WNBA Team is Coming to Rogers!!!!!

[masons_dad1]

Let's just get some semi-pro sports in NWA... who really cares if they're any good? I mean this is Northwest Arkansas isn't it? Anything is better than nothing. It's just a pasttime isn't it? Drink beer and watch grown men throw a ball around. I'm not going to waste any time or energy waiting for a major league sport to come town... I may as well be waiting for the next Trump Tower to be built in NWA.

[mcheiss]

^

Ha I wonder when well get one of those.

[masons_dad1]

^

Ha I wonder when well get one of those.

You may know better than others... does Donald do business with Wal-Mart?

[mcheiss]

You may know better than others... does Donald do business with Wal-Mart?

Nothing that I've heard.

[masons_dad1]

Nothing that I've heard.

Nah... Donald would step off the plane at XNA then check the bottom of his shoe. He'd look up to see trees then turn tail and dive back in the plane yelling "TAKE OFF TAKE OFF!!!!"

[Aporkalypse]

You may know better than others... does Donald do business with Wal-Mart?

Apprentice DVDs. maybe.

[KJW]

What? I've never heard of these. Please explain KJW.

Matt, KURM AM 790 has been carrying NU football games for a couple years now. I think an alum owns the station, but regardless, he gets advertisers.

The NU gift shop is somewhere around McNelly(?) Road in far south Bella Vista in the vicinity of the Ambassadors for Christ Academy.

LOTS of Nebraska front plates and bumper stickers up there.EDIT: KURM's still on the out-of-state NU affiliate list.

[mcheiss]

That's suprising to me, thanks.

I wonder if Ft. Smith has an OU Gift Shop, since there are so many OU fans there.

[Mith242]

That's suprising to me, thanks.

I wonder if Ft. Smith has an OU Gift Shop, since there are so many OU fans there.

It wouldn't surprise me to see one up here as well to be honest. There's a lot of Oklahoma people up here as well.

[Aporkalypse]

That's suprising to me, thanks.

I wonder if Ft. Smith has an OU Gift Shop, since there are so many OU fans there.

Just out of curiosity, I looked to see if Ft Smith has an OU Sooner Club and they do.

There is no Cornhusker Club in Arkansas, though both OKC and Tulsa have one.

[KJW]

That's suprising to me, thanks.

I wonder if Ft. Smith has an OU Gift Shop, since there are so many OU fans there.

No problem, Matt.

As for OU (and Oklahoma State) I think their gift shops for NWA almost seem to be in convenience stores along the state line at Siloam Springs and Muldrow.

[KJW]

Hey, Aporkalypse, remember my joking that XNA means "Xperimental Northwest Arkansas" or words to that effect?

Well, this week's Bentonville officials to the WNBA trip (which Mayor Terry Coberly again said there was great interest shown in Bentonville) seems to bear that out:

[Mith242]

I'm still not ready to get my hopes up, but it is interesting that things have progressed to this point.

[Aporkalypse]

Hey, Aporkalypse, remember my joking that XNA means "Xperimental Northwest Arkansas" or words to that effect?

Well, this week's Bentonville officials to the WNBA trip (which Mayor Terry Coberly again said there was great interest shown in Bentonville) seems to bear that out:

Like a dummy I hadn't thought of this before, but obviously the arena will have to be partially inground due to its proximity to the "real" XNA.

I caught this and found it interesting:

"He also said the league is looking at this scenario with northwest Arkansas as a model for how to start franchises in smaller markets."

It sounds like the WNBA may be to give up expansion to larger markets in favor of smaller ones. At least it seems to be a possibility.

I wonder what happened with Albequerque.

[Mith242]

I caught this and found it interesting:

"He also said the league is looking at this scenario with northwest Arkansas as a model for how to start franchises in smaller markets."

It sounds like the WNBA may be to give up expansion to larger markets in favor of smaller ones. At least it seems to be a possibility.

I wonder what happened with Albequerque.

Yeah I noticed that too. I've wondered if maybe they could be possibly considering a secondary league for smaller markets. I guess I missed the news about Albuquerque. Was there talk of them getting a team? I'll be there this weekend so I can check up on the news from over there.

[KJW]

Yeah I noticed that too. I've wondered if maybe they could be possibly considering a secondary league for smaller markets. I guess I missed the news about Albuquerque. Was there talk of them getting a team? I'll be there this weekend so I can check up on the news from over there.

Gentlemen, not to put any metro area down but...I still wonder if this is the ideal "smaller market" to test, with some of the strange dynamics in play here. (Frigging lit Ghirardelli Chocolate signs in either end zone of Bentonville's hs stadium. )

Aporkalypse, I wonder, too...look at the size of that Albuquerque DMA, or more importantly (given than many of those counties have a LOT of wide open spaces) the rank at #46.

[Aporkalypse]

Gentlemen, not to put any metro area down but...I still wonder if this is the ideal "smaller market" to test, with some of the strange dynamics in play here. (Frigging lit Ghirardelli Chocolate signs in either end zone of Bentonville's hs stadium. )

Aporkalypse, I wonder, too...look at the size of that Albuquerque DMA, or more importantly (given than many of those counties have a LOT of wide open spaces) the rank at #46.

I think the key is the ownership. I think they'll listen to anyone willing to fork out the dough in a reasonable market. I'm not so sure this is a women's 2nd tier league as much as the whole WNBA shifting towards smaller markets because the current paradigm isn't working. That would work better in NWA as some competition with large metros might make people come out and watch. A second tier women's baskeball league wouldn't draw 500 a night.

[Sundodger]

Secondly, OKC has started the beginnings of bringing the Seattle Sonics to their fair city. Seattle still has about 10.5 months to negotiate a contract with the Sonics, but it isn't going to happen with the terms they (the OKC owners of the Sonics) set. Most people associated with the sport have pretty much already decided that the Sonics will move, play in the Ford Center just like the Hornets have since Katrina, and call it their new home.

10.5 months? Try 2010, if ever. When has Seattle not fought to keep their teams? Also with the amount of money paid, it would be a dumb business decision to leave the Seattle market for one much smaller, slower growing, and less wealthy.

[Aporkalypse]

10.5 months? Try 2010, if ever. When has Seattle not fought to keep their teams? Also with the amount of money paid, it would be a dumb business decision to leave the Seattle market for one much smaller, slower growing, and less wealthy.

They also won't leave for the Ford Center. It is not an NBA-caliber arena and its capacity is only 15,000. If OKC ever gets a (permanent) NBA team it will have to build a new arena for them.

[KJW]

I caught this and found it interesting:

"He also said the league is looking at this scenario with northwest Arkansas as a model for how to start franchises in smaller markets."

It sounds like the WNBA may be to give up expansion to larger markets in favor of smaller ones. At least it seems to be a possibility.

I wonder what happened with Albequerque.

Aporkalypse, ask and you shall receive...interesting parallels here:

(Albuquerque) is serving up an old dish this week - a 10,000-seat arena/events center - but this time it has a key new ingredient: more direct public backing.

It may also contain a dash of women's hoops. Mayor Martin Chavez said the Women's National Basketball Association is eyeing Albuquerque as a possible new franchise city.

In January 2004, Chavez announced plans for a 10,000-seat arena Downtown that would be built entirely with private financing. The city was to contribute $5.5 million for land and retain ownership of the building after construction debt was paid.

Chavez later pulled the plug once it became clear that the city essentially would have to co-sign on the loan. Under that scenario, if everything went according to plan, the city wouldn't have to shell out a cent - unless the project ran into trouble. Then, taxpayers would be left holding the bag.

...

Meanwhile, construction is wrapping up on a $45 million, 8,200-seat arena in Rio Rancho. The New Mexico Scorpions hockey team, the facility's main tenant, open their season there in October.

Chavez said he expects pro sports to play a role in Albuquerque's arena, but "it matters not to me how we fill this up."

The mayor said he had met with representatives of the WNBA recently about starting a team here, but the job of finding sports tenants for the arena would be up to the developers.

http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2006/sep/13/ta...-arena-funding/

[memville]

Not to bust any bubbles, but if NWA actually got a WNBA team, would you be that excited to go the games and be a season ticket holder? The WNBA is a joke, and i dont see some of the big names in this area sitting courtside at the games. You have to remember that this area has something to offer that many big cities dont have, quality NCAA sports.

[KJW]

Not to bust any bubbles, but if NWA actually got a WNBA team, would you be that excited to go the games and be a season ticket holder? The WNBA is a joke, and i dont see some of the big names in this area sitting courtside at the games. You have to remember that this area has something to offer that many big cities dont have, quality NCAA sports.

I think it'd be pretty cool...but I don't follow women's basketball as much as other sports.

Aporkalypse, just wondering...if indeed Albuquerque follows through (above) and NWA gets a team that would put the league at 16 teams, which could break out into four somewhat nice divisions:

EAST:

Charlotte

Connecticut

New York

Washington

MIDWEST:

Chicago

Detroit

Indiana

Minnesota

MID-SOUTH/SOUTHWEST

Albuquerque

Arkansas

Houston

San Antonio

WEST:

Los Angeles

Phoenix

Sacramento

Seattle

Just pondering out loud...

[Mith242]

Not to bust any bubbles, but if NWA actually got a WNBA team, would you be that excited to go the games and be a season ticket holder? The WNBA is a joke, and i dont see some of the big names in this area sitting courtside at the games. You have to remember that this area has something to offer that many big cities dont have, quality NCAA sports.

I admit I'm not the biggest fan of women's basketball but I think I'd become a bigger fan if we had a WNBA team here. I doubt I'd buy season tickets but I would want to go to some of the games. But you do have a valid point about the NCAA sports here. But I still think there's some room for some semi pro sports here. I don't think all the newcomers who have moved here are neccessarily interested in the Razorbacks.

'

[KJW]

I admit I'm not the biggest fan of women's basketball but I think I'd become a bigger fan if we had a WNBA team here. I doubt I'd buy season tickets but I would want to go to some of the games. But you do have a valid point about the NCAA sports here. But I still think there's some room for some semi pro sports here. I don't think all the newcomers who have moved here are neccessarily interested in the Razorbacks.

'

One thing to remember...one of the most successful franchises this year in the WNBA has been the Connecticut team, which is one county away (and not a far corner of the county at that) from Storrs, CT, home of the UConn Huskies...one of the most successful women's NCAA teams year in and year out.

Obviously, Hartford/New Haven's a bit different of a metro area but it's fascinating to me how close these two teams are with their concurrent success.

[itk]

Not to bust any bubbles, but if NWA actually got a WNBA team, would you be that excited to go the games and be a season ticket holder? The WNBA is a joke, and i dont see some of the big names in this area sitting courtside at the games. You have to remember that this area has something to offer that many big cities dont have, quality NCAA sports.

Good last point. Plus, to answer your question, no.