Would you care if the Comets Left town?

[Brando2101]

If you vote yes, would you care enough to go to a game once in a while?

[studogg]

I could care less. It was fun the first four years with the championships, but the women's game has never evolved into anything remotely consumable, imo.

[DaDakota]

See ya

[Svpernaut]

Yeah, don't let the door hit em on the way out.

[Creepy Crawl]

I could care less about the WNBA and the Comets .

[Uprising]

I could care less..... First four years were "fun" and something new, but the WNBA is un-watchable.

[weakfromtoday]

I would rather watch pro bowling than the WNBA, and I really don't like to watch pro bowling all that much.

[Lil Francis]

I was hoping they left town for real. About 80% of the players are lesbians and about 90% of the fans are lesbians. See ya.

[l3igballer23]

I, personally, could care less. However, I know there have to be SOME people that enjoy watching them, so I guess I'd rather have them in town. You don't lose anything by having them.

[tigereye]

I, personally, could care less. However, I know there have to be SOME people that enjoy watching them, so I guess I'd rather have them in town. You don't lose anything by having them.

I voted "yes."

Why?

If they left, there taking their banners with them. I would rather have the Toyota Center rafters full of banners (regardless who there from) then having them sparsely populated like the rafters at American Airlines Center, home of the championship-less Mavs.

And besides, if they stay, chances are they could win more championships being that the team likes to stay competitive. (See Staley trade) It doesnt hurt to keep a winner in town, it only improves this city's image.

[tigereye]

If you vote yes, would you care enough to go to a game once in a while?

Voted yes

Never been to a game. Unless I get free tickets, I dont plan on going either.

[Drexlerfan22]

The first time I knew or cared much about the WNBA was in 2001, the league's fifth year. Don't get me wrong... I had fun watching some of the celebrated playoff games on TV, including the T-Spoon miracle half-court shot to win the game against the Comets in the finals. I even followed it enough to have a favorite player: Sue Wicks, playing for New York. She worked hard every night, a gutsy player if I ever saw one. She retired a few years ago... and in the meantime I've discovered she was a lesbian. I was faintly amused... but I digress.

I live in Sacramento, and the Monarchs had just added a few players, inlcuding 6'7" Kara Wolters. She had done well with Indiana the previous year, and I knew little enough to think this might push the Monarchs over the top. Actually, Wolters did poorly and clashed with the coaching staff... she was let go after 2 seasons, and is no longer in the league.

But here I was, thinking that my town had a pretty good team... and even with Wolters turning into a disappointment, we did. Yolanda Griffith had been both ROY and MVP two years ago, we had the best PG in the league in Ticha Penicheiro, two strong supporting players in Ruthie Bolton and Tangela Smith, along with a deep bench. To be quite frank, I didn't have the money for Kings tickets. This was the best I could do. So I went ahead and bought season tickets.

There were horror stories, certainly. The league was even younger than it is now, and it showed. One thing I noticed was that an open-court steal would not draw nearly so big a cheer as in the NBA... that was because the players lacked the talent to make the layup at the other end a sure shot. The tradition in the league is to stand until the home team makes a basket, and there were days when I was standing for quite a long time, make no mistake. Field-Goal percentages were low by any standards, and most players struggled handling the ball, other than the very best guards. Almost no one could pull up on the move and shoot. Drives were usually ugly, drunken, lurching things that ended in a foul.

And yet... I was enchanted.

Everyone told me it was boring... the players sucked... the league was going under... WNBA basketball was unwatchable. Whenever I pointed out the virtues of back-to-fundamentals basketball, I was often met with "Who cares... they still can't dunk" or "If I wanted to see that, I'd watch men's NCAA." But what most people failed to see was the beauty of a new beginning, the genesis of a modern league, a league which now gives every appearance of being here to stay.

Yes, I groaned when players missed open-court layups. I'm not an apologist for poor play. But I was one person among relatively few, it seems, to notice something very exciting indeed: the league was getting better. Not just a little bit... the standard of play was rising by leaps and bounds every single year.

Players the Monarchs had started in the opening year weren't just stuck on the bench... they were out of the league. But for a very few undeniably talented superstars, the first 5 years especially saw a huge turnover in players. And going on into that sixth year, the numbers of those star players started going down. Penicheiro averaged at least 7 assists in the first 5 seasons she ever played, while no other player had ever averaged that many for just one season. Yet, in the past 3 years, those numbers have steadily declined... well, it's not her age. She's 30. They went down not only because the talent of the teams she played against was rising, but because the Monarchs got other guards who could handle the ball! Heck, the simple fact that a rookie could win MVP spoke to how green the league really was. After that first season, Griffith never won MVP again.

I'm a historian, and I had always wished that I had been around to watch the NBA go through its fits and starts... the times when players didn't jump to shoot... when the lane was 6 feet wide... when no one could jump and fewer could dribble. I wanted to see the days when games were played in loose wire cages, when basketball had still not been adequately seperated from football in the minds of the WW2 vets who first peopled its courts... a league where nearly everyone had false teeth, only because of the intentional hits they sustained to the face night in and night out. I wanted to see Syracuse National fans throwing programs, full soda cans, and even batteries (yes, betteries) at the other team's bench. I wanted to see the entire St. Louis Hawks team light up cigars at halftime, or play two games in one day after recovering from a nasty hangover and a 4-hour bus ride through 5 different cities. I wanted to go back in time and seriously injure those people who wouldn't let Elgin Baylor into a hotel room because of his race, or watch as his white teammates did it for me, as they often did. I even wished to see the domination by a single franchise that is so emblematic of an immature league... the Celtics dominated in just the way the Comets did.

Would all of that been pretty to watch, after seeing todays game? No. But it would've been new. It would have been filled with the pride of men who didn't play for money, whose primary salaries came from somewhere else, just as these WNBA players must play in Europe or have other jobs to stay afloat. But most of all, it would have been growing, developing, stretching, a thing alive.

That fifth WNBA season was the first one to see the Comets fail to win the league title. That was the first sign of a league coming into its own. Then that downsizing of teams when the WNBA broke most of its financial ties with the NBA... that forced more aggressive decision making, and gave the remaining teams a better concentration of talent.

I watch a game today, and it's so much different than when I saw it just four years ago. Open court layups are still missed, but hardly moreso than in the NBA. There has yet to be a player who can dunk the ball for real in-game (except 7'2" Margo Dydek, who long ago decided that she'd never dunk, for want of other players her size). But I watch Deanna Nolan, who reminds me of no one so much as Allen Iverson. I watched today as Becky Hammon drove-and-dished, handing the ball to Elena Baranova, who shovel-passed it 18 feet from under the basket to Vickie Johnson for a trey. Shooting percentages are rising. Players are get faster, stronger, bigger. Passes are more crisp, ball movement more sure. Players shooting on the move is now a comnmon occurance... in just the past few days, I've seen Kara Lawson, Nicole Powell, Becky Hammon, and Tamika Catchings make threes on the move.

And as the years pass, we will see a generation of little girls who have known their entire lives that the WNBA is waiting for them... little girls who before could emulate Michael Jordan in their driveway, but know that sinking that last shot to win the title was never for them. They'll be girls playing at every level, saying names like Swoopes, Cooper, Bird, Penicheiro, Nolan, and Catchings with awe and reverence. For them, this isn't a second-rate league... this is a dream.

To all of you who bad-mouth this league, I can only say that you're missing out. And even if you begin watching it, you'll never again be able to see the toddler's steps. Those of us who were in it near the beginning are the parents who are finally seeing their child grow up, and though those first years are hard on everyone... in some ways they're the best of all. There are times in the NBA when the passion is missing, when the beauty of game is overlooked in a tangle of stats for fantasy teams, when the wants of the fan are forgotten in a mess of spoiled millionaire players, devious millionaire agents, ego-driven millionaire coaches and inept millionaire owners. But the passion for the game, the competition, and for the fans... it's all here... right here... in the WNBA.

So if you've never been to a game, or haven't in a while... try it sometime.

You may even enjoy it.

[arkoe]

I wouldn't mind if the WNBA, NHL, and MLS all simultaneous imploded.

[tigermission1]

Yes, I care if they stay. It gives me a chance to actually set anywhere I want, get aisle seats at the box office right before tip-off, enjoy walking through the Toyota Center (since I barely pay attention to the actual game), park in the Tundra parking lot for a mere $5, and enjoy a couple of chicken tender baskets while I am at it.

Otherwise, the game itself doesn't interest me, but I always like the idea of having so many things to do and events to attend anytime I get bored. If the Comets leave town, that would leave Houstonians with less choice as to how they would like to spend their entertainment bucks.

The fan-base for the Comets seems to be the entire Gay/Lesbian community of Houston, which I am guessing is sizable. The only city they could possibly do better in (financially speaking) might be San Francisco.

[tigermission1]

The first time I knew or cared much about the WNBA was in 2001, the league's fifth year. Don't get me wrong... I had fun watching some of the celebrated playoff games on TV, including the T-Spoon miracle half-court shot to win the game against the Comets in the finals. I even followed it enough to have a favorite player: Sue Wicks, playing for New York. She worked hard every night, a gutsy player if I ever saw one. She retired a few years ago... and in the meantime I've discovered she was a lesbian. I was faintly amused... but I digress.

I live in Sacramento, and the Monarchs had just added a few players, inlcuding 6'7" Kara Wolters. She had done well with Indiana the previous year, and I knew little enough to think this might push the Monarchs over the top. Actually, Wolters did poorly and clashed with the coaching staff... she was let go after 2 seasons, and is no longer in the league.

But here I was, thinking that my town had a pretty good team... and even with Wolters turning into a disappointment, we did. Yolanda Griffith had been both ROY and MVP two years ago, we had the best PG in the league in Ticha Penicheiro, two strong supporting players in Ruthie Bolton and Tangela Smith, along with a deep bench. To be quite frank, I didn't have the money for Kings tickets. This was the best I could do. So I went ahead and bought season tickets.

There were horror stories, certainly. The league was even younger than it is now, and it showed. One thing I noticed was that an open-court steal would not draw nearly so big a cheer as in the NBA... that was because the players lacked the talent to make the layup at the other end a sure shot. The tradition in the league is to stand until the home team makes a basket, and there were days when I was standing for quite a long time, make no mistake. Field-Goal percentages were low by any standards, and most players struggled handling the ball, other than the very best guards. Almost no one could pull up on the move and shoot. Drives were usually ugly, drunken, lurching things that ended in a foul.

And yet... I was enchanted.

Everyone told me it was boring... the players sucked... the league was going under... WNBA basketball was unwatchable. Whenever I pointed out the virtues of back-to-fundamentals basketball, I was often met with "Who cares... they still can't dunk" or "If I wanted to see that, I'd watch men's NCAA." But what most people failed to see was the beauty of a new beginning, the genesis of a modern league, a league which now gives every appearance of being here to stay.

Yes, I groaned when players missed open-court layups. I'm not an apologist for poor play. But I was one person among relatively few, it seems, to notice something very exciting indeed: the league was getting better. Not just a little bit... the standard of play was rising by leaps and bounds every single year.

Players the Monarchs had started in the opening year weren't just stuck on the bench... they were out of the league. But for a very few undeniably talented superstars, the first 5 years especially saw a huge turnover in players. And going on into that sixth year, the numbers of those star players started going down. Penicheiro averaged at least 7 assists in the first 5 seasons she ever played, while no other player had ever averaged that many for just one season. Yet, in the past 3 years, those numbers have steadily declined... well, it's not her age. She's 30. They went down not only because the talent of the teams she played against was rising, but because the Monarchs got other guards who could handle the ball! Heck, the simple fact that a rookie could win MVP spoke to how green the league really was. After that first season, Griffith never won MVP again.

I'm a historian, and I had always wished that I had been around to watch the NBA go through its fits and starts... the times when players didn't jump to shoot... when the lane was 6 feet wide... when no one could jump and fewer could dribble. I wanted to see the days when games were played in loose wire cages, when basketball had still not been adequately seperated from football in the minds of the WW2 vets who first peopled its courts... a league where nearly everyone had false teeth, only because of the intentional hits they sustained to the face night in and night out. I wanted to see Syracuse National fans throwing programs, full soda cans, and even batteries (yes, betteries) at the other team's bench. I wanted to see the entire St. Louis Hawks team light up cigars at halftime, or play two games in one day after recovering from a nasty hangover and a 4-hour bus ride through 5 different cities. I wanted to go back in time and seriously injure those people who wouldn't let Elgin Baylor into a hotel room because of his race, or watch as his white teammates did it for me, as they often did. I even wished to see the domination by a single franchise that is so emblematic of an immature league... the Celtics dominated in just the way the Comets did.

Would all of that been pretty to watch, after seeing todays game? No. But it would've been new. It would have been filled with the pride of men who didn't play for money, whose primary salaries came from somewhere else, just as these WNBA players must play in Europe or have other jobs to stay afloat. But most of all, it would have been growing, developing, stretching, a thing alive.

That fifth WNBA season was the first one to see the Comets fail to win the league title. That was the first sign of a league coming into its own. Then that downsizing of teams when the WNBA broke most of its financial ties with the NBA... that forced more aggressive decision making, and gave the remaining teams a better concentration of talent.

I watch a game today, and it's so much different than when I saw it just four years ago. Open court layups are still missed, but hardly moreso than in the NBA. There has yet to be a player who can dunk the ball for real in-game (except 7'2" Margo Dydek, who long ago decided that she'd never dunk, for want of other players her size). But I watch Deanna Nolan, who reminds me of no one so much as Allen Iverson. I watched today as Becky Hammon drove-and-dished, handing the ball to Elena Baranova, who shovel-passed it 18 feet from under the basket to Vickie Johnson for a trey. Shooting percentages are rising. Players are get faster, stronger, bigger. Passes are more crisp, ball movement more sure. Players shooting on the move is now a comnmon occurance... in just the past few days, I've seen Kara Lawson, Nicole Powell, Becky Hammon, and Tamika Catchings make threes on the move.

And as the years pass, we will see a generation of little girls who have known their entire lives that the WNBA is waiting for them... little girls who before could emulate Michael Jordan in their driveway, but know that sinking that last shot to win the title was never for them. They'll be girls playing at every level, saying names like Swoopes, Cooper, Bird, Penicheiro, Nolan, and Catchings with awe and reverence. For them, this isn't a second-rate league... this is a dream.

To all of you who bad-mouth this league, I can only say that you're missing out. And even if you begin watching it, you'll never again be able to see the toddler's steps. Those of us who were in it near the beginning are the parents who are finally seeing their child grow up, and though those first years are hard on everyone... in some ways they're the best of all. There are times in the NBA when the passion is missing, when the beauty of game is overlooked in a tangle of stats for fantasy teams, when the wants of the fan are forgotten in a mess of spoiled millionaire players, devious millionaire agents, ego-driven millionaire coaches and inept millionaire owners. But the passion for the game, the competition, and for the fans... it's all here... right here... in the WNBA.

So if you've never been to a game, or haven't in a while... try it sometime.

You may even enjoy it.

I think the Comets should fire their current PR person and hire you instead. ;)

Seriously though, what would work for the WNBA is what works for female Tennis: they need GOOD looking women running around out there in tight tops, showing their belly-b's, and marketing them as sex symbols. I know, I know, some will say this is a 'sexist' way to approach women sports and dismisses the 'seriousness' of what they do, but let's face the facts: people won't shell out money to see women athletes if they don't meet the average Joe's idea of a 'sexy' woman. Sorry, but when it comes to entertainment, sex sells.

[PhiSlammaJamma]

The same thing was said about the Rockets. Twenty years from now it'll be I can't live without my Comets.

[Aceshigh7]

Women's basketball sucks.

I don't even know any women who like it, much less guys.

[david_rocket]

I voted "yes" but I cant go to a game because I live in Mexico City, but sometimes they show here WNBA and its fun, I like it.

[TMac640]

lol where's houston cart and university blue during all of this

[Brando2101]

I voted "yes."

Why?

If they left, there taking their banners with them. I would rather have the Toyota Center rafters full of banners (regardless who there from) then having them sparsely populated like the rafters at American Airlines Center, home of the championship-less Mavs.

And besides, if they stay, chances are they could win more championships being that the team likes to stay competitive. (See Staley trade) It doesnt hurt to keep a winner in town, it only improves this city's image.


Who cares about championships if no one was there to see them? If the comets win anymore those banners will be tainted by the lack of support from the city.

[Mr. Brightside]

hmm, i'm not sure..

:p

[JamesC]

I voted yes. I guess I'm one of the few that can watch a comets game. I'd rather watch a WNBA game than Nascar or golf. I did go to one game, I was a chaperone with a high school group so I got to go for free. Needless to say the atmosphere was great but I dont think the fan enthusiam will be rekindled unless the team makes another deep playoff run.

[CometsWin]

lol where's houston cart and university blue during all of this



At this point, most knowledgeable WNBA fans are well versed in spotting worthless threads about women's basketball. They're usually a collection of posts from teenage boys, NBA fans who are completely ignorant about women's basketball, a few borderline misogynists, and a small sprinkling of people who actually have been to a game and have simply decided it's not for them. Which one are you?

[Svpernaut]

Everyone told me it was boring... the players sucked... the league was going under... WNBA basketball was unwatchable. Whenever I pointed out the virtues of back-to-fundamentals basketball, I was often met with "Who cares...

Fundamentals in the WNBA? Every player in the league handles the ball about as well as Steve Francis... The WNBA is far from a league that is fundamentally sound. With the exception of the top 2-3% of players, the league is a joke. Missed layups, dribbling off of knees, stumbling over absolutely nothing.... it's laughable really. If you enjoy it I'm happy for you, but please for the love of God don't make it out to be "the way basketball should be."

[fya]

Nope, not at all.

[LongTimeFan]

At this point, most knowledgeable WNBA fans are well versed in spotting worthless threads about women's basketball. They're usually a collection of posts from teenage boys, NBA fans who are completely ignorant about women's basketball, a few borderline misogynists, and a small sprinkling of people who actually have been to a game and have simply decided it's not for them. Which one are you?

Enjoy your 55-45 loses.

[leroy420]

I was hoping they left town for real. About 80% of the players are lesbians and about 90% of the fans are lesbians. See ya.

Winner of the "Dumbest Reason to Hate the WNBA" contest.


I don't live in Houston anymore. When I did, if it wasn't for the titles they won, I'd never know they existed. Say what you want about the fundamentals, the heart, blah, blah, blah. It is boring. Period. The turtle like speed of the game is excruciating, at best, to watch.

I'm more impressed that the league has managed to stay alive this long. I wonder what will happen when the NBA inevitably pulls the cord and they are independent.

[Dubious]

It's just not entertaining basketball, the players are just not good at the game, even the best women players look clumsy.

Sorry but that's the way I see it.

[msn]

I didn't expect to be so powerfully in the minority here.

I just like to watch *anything* competitive. I'll watch baseball, football, basketball, hockey, golf, bowling, rugby, lacrosse, *anything* competetive. Except NeckCar.

I'm a Houston nut. I want H-town to have the NHL and MLS as well as the WNBA. (NeckCar I can live without; one has to draw a line somewhere.) And, I want all of them to win. I listen to the Comets on 610 when I'm in range, but I'm not home enough to catch them on television. Of course it's not anywhere near the level of the NBA and will never approach it, but it's competitive.

[University Blue]

lol...Where's Houston Cart and University Blue during all of this?
Here I am. Houston Cart is probably mapping Swoopes' routes to the Toyota Center.

I love watching competitive events -- MLB Playoffs, NBA, Olympic Events, Professional Tennis, Super Bowl, TX Football, WNBA.

The reason why I think professional tennis does well is partly because of the glamour/hunk factor, but also because of the competitive factor -- especially during the Seles/Graf/Navratilova, Edberg/Becker years. It was VERY entertaining to watch Seles pummel Graf.

The WNBA does well partly because of support from the LGBT community. Can the LGBT community sustain the league, in theory, yes; in practice, no. The league suffers from lack of exposure -- they should show games on broadcast tv every week. The weekly games on broadcast tv will attract sponsors and the sponsorships will sustain the league until its popularity increases.

I would care if the Comets left Houston because I love watching the games at TC...and that would be one less thing to do in the 4th. largest city in the U.S.

[swilkins]

Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya.

[bigballerj]

It's just not entertaining basketball, the players are just not good at the game, even the best women players look clumsy.

Sorry but that's the way I see it.

I agree. I feel that if I take myself and 4 other guys I usually hoop with at the 24 hour fitness, we will be at the very least competitive with any WNBA team.

[Rocket G]

I don't care if it's men's or women's - I care that it's the best of the best ON THE WHOLE ,AS A SPORT. The WNBA isn't even the seond or third best basketball "league" out there. Men's NCAA, Euroleague - hell, the NBDL are all a step up from the WNBA in terms of athletic level.

Women's pro basketball is clearly inferior to men's pro basketball, so wtf is the point of watching it? Just to support them/throw money at them because they are women?

Put it all on an equal playing field. Why not just let the elite women's players try out for the NBA? If they can match up with the guy's - great, if not forget it.

[Xerobull]

Unfortunately, I really wouldn't miss the Comets. I liked them and followed them when the WNBA first came into being, but after a while, the disparity between the skill level of the NBA and the WNBA really wore on me. The creame of the crop of the WNBA would be good role players in the NBA, at best. Cooper might have had a shot at being an All-Star reserve in the NBA, and that's a stretch.

I do think that there is a market for the WNBA, but maybe not in Houston. I've been to a couple of games, and I noticed a large contingent of pairs of women scattered among the seats- I think the WNBA would do better in a more liberal town or area like Austin or Massachusetts.

J

[T_in_Charlotte]

To all of those people who say the WNBA is fundamentally sound, I offer this argument: The Utah Jazz, for years, were declared fundamentally sound, but they were boring too. I have no problem with women playing ball, but I jsut never could get into it either. I was in Houston during the Comets run and I understand the excitement, because they were winning. But, I couldn't take more than five minutes of it. The same goes for the Sting out here. As far as the winning goes, being a former native Houstonian, I do remeber how all the fans would come out of the woodwork when any team was winning. If Houston had a World Champion Underwater Basket-Weaving Team, it would sell out every night too. :p

[apostolic3]

The WNBA is running it's course and will fold eventually. Obviously the owners aren't losing enough money yet to pull the cord. That day will come and it will be bye bye.

[kaleidosky]

I agree. I feel that if I take myself and 4 other guys I usually hoop with at the 24 hour fitness, we will be at the very least competitive with any WNBA team.

I don't know you, but I'd be inclined to disagree. I dislike the WNBA and believe there are very few really solid playersi n the league... but I've played against some girls on college teams. These are the best of those girls.. and although they're not fun to watch, they can play against the likes of pickup players like me. Now, if you have a huge size advantage everywhere, that's probably different...but strictly on skills, they're not bad. They're just not good enough to have other people watching them..

[Mr. Brightside]

I agree. I feel that if I take myself and 4 other guys I usually hoop with at the 24 hour fitness, we will be at the very least competitive with any WNBA team.

The picture in my mind of this scenario is very comical.

[Bobblehead]

It's funny...today I was listening to the Astros game and switched to SportsRadio 610 where I heard Hagadorn announcing the Comets game.
They were playing today??? Really??? WHO CARES!!!
I'm a sports NUT...but I could care less about a terrible brand of basketball.

Mens sports converted into womens sports absolutely sucks. The men play at such a high caliber and are so athletic...that watching the woman play is almost like watching middle school basketball or Pee Wee League.

WNBA is awful to watch. I'd rather watch Little League Baseball or even billiards on TV then watch the WNBA.

Also locally..the Comets are not even hardly covered anymore. And I find it funny that 610 considers itself "Home of The Texans and Rockets" and used to be "Home of the Longhorns!" They make NO MENTION of Comets in their promos. They would be better dropping them all together.

Comets leave??? Sure why not.....who would really miss them anyway except a bunch of nasty dykes!

[A-Train]

I'm telling you, lower the goal for the WNBA to 8 feet, and I GUARANTEE that ratings and attendence would go through the roof as those chicks started throwing down tomahawk dunks and alley oops. "Fundamentally Sound" doesn't pay the bills.

Watching women's basketball on a ten foot rim is the equivalent of watching a LPGA tour event with the women hitting off the men's tees.