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Save the Shock
Published: 7/5/2010 3:16 PM
Last Modified: 7/5/2010 3:16 PM

The new WNBA team is not doing well on or off the court, scoring four points in one quarter the other day, and putting only 3,000 and a few in the seats.

As coach Nolan said, a team should be able to score four points in a quarter without shooting.

At first the tickets were over-priced. Now they're giving some away. And still there are more vacant seats, than those that are occupied.

Perhaps something can be learned from the baseball team, in terms of marketing and promotions. The Drillers are all about creative games. The new park itself is party-friendly, kid-friendly, and homer friendly, with the 300-foot right field fence.

Even the league knows the value of good PR. The season is divided into halves. The first half, the Drillers were 29-40. And still the people packed the place. A cold drink, a ballpark hot dog, the skyline reminiscent of Wall Street, great promotions -- the Chicken, still feisty as a senior, was there the 4th -- there's more to do than the game if the score is 8-1, the other way.

The Shock is all about indoor basketball, which can be fine if you're winning. Women's college basketball succeeds if the teams wins. But it at least has that old school spirit working for it. If the Shock can't win, then something about the experience needs to be entertaining.

The owners need to catch a Driller game or two, and fast.




Reader Comments 25 Total
Hal Jordan (3 years ago)
Would it be politically incorrect to state the obvious?

A female sports league in a midwestern city?
Kenmore (3 years ago)
I think the Shock are in a difficult position. It'll take time for the Shock to get the talent necessary to win, yet they may not have the time to do it before they either move or fold.
Dad (3 years ago)
Maybe have the Shock play at Oneok?
Stockholm (3 years ago)
I think you improve the Shock by first getting a new head coach. Richardson was a great coach, but his days are long gone... ... ...

I don't know who owed him a favor, but its time to move forward and stop looking back. If we are to continue looking back, I guess next will be the drunk from OSU.
BobSmith007 (3 years ago)
Actually, the poor play is a nice excuse for poor attendence. Really how many more folks would be in the seats if the team was the best in the league? 4,000 versus 3,000? And the official scorekeeper is being quite generous when he lists 3,450 in the stands. The actual number has to be closer to 1,200.....which is a disaster when you're pushing $5 Cokes.
hootie (3 years ago)
Pick, look at the ROOT of the problem. It's women's basketball. Not a knock against women but most people do not care to watch it. Low attendance is not a problem just in Tulsa. Look at the league's history.
hootie (3 years ago)
Pick, look at the ROOT of the problem. It's women's basketball. Not a knock against women but most people do not care to watch it. Low attendance is not a problem just in Tulsa. Look at the league's history.
dannysgirl (3 years ago)
I agree with hootie. Some sports - basketball, football, baseball, hockey - are meant for men. I personally only care about baseball, but if they ever start allowing women to play on the same team as men, that's when I'll stop watching.

And women should not be sports broadcasters, either. The Rangers have some ditzy airhead commentator. She reads comments that are written for her and has no clue what it all means. All she is really concerned about is that the wind machine is blowing her hair in a flattering manner.
tulsandn (3 years ago)
The front office management team pulled the plug on the team before it even stepped on the court....

No ingenuity on team name, yellow as team color, Nolan as team coach, over-priced tickets as well as concessions, a high cost arena that has high cost user fees....

Nothing they did was ever fan-friendly, all it was was just "here's our team, now give us your money & come & see our team...."

I wish I knew what the answer was to fix this team & have them have success but the "Shock" front office czars wouldn't listen anyway....

The Picker (3 years ago)
Outside of Serena and Venus, women's pro sports are going through a slow time.

Who is the best woman golfer? Nobody.

There are mixed doubles in tennis. Here's a thought. How about mixed quints at hoops, let each WNBA team have one guy from the D league.
Glenn616 (3 years ago)
Great point, Pick. When you have a pro sports team, marketing is extremely important. Entertainment other than the game is vital. This way, fans have a great overall experience at the games.
hootie (3 years ago)
Heck, the 66ers have trouble drawing a crowd. They have cheap tickets and do some fan friendly stuff too.
The Picker (3 years ago)
Hootie, good point.

The Drillers and 66ers are both minor league operations. Both have players with a real shot to get to the top level. In fact, at least one of the 66ers bounced around with the Thunder last year.

But the Drillers have tradition. Its minor league status has become a plus.

It does seem like for newer entries, like the 66ers and the Shock, it's win or else.
dannysgirl (3 years ago)
Indeed, the Drillers do a great job of promotions in spite of the fact that they don't get a lot of help from the Rockies.

If anyone is interested, there is a great exhibit right now at the Tulsa Historical Society on Drillers history. It was put together by Wayne McCombs, the resident Drillers history expert.
TShocker (3 years ago)
The New York metro area has about 19 million people. But the New York Liberty play in front of a lot of empty seats in the lower bowl in Madison Square Garden. The Chicago metro area has over 9 million people and they couldn't fill even half of a 6,800 capacity college arena (now they have moved to a larger arena to try and attract more fans).

It's a challenge right now to put fans in seats in most WNBA arenas. Tulsa has an even bigger challenge since their regional population is so much smaller.
FIRE GUNDY (3 years ago)
Great female sports:

Beach Volleyball
Gymnastics
Ice Skating
Skiing

Horrible female sports:

Basketball
hootie (3 years ago)
Signe - even ou's attendance has gone down significantly the last few years
Corvetteguy (3 years ago)
Sorts are NOT just meant for men!

There has always been a place for girl cheerleaders, and always will be.........
Corvetteguy (3 years ago)
Sorts are NOT just meant for men!

There has always been a place for girl cheerleaders, and always will be.........
wk (3 years ago)
Can we also get a womens professional softball team so no one can go watch them too?
dannysgirl (3 years ago)
Well, shoot, you guys have just about convinced me to go to one of these games. What is their season? Will they still be playing after the World Series is over?
The Picker (3 years ago)
Signe, a member of the Pick Staff wanted to know if your photo was within 20 years of being current.
The Picker (3 years ago)
We're simply proud of our all-star gallery.
The Picker (3 years ago)
We're simply proud of our all-star gallery.
Corvetteguy (3 years ago)
If The Picker, a TW employee is double-posting also, then there is a problem........
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The Picker began entertaining – and infuriating – sports fans in 1993. Each week during football season, he writes about his picks of college and NFL games in his Thursday Sports column. He's never afraid of sharing his opinions about the game and the personalities who play it. Readers have a chance to go against him each season in the Outpick the Picker contest. He welcomes the competition.

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