hootie, Tulsa (7/22/2009 2:13:05 PM)

Hey investors, save your money. The WNBA is struggling in every city that it is in. The NBA D-League team is struggling in Tulsa too.

Art Vandelay, Tulsa (7/22/2009 4:16:03 PM)

I agree. Spend your money on getting a MLS team or copy (ugh) OKC and try for an actual minor league hockey team. The WNBA would last at the most 2 years here.

predidentford, wellston (7/22/2009 7:39:03 PM)

They must not be basketball fans. My wife and I ready to make 100 mile drive to Tulsa to watch games.
OU had over 9000 per game last year and 10,000 the previous year, OSU had over 3000, add all the other state schools grade school through college that have girls basketball, then that is alot of potiential fans.
There has been a girls game with over 13,000 in attendance each of the last two seasons, so get it done and bring on the season tickets.

Marathonman, (7/23/2009 6:03:49 AM)

I am a basketball fan and agree with the first two....the WNBA is unwatchable and unfollowable (if that's a word). 75 people showed up for the news conference - that's seems to me to be about the same number that will show for the games when the new wears off.

Steff M, Claremore (7/23/2009 6:27:32 AM)

Like watching paint dry. Just say no.

jctblue, (7/23/2009 6:45:08 AM)

Tulsa would be the smallest market? Tulsa would be smaller than the market for the Connecticut Sun??

TU Homer, (7/23/2009 6:55:40 AM)

some people aren't just basketball fans, but are fans are women's basketball. Tough marketing, but it's certainly possible to be relatively successful in women's sports.

BigOkie, (7/23/2009 7:34:08 AM)

First the league needs to be viable. Currently it doesn't seem like it is.

@HomeInTulsa, (7/23/2009 8:05:36 AM)

Save money Investors. Seek out an AHL team. Please.

WilliamTheArtist, (7/23/2009 8:23:41 AM)

I am not against the womens basketball possibly coming to Tulsa. But would hope that our leaders are trying to get MLS in Tulsa. Soccer has continued to grow here and would likely attract a lot more people. I can also imagine they are doing this to help the BOK Arena, we have it, lets try to use it to its fullest potential. But dont forget about soccer if your aiming to get a sports franchise in Tulsa.

Have that, America (7/23/2009 8:25:07 AM)

Don't bring this here...its a waste. And when it fails that will only make other teams that would succeed second guess coming here.

we should have a AAA baseball team. don't get me wrong, I love the drillers, but tulsa is a bigger city, better market than most of the texas league, and will have the best facilities especially after the new stadium is done.

hmmmmm, (7/23/2009 8:34:34 AM)

I think the WNBA could be successful in smaller markets where they don't have to compete with the NBA and other major sports for attention. At first glance I was skeptical, but I actually think it's a good strategy for the WNBA, even if they don’t choose Tulsa.

Let's say there are 800,000 people in this area. If 10% of the people in this area are casual fans and go to 2 of the 17 home games (34 games in a season), then the team would attract nearly 9,500 people per game. That’s 153,000 for the season, which would put you in the top 5 in the league for attendance in 2008. Surely the team would also draw families with basketball-playing daughters not only from this area but from northwest Arkansas, southwest Missouri and even OKC. And I’m not even figuring in season tickets bought by bigger fans and corporate sponsors. I don't know how realistic all this is, but it doesn't sound too far-fetched. I'm not a huge basketball fan, but I'd try to support the team as much as possible if a team came to Tulsa.

tulsandn, Boswell / Tulsa (7/23/2009 8:34:39 AM)

Tulsa will never support any kind of sports franchise, they have a nationally ranked div-1 football team that they can't get 10,000 fans in the stands....

I say, just give on sports in Tulsa in general....

If you try and ride a bike there people curse you and drive close to scare you and in some cases, they get to close and "accidently" run you over....

Sports in Tulsa will never succeed....Every franchise that was ever brought there failed....The college baseball team made it to the college world series and they don't exist anymore....Just give up on sports, Tulsa is a sports blackhole....

hmmmmm, (7/23/2009 8:38:29 AM)

Actually, 9500 per game would be more than 160,000 for the season

tulsandn, Boswell / Tulsa (7/23/2009 8:49:08 AM)

We don't need outsiders coming into our town & laughing at us....Keep them away!!!!

Non-BUBBA, Tulsa (7/23/2009 9:01:11 AM)

I'm seeing a trend here...I am thinking that folks just see being negative as a hobby. I guess if you don't like the sport, don't go. There is no way to determine if it will work without actually TRYING. "if man were meant to fly..."
Secondly, why can't we renovate the current driller stadium at the fairgrounds into a soccer pitch and try for a MLS team?
Also, AAA baseball, and AHL hockey would be awesome!!! But then, there are so many ways to be negative about all this..."The BOK is a waste, it'll never work, there's no parking.. la la la" Geez People, get some prozac!!!!

GoldenDriller1, Out of State (7/23/2009 9:01:48 AM)

What a WASTE of $$$. Not a smart investment, the leauge is on the brink of colapsing.

rocket, (7/23/2009 9:09:12 AM)

Memo to Donna Orender: Disregard everything you read on this message board as largely unrepresentative of the city. This board is a frequent refuge of negativists, angry bloggers, malcontents and generally grumpy people who are against almost anything that upsets their daily status quo. If they had prevailed a few years ago, the magnificent BOk Arena you visited Wednesday wouldn't exist. Fortunately, they didn't prevail. They rarely do. All they have is this sad message board.

Non-BUBBA, Tulsa (7/23/2009 9:15:59 AM)

ROCKET,, YOU NAILED IT!!!!

Golden Hurricane, Tulsa (7/23/2009 9:22:34 AM)

"Without the support of the citizens, this will not happen," Cameron said.

That being said, let's hope the citizens speak a loud NO to this!

Before any of you make some stupid comment about people who think this way just don't want Tulsa to progress, STOP! I absolutely want to see Tulsa grow, but if you think the WNBA is growth then you are the one with the thinking problem.

The WNBA is the butt of every joke on Sportscenter. There is not one shred of this league that is taken seriously by the mainstream sports fan. I love Tulsa, I want the best for this city...the WNBA would be an embarrassment to our city, period.

The league is plain and simply the most unwatchable product in all of sports. If it does end up here, I won't be rooting against it, but I can guarantee you that it has NO CHANCE to succeed. Would you pay money to watch paint dry?? I know I won't!

Note to investors: FOR THE GOOD OF YOUR FAMILIES, SAVE YOUR MONEY AND INVEST IN SOMETHING MORE WORTHWHILE!

Peace...out!

hmmmmm, (7/23/2009 9:49:44 AM)

I consider Boswell to be outside Tulsa.

The WNBA won't be an embarrassment to the city. It will only be an embarrassment to the WNBA if the WNBA fails. No one will look down on Tulsa if it fails. No one will look down on Connecticut or Indiana if the WNBA fails.

9,500 per game may be hard to do, but we only have to draw more than 3,600 per game to be better than Chicago, the team with the worst attendance in the league in 2008. My hunch is we could draw somewhere in between. The Chicago WNBA team has to compete for attention with major sports teams like the Bulls, Bears, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, etc.

A lot of marketing money will have to be spent to make a WNBA team a success here. You can't just put a team here and think people will automatically come. You'll definitely have to put a lot of effort into selling each game as an event and make sure it has top of mind awareness. I’m sure that’s what they’ll try to do if Tulsa gets a team.

davidlinda1020, Tulsa (7/23/2009 9:57:03 AM)

I support this great opportunity for the city Tulsa. Where and who do I get in touch with for a job to help this team?

Non-BUBBA, Tulsa (7/23/2009 10:07:51 AM)

Also, as I understand it, this isn't costing taxpayers anything, so what the hey??

Sioux Rose, Inola (7/23/2009 11:03:02 AM)

The WNBA All-Star game will be aired locally at 2:30 pm on Saturday, Channel 8. I invite everyone and especially those of you who have doubts about the success of a team in Tulsa, to take a look with an open mind.

quester, Tulsa Area (7/23/2009 11:23:28 AM)

Anyone looking for ways to support this effort might try doing a search for "wnbatulsa"at a dot com

There's a checkbox there for those interested in season tickets as well as a contact link.

I myself will wholeheartedly support all efforts to get the WNBA to Tulsa.