WNBA started, as a member of the Columbus Quest of the old American Basketball League in the 1996-97 season. (The WNBA started in 1997; Smith didn't make the jump until the ABL folded).

Smith strugged a little bit last year and you have to wonder how many good years of basketball are left in her. She would turn 36 years old in the 2010 season. One can understand that Smith wants to be in a comfortable situation and doesn't want the pressure of starting all over in Tulsa. She's earned the right to go wherever she wants.

Deanna Nolan is a different story. Nolan is only thirty. The last time she missed more than one regular season game is 2003. After her rookie season in 2001, Nolan has started every game for the Shock. She's a four-time All-Star and one of those players that is capable of dropping 30 points on you every night. Trust me, you want Deanna Nolan playing for your team. Mike Cound, Tweety's agent, states that "[Nolan] is under no contractual obligation to compete for Tulsa or any other WNBA team at this time".

So why is Nolan threatening not to come and play for Tulsa? You can choose four reasons - pick whichever one satisfies you the most.

1) She's exhausted. The years of playing in Europe in winter and the United States in the summer have just worn her out. She needs a year of rest.

2) Nolan has a Russian passport. The Russians want to compete for the FIBA World Championships in 2010. Her home team, Ekaterinburg, is making it worth her while ($$) to hold out.

3) She doesn't want to play for Nolan Richardson. Not that Richardson isn't a nice man if you get to know him, but his system is called "Forty Minutes of Hell" for a good reason. Nolan doesn't want to wipe herself out during the WNBA season.

4) (Fill in the other reason).

Tulsa Decides on Name, Colors

The new name is the old name: the Tulsa WNBA franchise will be known as the Tulsa Shock, beating out the other suggested names of Fire and Tempo.

The new colors are red, black, and gold. From the Tulsa Shock website:

After months of anticipation, the new WNBA Tulsa franchise officially unveiled its identity today with the announcement of the new team name, logo and colors. The new franchise will be named the Tulsa Shock and its colors black, red and gold. The logo features a basketball on top of “Tulsa Shock” with a lightning bolt through it. The “Tulsa” lettering has an Art Deco inspiration which was influenced by the city’s rich history in Art Deco architecture.

Compare this to the former logo:



There are some differences, particular along the name. You can see the Art Deco style in the new logo.

Next up: the uniforms. I like the colors, however. Red, black, and gold are really strong colors.

Shock Players Resistant to Playing in Tulsa?

Jayda Evans at the Seattle Times writes a provocative article about the opening of free agency in the WNBA. Her comments about the Whalen/Montgomery trade:

Since a source back east said fan/media meddling led to the trade of PG Lindsay Whalen and the second overall draft pick from Connecticut to Minnesota for PG Renee Montgomery and the top overall pick, I'm wondering what you'd conjure up for the Storm or your favorite team.

And check out the comments:

It was no surprise to Shock fans that some of the players didn't want to go to Tulsa, especially those who attended the event Plenette put together after the team was moved. The mother of one of the players involved in this mess(who was already overseas) said then that her daughter wouldn't play in the WNBA next summer. What shocked me is how surprised by and unprepared to deal with it the league seemed to be. - CG12

CG12: A few reporters have calls into WNBA for an answer about the dual cored players, but aren't getting a response. Tulsa has problems anyway because former Shock players don't want to play there and are rumored not to play in the WNBA this summer. The WNBA may have flexed its rules because it needs big names to draw ticket sales and make games interesting. The Paris twins aren't going to do that on their own. Still doesn’t make it right. Stay tuned…- Jayda Evans

New Tulsa Team Down to Three Names

(Alternate title: "Lions and Tigers and Tempo, O My!")

The WNBA has a web page where you can vote for the new name of the Tulsa WNBA team. However, you only get three choices:

* Tulsa Fire
* Tulsa Shock
* Tulsa Tempo

The article from the Tulsa World gives a little bit more insight:

One of the more popular nicknames that didn't make the cut was the Lightning.

"That was one of the names
on the initial list," Cameron said. "We had well over 100 names to start. As we went through the WNBA process some were eliminated and that was one of them. It did have a lot of support. It just didn't pass the WNBA screening."

Cameron said several criteria come into play, including marketability and trademark availability.

"I don't remember exactly why that name didn't work, I just know it was rejected," he said.

With all due respect, I believe that Mr. Cameron is lying through his teeth. If you can read between the lines, you can figure out why.

It's the remark about "marketability and trademark availability". The (W)NBA doesn't want to be sued by come college, pro, or minor-league team on copyright issues - which basically means that the WNBA will never choose a name like "Tigers" or "Bears", because there are about 100 teams with those names and out of 100 people, there has to be at least one idiot looking to bring a lawsuit.

The Lightning was rejected because there's a pro team with that name - the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. "But why couldn't they just draw a logo that looked nothing like Tampa Bay's?" Because I'm sure that Tampa Bay has about fifty Lightning-themed promotions and puns, and Tulsa would have inadvertantly duplicated at least one of those, opening them up to legal action. "Better not to risk it," thinks the WNBA.

Which is why we get the following three names:

1. Shock: The Shock is simply the name of the former Detroit team. However, "Shock" was chosen in conjunction with the NBA's Detroit Pistons, which leaves one wondering what is so shocking about Tulsa.
2. Fire: The Fire is the name of a former WNBA team, the Portland Fire - which folded after three years. If you're going to recycle old names, why not the "Comets" or the "Sting"?
3. Tempo: The Tulsa Tempo has to be a pretty lame name, and sure to bring howls of derisive laughter. A tempo can also be painfully slow, since it's the speed of a musical composition. When I hear the word "Tempo" I think, "Old Ford automobile that they haven't made in 15 years." (At least it will be a connection to Detroit.)

WNBA Tulsa Looks for Marketing Director

From NBA Team Jobs:

WNBA Tulsa is currently seeking an individual for the position of Director Marketing. Specific areas of focus include: advertising, market research and analytics, promotions, database and e-marketing as well as overall brand development, public relations, community relations, event presentation/operations, graphic design, video production and interactive marketing. This position is responsible for overseeing all marketing functions for the team.

To those who are interested in this job, my plan of action would be two fold:

a) Gather the marketing plans that all other sports teams in Tulsa are using.
b) Lock those plans in a safe place so that they can't harm anyone in the Tulsa Front Office.

It's Official: Shock to Tulsa

The post - on the (Former) Detroit Shock website - says it all.

We really didn't need a press conference...this was virtually an open secret, but at least we have "closure".

Detroit Shock To Move to Tulsa

From The Associated Press:

A Detroit Shock official says the WNBA team is moving to Tulsa, Okla.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to The Associated Press on Monday because he was not authorized to make the announcement.

Detroit made its debut in the league in 1998 and won titles in 2008, 2006 and 2003. The Shock lost last month to the Indiana Fever in the Eastern Conference finals after rallying to earn a playoff spot.

That's the entire post. It's hard to believe, but at least the Detroit Shock still survive...just not in Detroit.

Now it remains to be seen if the WNBA will have thirteen teams next year...or twelve. Come on, Dream Front Office, end this vow of silence, even if it's just to officially say, "We'll say more in two weeks."

More Rumors: Shock to Move to Tulsa

Rumor patrol continues. Of course, this is just hearsay, which is second hand information. "Someone told me that someone else said" etc.

From the PistonsTalk.com message board:

I just received information that Mrs. Davidson is cutting her losses and has sold the team to Tulsa Oklahoma. All the coaches and staff are losing their jobs. Purely a business decision.

...

If this is true, people who work at The Palace didn't know about it yesterday when I talked to them. Not people who work in the box office or at the concession stand either.

How legit are you with this, or not you Ryan, but who told you this?

...

I was told by a person who works for the Shock and Palace Entertainment. She's losing her job...found out yesterday morning. Mrs Davidson is losing millions on Guardian with the economy. She made
a business decision to sell the Shock to stop the bleeding.

It's true, I'm surprised something has leaked out yet. It's not public information yet. I've been refreshing mlive.com a few times per day to see when they break the story. Maybe I should email Sherrod.


"Yesterday morning" in the messageboard back and forth was October 15. "And there will be relocations and rumors of relocations...."

Rob Parker: "Shock Appear to be Heading to Tulsa"

From the link provided:

No matter how many championships they won or championship runs they made, fans here just weren’t going to buy tickets to see women play basketball on the professional level.

It may sound mean. It isn’t. It’s just the reality.

That’s why the Shock, three championships and all, appear to be heading to Tulsa.

There could be an announcement any minute. That’s how white-hot the buzz is about the sale of this franchise is right now. While some will say good luck, the majority will probably say good riddance.


My question is how good are his sources? Regardless, bad press is the very definition of "not good news".

Tulsa: New Team or Old Team?

From the All Basketball Review:

Forrest Cameron (no relation to Bill Cameron), publisher of the Greater Tulsa Reporter newspapers, told the Free Press that Nolan Richardson, the former coach at Arkansas and Tulsa, was involved with a group that is trying to bring the Shock or another team to Tulsa. Bill Cameron and fellow investor David Box have said Richardson would serve as the team’s coach and general manager should Tulsa land a franchise.

This sort of implies two things:

a) Tulsa is open to having a team relocated, and
b) there is no landing spot for Marynell Meadors if that team is Atlanta.

Fourth and Eight

Bob Corwin posted at RebKell that Danielle Donehew, the Executive Vice President of Operations and Finance for the Atlanta Dream, has accepted a job with the Big East Conference as their Associate Commissioner, Women's Basketball.

At the Dream, Donehew had a strong presence in the Atlanta community as well as the internal workings of the franchise, including the start-up phase of the organization. She managed the basketball operations side including, but not limited to, staff recruitment, financial implementation, contracts, payables, organization of team travel and arena management liaison. Donehew headed up all broadcasting efforts for television, radio and the Internet, along with managing the talent and production.

One way you can tell that a franchise/league/company is on the ropes is when top personnel begin to leave. (The colloquialism is "the rats are leaving the sinking ship".) For all we know, this move might have been in the works for a long, long time. After all, if you were an executive for a women's basketball organization, and someone asked you to be the #2 person for Big East women's basketball, wouldn't you accept a job?

Still, that can't look good, that someone so important to the organization has decided to leave now. Combined with the fact that the season ticket holders have heard nothing from the Dream - not even banalities - and the fact that Tulsa has officially put in its paperwork to become a franchise, it foretells a convergence of events that looks very, very ugly. Dark clouds don't always mean rain, but you'd better have an umbrella.

Once again - if there is anyone in the Dream front office that is going to speak up and tell us something about the future of the Atlanta Dream - that time is now. Please.

Then again, there might not anything to say. Nothing good, anyway.

Making predictions is a loser's game. Ron Terwilliger might decide to put in another year. Kathy Betty might buy the franchise, or someone else. The Dream might rework its lease with Philips Arena. But right now, it's fourth and eight, and I'm hearing the rumbling cleats of the defense closing in.

Tulsa to Make Formal Application to WNBA

From USA Today, via the Associated Press:

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — With new supporters on board, a group of investors in Tulsa plans to formally apply to the WNBA to purchase a franchise.
Lead investor Bill Cameron announced Thursday that his group, called Tulsa Pro Hoops LLC, will try to buy a WNBA team and expects a decision from the league by the end of October.

Cameron says Scott and Katie Schofield are the latest investors to join his group, which announced in July that it hoped to gain enough financial support to bring a team to Tulsa in 2010.

The league had set a Sept. 1 deadline for Tulsa to get a franchise by next season, but WNBA president Donna Orender later softened the date.

That's the entire article. I have no idea what a "formal application" is. I suppose it's Tulsa claiming (in writing), "here's what we've got" and the WNBA will either accept the application or reject it.

"By the end of October". It would be funny if the decision came out around Halloween. It could at least spark a team name for Tulsa if they're clever.

Opinion? I think that someone knows something with regard to something (???) so Tulsa has been cleared to no longer hold off their application.

New Investors on Board in Tulsa

According to KMRG, Scott and Katie Schofield have decided to invest in Tulsa's potential WNBA franchise.

In addition to their passion for sports, Scott and Katie are heavily involved in many cancer-related causes, including the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Oklahoma State's Coaches versus Cancer Campaign, the D.C. Leukemia Ball and the Friends Fighting Cancer Organization.

However, what I can find out about the Schofields is that they're not exactly gazillionaires. They donated about $15,000-$35,000 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 2003. I can't find them on the internet, and I don't know where they made their money - which suggests that they might not have made too much of it.

It's good to have them on board, but let's not begin lighting the candles on the celebratory cake just yet.

Tulsa: Needs to Sell $250 K in Tix?

I've commented in earlier posts about trying to understand the financial model of the WNBA.

We've learned a new piece of the picture from an article in the Tulsa World about the hiring of Nolan Richardson. Tulsa investor David Box said the following:

“We just need people to buy tickets,” he said. “We sold $45,000 worth of tickets for 65 people at the event last week at the BOK. We have 15 suites available at about $13,000 apiece. If we can sell those suites, we’re home. We’re not that far away. We need some sponsors and we need to sell these suites.”

Okay. Let's assume that Tulsa has sold $45K of tickets for 65 people in one of its meet-and-greet events. That's about $700 for each of those people, so I'm assuming that those are season tickets. (The cost is about $750 in Atlanta.) Let's assume that you need about 2,000 season ticket holders. That would give you $1.4 million from the gate, whether or not those tickets are actually used or not.

Box also wants to sell the suites. That's $195K.

Here's the newest WNBA budget:

Season Tickets Sales: $1,400,000 ($700 x 2000)
Suite Sales: $195,000 ($13 K x 15)

Arena Rental: $255,000 ($15 K x 17 home games)
Arena Operations: $153,000 ($9 k x 17 home games)
Salary for Players: $803,000 (Collective Bargaining Agreement)

Income: $1,595,000
Outgo: $1,211,000

Theoretically, this is a profit, but it doesn't count any of the items mentioned in the first link above: player meal money, player travel/relocation, coach costs (Richardson alone will be a six-figure hire), etc.

Once again, these figures are posted entirely for speculative purposes. They are vague approximations at best. The above is simply to give one the idea of the costs of running a team, and where the money comes from and where it goes.

Richardson to be Head Coach of Potential Tulsa Team

From the Tulsa World:

Investors seeking to bring a WNBA franchise to Tulsa have scheduled a press conference for 5 p.m. Tuesday to announce Nolan Richardson as the team’s head coach, pending their ability to secure a franchise, the Tulsa World learned Monday.

My suspicion: Cameron and Box have offered Richardson purchase rights for a part of the team if he becomes head coach...and I suspect Richardson has purchased a share.

My odds on a Tulsa WNBA franchise for 2010 - 75 percent.

Tulsa Planning Investor Event at BOK Center

I've learned that Tulsa's investor are planning an event at the BOK center on Thursday, September 24 2009 - tomorrow. Among the two big things planned besides schmoozing:

a) Ashley and Courtney Paris will be there, and
b) they will give potential investors have the opportunity to purchase seats at the BOK Center.

Well, at least Tulsa remains serious about its search for the WNBA team. The Dream did it differently, however - my understanding is that way back in 2007 the Dream got commitments from a group of season ticket holders first and then found an owner, rather than reverse.

I hope the attendees at Tulsa buy a lot of season tickets.

Columnist Uses Logic, Populace in Uproar?

Jay Conley of the Tulsa World thinks that a team in Tulsa is a great idea.

My favorite line:

To summarize the situation as it stands today, one fine reason to support the inclusion of a WNBA team into the local fabric is because so many dummies are against it without knowing exactly why.

Tulsa Decision: By End of Month?

From "The News on 6":

The final decision on the WNBA franchise will be made by the end of this month.

Maybe Jeffrey Smith knows something we don't.

Silent Majority

Back in November 1969, Richard Nixon used the phrase "silent majority" for the first time. There were a large number of Americans protesting loudly against the Vietnam War. "And so tonight," said Nixon, "to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans - I ask for your support." Nixon believed that a loud minority overshadowed the fact that many Americans supported Nixon's efforts in Vietnam, but were simply not as vocal as the protestors.

John Klein of the Tulsa World writes about the Tulsa's quest for a WNBA team and how it seems to have brought the haters out of the woodwork:

Few things, including the success or failure of local college football teams, has generated such strong feelings in recent weeks as the possibility of the WNBA landing a franchise in Tulsa.

There has been no shortage of fans willing to trash everything about the WNBA. Where those strong feelings come from, and what they say about our society, is better left to the sociologists.

Just as race relations has become a hot topic with the election of President Barack Obama, the WNBA has sparked a similar debate over gender equity in sports.

Many argue that they just don't like women's basketball. That's fair.

What doesn't seem to fit is the strong opposition some have to even giving the WNBA a shot in Tulsa. They don't want the WNBA in Tulsa or anywhere else.

Of course, some argue that a WNBA team will not be successful in Tulsa, but those people are arguing numbers. They're not claiming that the WNBA shouldn't be allowed in Tulsa; they hope for the best for the team but just don't believe it will succeed. There is, however, a more loutish element separate from the one previously mentioned. I would tell Mr. Klein that the more hateful opposition ties in to my view that some men see sports as the Temple of the Male Religion. Their hatred is not grounded in rationality; they cannot be reasoned out of it and it's a waste of time to even try to.

Klein's final paragraphs, however, are the most telling:

There will be a core group that won't miss a game and will be the first in line for tickets. There will be a small group that don't want to be in the same state with a WNBA team.

But, it is that silent majority who will ultimately determine the future of the league. Women's basketball does not have the built-in fan base of men's basketball, football or baseball. The WNBA is the major league of a sport that wants to be considered a major league.

Trying to gauge the size of that group, willing to give the WNBA a fair shot in Tulsa, remains the big question.

It looks like there is one member of that "majority" that is not so silent - the Tulsa World. Reading Tulsa's media coverage, my conclusion is that the Tulsa media is behind the WNBA team and will definitely support it. I wish I could say the same about Atlanta's media - I suspect a lot of commenters to those Tulsa World WNBA articles have part-time jobs with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's sports department.

I'd like to conclude with another Nixon phrase from the "Silent Majority" speech with regard to the WNBA. "If it does succeed, what the critics say now won't matter. If it does not succeed, anything (we) say then won't matter."