Summer poses test for Shock

Auburn Hills

Katie Smith's face turned different shades of red as she struggled with the problem before her.

The awareness and attendance for Detroit Shock games are down.

"Summer is a challenge," said Smith, starting point guard for the Shock. "In the winter, you are in the house and you want to come out. In the summer, people are traveling. You got camps and a lot of our demographic is out and about. I definitely think summer presents a challenge for people to consistently come to our games. They might make a game or two, but it's definitely a challenge."

Moving games to the fall might work, but Saturday and Sunday games are out of the question because of college and NFL football. The winter is out because most buildings are filled with NBA and NHL games.

An average of 9,061 fans attend Shock games, which doesn't sound too bad. But those numbers are bolstered by an opening-night crowd of 13,915 -- Detroit, which played Los Angeles, raised its championship banner that night. But are those averages real?

Sunday's announced crowd against Sacramento was 7,277. It looked more like 4,000-5,000. The league, as a whole, saw a small increase in attendance last season but has lost 33 percent of its fan base since 1999.

Men aren't smitten

The WNBA's demographics target families and women to attend its games. The one demographic, however, the WNBA can't grab hold of is men. Sure, players in the WNBA are skilled, but the women can't provide men the excitement they want: windmill dunks, more athletic plays and more ESPN highlights.

"It is hard to say what we can or cannot do to get fans in," Shock forward Plenette Pierson said. "It is tough right now with the recession. We can only do so much. It is up to us to give the fans a great game to get them to come."

The folks at The Palace deserve credit for making games fan-friendly. There's music, dancers, games, a mascot and all the trappings of an NBA game. But it just isn't working. A giant black curtain covering most of the second deck is a sign the WNBA isn't what it was.

Reasons to go

So, why should people attend WNBA games?

"The atmosphere is electric," Smith said. "You can interact with players. You can speak to them. You get autographs and you can yell at the coaches. There is a fun zone, and you can whoop and holler. I think it is exciting. Sometimes we make it too exciting, but we have personality and there is a good atmosphere. Come be who you are, and you'd have a nice time."

Terry's Town terry.foster@detnews.com">terry.foster@detnews.com (313) 222-1494