"Back to the NBA"
July 14, 2005
Eleven years. The Houston Roundball Review will be 11 years old in October 2005. Through those years, the HRR has evolved from an NBA Draft only publication to a publication which covers college and pro basketball including women's hoops. In fact, the HRR has covered (and attended) the last four Women's Final Fours. Covering those events I began believing the Houston area was ripe for an explosion in interest surrounding women's basketball. Apparently, I was mistaken. A few things have occurred these first two weeks of July which have caused me to change my thought process and may ultimately shift the focus back toward the NBA and men's hoops. Business is business. Though the HRR is not "blowing up" financially, I have to be flexible enough to go which way the wind blows and adjust accordingly.
In early December 2004, I began working alongside members of the Harris County - Houston Sports Authority to bring the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament to Houston. The goal was to have Houston (with the University of Houston's Hofheinz Pavilion as the site for the games) selected as a host site for the 2007 / 2008 First and Second Rounds and, possibly, a 2007 Regional Tournament. My ultimate goal was for the city of Houston to be awarded a Women's Final Four. The NCAA Women's Basketball Committee announced the host cities July 6. Houston was not selected; but, Austin, TX, and the University of Texas was chosen. The University of Texas is a powerhouse in women's college basketball; and, they have great fan support. I'm quite certain their very solid attendance numbers played a role in being chosen over Houston and UH's small crowds.
One reason I wanted to bring the Women's NCAA Tournament to Houston was to generate interest and support from the media and fans for Rice University's and the University of Houston's women's basketball teams. Both programs have enjoyed success in the last four years which has gone unnoticed and unrecognized by Houstonians. Unfortunately, my goal was denied.
The Houston Comets offer more tangible proof of the declining interest in Houston women's hoops. During the Comets four championship seasons (1997 to 2000), the team's average home attendance was: 9,703 fans in 1997; 12,601 fans in 1998; 11,906 fans in 1999; and 12,255 fans in 2000. The attendance numbers have declined since then: 11,320 in 2001; 10,866 in 2002; 8,835 in 2003; and 8,086 in 2004. Through nine home games in 2005, the average home attendance is 6,527. Trust me when I say that number is for paid attendance because far fewer fans than that have appeared in Toyota Center this season.
Why the dramatic drop-off? Here are some of the suggestions I've heard: once Comets legend Cynthia Cooper retired, some fans were done with the Comets; ticket prices are too high; Toyota Center is not as fan-friendly as the Compaq Center; Van Chancellor is still the head coach; the organization does a poor job marketing the team; the team is no longer winning; the WNBA has too many lesbians in the league; the local media doesn't provide enough coverage; the novelty of the Comets and the WNBA has worn off in Houston; etc. I honestly believe each of those reasons may be plausible for a few people; but, I do not know what is needed to boost the attendance and neither does Comets star Sheryl Swoopes. She's "frustrated and disappointed" in the smaller home crowds. Van Chancellor is concerned with the declining numbers and, so is team owner Les Alexander.
Combine the dwindling Comets attendance figures with the city of Houston not being chosen as a host site for the Women's 2007 NCAA Tournament, I've had my eyes pried open to a cold reality: women's basketball (college or pro) in Houston is not a big deal. Thank goodness for me the NBA avoided a lockout. Keeping up with the monopoly money being tossed around to NBA free agents is fascinating. Plus, NBA news in the summer means the NBA season is right around the corner. Add the success of the Rockets to the 2006 NBA All-Star Game coming to Houston; and, I say, "Here's to 11 more years for the HRR!"
