No market for women's basketball

Auburn Hills

My daughter Celine is a good athlete, even at the tender age of 10. She does 50 push-ups every day, finished third in the finals of her school's 50-yard dash and is a demon on the soccer field. She's not the most skilled girl on the field, but she makes it up with speed and a competitive spirit.

But no matter how great she becomes in soccer, basketball or softball, few people will watch her or her teammates play. And few will even care.

I accept that.

She's a young girl, who'll grow up into a woman. She'll play before a handful of parents, friends and coaches who care more about players than the game they play.

In this country we don't care much about women's athletics. On television, it trails bowling, poker and "Seinfeld" reruns.

Fight for survival

More proof is the quiet dismantling of the Detroit Shock, who are scheduled to move to Tulsa, an area about a fifth the size of Metro Detroit. Believe it or not, the Shock have a better chance of surviving in the smaller market where there's less competition and more people receptive to women's athletics.

Of course, I'm assuming there will be another WNBA season. It's on wobbly legs as interest wanes and corporate money pulls out.

Look where women's athletics thrive. It's usually college towns. Women's basketball programs at the University of Texas, Connecticut, Rutgers and Iowa have solid fan bases. When you try to place women's athletics in major cities up against the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, it eventually dies.

Our plate in Detroit is full. We've all four major professional teams on which to spend on our money, not to mention Michigan and Michigan State. There also are world-class music venues, museums, lakes, hunting, fishing and hundreds of other distractions. You name it and we've got it. And did I also mention the economy is bad?

That places the Shock on an even lower profile.

Waning interest

The Shock played in the summer on nice days when you wanted to be outside, not stuffed inside an arena.

The Shock averaged 7,829 fans per game last season. That's if you believe the attendance reports The Palace released after each game. Sometimes, it appeared as if there were 3,000-5,000 fans, and you couldn't help but notice large curtains sealing off much of the upper deck.

During a recent Pistons exhibition, there were so few people there that some media members joked that the crowd looked like a Shock game.

If interest was based simply on talent and athleticism, the Shock would've drawn more. Deanna Nolan was one of the best high school athletes I'd ever seen when she played at Flint Northern. I was mesmerized by her play and still marvel at her toughness and flexibility on the court.

But I'll probably never see her play live again. I flip on a WNBA game for a few minutes and keep going down the dial. The players are skilled, but the game looks sloppy.

They don't dunk and they rarely make plays that leave you gasping for air. In this country we want to be surprised and mesmerized.

And women's basketball doesn't cut it.

terry.foster@detnews.com">terry.foster@detnews.com (313) 222-1494