Just 15 months until the WNBA arrives in Chicago.
Oh. You can just feel the excitement.
That’s a bit of a cheap shot since the team doesn’t even have a name yet, but consider it a preemptive strike against a marketing campaign that will attempt to convince us that Chicago’s WNBA franchise will be worthy of our time and money.
Will it be? Try this little exercise out. Take a moment and count the number of times somebody said to you, “Gee, I hope the WNBA comes to Chicago.”
See what I mean? There’s a reason why every other attempt at women’s basketball has failed. But this time it’s different, of course, since this team will play in the powerful WNBA, backed by the even more powerful NBA.
But you know how many times the WNBA has been profitable? Zero. Not once in its eight seasons has it made money, which makes the league’s continuing existence something of a mirage.
If it weren’t for the backing of the NBA, the WNBA would have gone the way of the American Basketball League, which gave us the short-lived Chicago Condors for 12 games in 1998. The Chicago Hustle (1979-81) of the Women’s Pro Basketball League is far more memorable than the Condors, but just as defunct.
Nobody has been clamoring for a franchise, least of all Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who showed only scant interest in owning a WNBA team. When he put out feelers four years ago, fewer than 1,000 deposits were put down for season tickets and interest faded.
Over the next 15 months, we’ll be hearing a lot about how the WNBA is a wonderful way for young girls to find role models and how terrific it is that female basketball players can have pro careers in the U.S.
“[The WNBA] has redefined what young women and not-so-young women can achieve,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said during Tuesday’s news conference.
Perhaps it has. But that begs the question: Is the WNBA a social enterprise or a business motivated by profits?
The owner of the Chicago franchise, real estate maverick Michael Alter, says having a daughter did play a role in his decision to buy the team and that it’s important for Chicago to have a franchise. But he’s in this to make money.
“I spent a great deal of time studying … the previous teams, and I feel very confident that we can make it work,” said Alter, whose group paid a $10 million entry fee.
Despite his wealth, Alter seems like your average guy. He was modest and talked humbly about playing high school basketball at Niles West. “I cannot tell you that I was a big fan of women’s basketball,” he said. “I think like most people in Chicago, I didn’t pay much attention to it.”
See, people can change. But the fate of women’s basketball in Chicago probably can’t.
– – –
WNBAQ&A
What’s the team’s name?
No nickname has been announced yet. If you have an idea, e-mail RedEye at redeyesports@tribune.com.
When do they start?
May 2006.
Where will they play?
The UIC Pavilion.
Do the Bulls own the team?
No, real estate developer Michael Alter is the head of the ownership group. Originally, teams had to be affiliated with their city’s NBA team, but the WNBA decided in October 2002 to open franchises to outside investors. The only other non-NBA owned team is the Connecticut Sun, which is owned by the Mohegan Indian tribe.
Can I buy tickets?
They are on sale now at chicagownba.com.
How big is the WNBA?
Chicago is the 14th franchise. It started with eight teams in 1997 and expanded to 16 in 2002, but three franchises folded and two changed towns. The league drew more than 2 million fans in 2004.
Has Chicago had a women’s team before?
The Hustle was one of the original teams in the Women’s Professional Basketball League, which folded in 1981. The Condors played 12 games in their only seasons in the American Basketball League. They were second in attendance, averaging 4,775 fans at the Pavilion before the league folded in 1998.
Associated Press
———-
jgreenfield@tribune.com
Edited by Chris Malcolm (ccmalcolm@tribune.com) and Chris Courtney (cdcourtney@tribune.com)
