The Houston Comets ... we hardly noticed yee

So, upon reading my new Sports Illustrated an article popped up at me.

First let me apologize for just finding this out, not having cable and modem internet shuts me out of the real world.

The Houston Comets have folded!

OMG!

This is for real, yo!

The league, that Bill Simmons mentioned a few years ago, makes really no money, in fact has to be financially backed by the stable NBA, has lost a team.

This was a complete shock to me on two factors. First, "They shut down WNBA teams? They have a PR department?" Secondly, "Didn't they win the first three or four titles in the leagues history?"

The team was purchased recently for $10 million. Essentially A-Rod gets that for striking out in a critical at bat. K-Rod is getting paid that for a little under a years play for the Mets. Ten people who won "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" earned that much. I can keep going on how small that number is to buy a franchise... I think I will continue. Jerry Jones probably spent that much getting land looked at for his teams new stadium. Hans Gruber was going to steal over 60 times that in Die Hard.

So the team that had Cynthia Cooper, Tina Thompson and Sheryl Swoopes (all long gone might I add) is no more. None of these teams actually find themselves in the black (this is what SI said). The L.A. Sparks are the only team close to making a profit, mind you this is one of the largest markets, imagine what smaller markets must look like come budget time. In fact as Simmons remarked it was the NBA franchise that shared the city (and arena) usually pitched in to keep teams afloat.

WNBA, I would like you to meet the WUSA. She was this great league created after you, following that emotional World Cup victory by the USA women's team. See, she played these games of soccer that no one attended, watched on TV or wanted to bankroll after it was well known that there was essentially no, I repeat, no interest in female soccer. This could be you. Actually it should have been you if Stern and Co. didn't throw millions at you to stay on life support.

I don't want to be tagged as a guy who rags and hates women's sports. In fact I love them. I enjoyed covering them in college. I dated women athletes (soccer, softball, hockey, skiing, the occassional figure skater). The fact remains I want to see these leagues succeed. The only snag is no one else does. I'll be honest during the summer, I have no interest in watching a WNBA games on ABC if FOX has Saturday baseball, even if it is the Mets playing the Yankees. Most American men would not even consider turning it to a WNBA game.

Now, I have attended a WNBA, back when Cleveland had a team. The Rockers were hosting the Comets and it was a blow out. Cleveland has no shot in hell. The game was physical (especially from my courtside seats) and the action was a decent pace, unlike the low tempo games of women's D-III. Though the game had no appeal to the Midwest fans of the Rockers, regardless of the fan fare the team threw at them. People left midway through the second half, the energy was dead. If this is the same feeling in Detroit, LA, Chicago or New York, the WNBA has no chance. Eventually the NBA has to question how long they want to keep funding what seems like a lost cause. The XFL seems like a worth while venture compared to this.

I'm sorry ladies but the ball is no longer in your court.

Sal Sez: "I heard about the WNBA when I was playing in Richmond last year. Do you know if they have foxy boxing during the halftime?"