Wake up, Houston!
March 6, 2005
Houston is a football crazed city. I've known that for years. The love affair Houstonians have for football makes basketball a tough sell regardless of the level of competition (pro, college, or high school). I'm taking football out of the equation (for this article only) to prove a point: Houston Comets' fans love their Comets!
The Comets have not one a WNBA championship since 2000. The 2004 season was the worst season in franchise history as the Comets missed the playoffs for the first time and finished with a losing record (13 - 21). The Comets have won 76 games the last four seasons. Three Houston area college basketball teams (the University of Houston; Rice University; and Houston Baptist University) have equaled or surpassed the Comets wins per season since 2001.
UH is currently 21-8 after losing in the semifinals of the Conference USA basketball tournament Saturday afternoon. The Lady Cougars have a decent chance of earning a second consecutive berth in the Women's NCAA Tournament. The Lady Cougars have won 109 games since 2001 for an average of 21.8 wins per season.
The Rice Lady Owls claimed a share of its first ever Western Athletic Conference Championship Saturday night by defeating the SMU Mustangs. Rice has an excellent chance of reaching the NCAA Tournament this season for the first time since 2000. As of today, the Lady Owls have won 97 games over since 2001 for an average of 19.4 wins per season.
The Houston Baptist Huskies have enjoyed the most success the last few years than their college sisters. HBU won its sixth straight Red River Athletic Conference Tournament yesterday; and, the Huskies have currently won 29 consecutive games this season. HBU is the number 1 team in the country in the NAIA! The Huskies reached the NAIA title game in 2003; and, they have finished in the top 6 the last three seasons before the 2004 - 2005 season! HBU has won a staggering 162 games since 2000 for an average of 32.4 wins per season! The Huskies are expected to be the number 1 seed in the upcoming NAIA Tournament.
Each college team has enjoyed success since the Houston Comets last championship. However, I';m constantly asked questions about the Comets: "Any news on Swoopes?" "Is she staying or leaving" "What does the team look like so far?"
Despite the Comets' struggles last season, the team still averaged roughly 7,000 fans per game. Last season, the Lady Cougars largest crowd was approximately 3,500 for UH legend Chandi Jones' last home game as a Lady Cougar. The Lady Owls averaged 591 fans for its home games. The largest crowd to see a Huskies' home was 1,321 in 1999! This season UH had an attendance of 699 for its Senior Day. Last night, the Lady Owls' Senior Night had an attendance of 646. These programs deserve more attention.
Everyone (fans, media, alumni, and school administrators) should share blame for such lackluster attendance numbers. It's no wonder the UH women's program loses about $1 million per year: no one supports the team! The administrators at Rice and UH treat women's college basketball as a necessary nuisance as a result of Title IX. Therefore, the schools have to have the teams in order to comply with gender equity rules. Administrators respect money. They love to make money; and, they hate to lose money. Since many people do not attend the games, the administrators do not bother thinking about ways to improve the situation. A basic business philosophy still holds true: "You have to spend money, to make money." If fans do not know about the success of the women's college teams, how can they support the teams by attending the games? Women's basketball is not the same as men's basketball and people are wasting their time expecting it to be like the men's game.
Basketball is basketball -- even in football crazed Houston. Winning does not solve everything -- especially if no one knows you're winning or that you even exist. Wake up, Houston! The Comets aren't the only women's team in town.
