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July 26, 2006

Evans: The Storm Should Stay

Seattle Times reporter (and blogger) Jayda Evans asked Lauren Jackson about her feelings regarding the sale of the Sonics/Storm to Oklahoma. Rather than answer first, Jackson threw the question back at Evans. Evans' response?

I told her the same thing I've been spouting all week - I can't believe NBA commissioner David Stern would move the Storm franchise.

As I've posted previously, Evans' book, "Game On!" repeatedly makes the point that WNBA markets are distinct from NBA markets. The two audiences are vastly different, and the cities that go for one may not go for the other. Seattle, to put it bluntly, is special:

I travel with the team and nowhere in the WNBA do you find what Seattle has cultivated. So, if it's moved just because the NBA side of the deal isn't what the new owners want, then I'll have to give in to the belief that the women were nothing but a second thought to make money off of during the summer months when the real show (the NBA) is done competing. If the Storm relocates to Oklahoma City (or anywhere else in America) then Stern and WNBA president Donna Orender are full of malarkey.

I am (cautiously) optimistic that, even if things fall through with the new arena for the Sonics, we might well be able to keep the Storm here. In the meantime, every Storm fan I've talked to is planning to pack Key Arena for the remaining games of the season.

(Oh, and LJ said she doesn't want to play in any market other than Seattle.)

If you've ever thought about catching a women's pro game here in Seattle, well, now's the time. Tickets are cheap, the games are good, and we're even on a hot streak right now. See you there!

Posted by Gavin Shearer at July 26, 2006 8:37 AM. Posted to Politics | Seattle Storm.

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