nyk Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Report: WNBA awards Atlanta WNBA franchise for '08 seasonAssociated Press ATLANTA -- The WNBA will announce Wednesday that it has awarded a franchise to Atlanta, a person familiar with the deal said Tuesday.Atlanta real estate executive Ron Terwilliger will be the sole owner of the team, which will begin play in 2008, according to the person familiar with the deal, who requested anonymity because the new franchise hasn't been officially announced yet.Atlanta City Council president Lisa Borders, one of the leaders of the committee which organized the effort, is expected to attend Wednesday's news conference along with Terwilliger.Borders and WNBA president Donna Orender did not immediately return messages on Tuesday.The WNBA's Charlotte franchise was disbanded following the 2006 season, leaving the league without a team in the Southeast.Orender also had expansion talks with groups in the San Francisco area, Kansas City, Albuquerque, N.M., Colorado, Philadelphia and Atlantic City.Borders has said she was not concerned that Atlanta's NBA team has ranked at or near the bottom of the league's attendance totals in recent seasons."We have a significant talent pool with the SEC and ACC, which are very strong conferences for men's and women's basketball," Borders said in May. "We would have this type of opportunity for women to leave college and go on and play in the Southeast in the WNBA."Atlanta lost its last women's professional team nine years ago. The Atlanta Glory was a member of the American Basketball League, which folded on Dec. 28, 1998.Seven WNBA teams had a drop in attendance in 2006 when the average was just under 7,500, nearly 3,400 below the 10,869 the league averaged in 1998.The Atlanta WNBA team is expected to play in Philips Arena, also home to the Hawks and the NHL Atlanta Thrashers. It isn't expected to announce a coach on Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDR Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 YES! I'M MOVING IN TWO MONTHS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadmanLA Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Atlanta can barely support its NBA team...how are they going to support the WNBA? These are just extra date fillers at Philips during the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJTank Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Well this time they can just say the empty seats are because its the WNBA, home to over 12 fans. www.sportsecyclopedia.com For the best in sports history go to the Sports E-Cyclopedia at http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeytonManningRocks Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Haha, yes this is one example where the WNBA team will have just as many fans as the NBA team does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFoA Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Man what the hell? The NBA HAWKS barely draw in the first place, how do they expect the WNBA to draw??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB61 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I'd like to know why Philadelphia keeps getting passed over for a WNBA team. Not that it'd draw any better than any of the other teams, but I'd like to know why having a team here isn't as appealing as Orlando, Utah, Cleveland, Charlotte, Miami, or Portland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy! Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Because Philly's a rathole? "I secretly hope people like that hydroplane into a wall." - Dennis "Big Sexy" Ittner POTD - 7/3/14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyk Posted October 17, 2007 Author Share Posted October 17, 2007 I think the only reason Atlanta got it is because the WNBA wants a team in the South. Charlotte, Miami, and Orlando failed. All they have left as far as NBA markets is Atlanta. I rather a team in Tennessee like they did in Connecticut, cause you will seats at the Phillips Arena.I wonder what they will name the team....Why not Atlanta Doves lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRUINSFAN Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 When asked about putting an NBA team in the newly finished Kansas City Sprint Center..."We didn't tell them to go do a building," Stern told the Star in May 2005. The Star quoted him adding a joke: "Maybe they can have a WNBA team."Full story: http://www.pitch.com/2006-09-07/news/we-re-pucked/full When Bobby Orr was asked why he always wore a cupbut not a helmet,he replied:"I can always getsomeone else to do my thinking for me!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkJourney Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 The Colorado Chill was supposed be the team for 2008 but the ownership group couldn't find enough investors to come up with the cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJTank Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 lol Nobody wanted to sink their money into a sink hole I guess. www.sportsecyclopedia.com For the best in sports history go to the Sports E-Cyclopedia at http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBGKon Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I have to admit that Atlanta came as a shock to me. I surely would think Knoxville/Tennessee would be a much better option. Maybe their though is that Atlanta is close enough to Tennessee to possibly draw from them, while also drawing from a different market.Over/Under on the WNBA in the ATL...3 years; what do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik121 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I have to admit that Atlanta came as a shock to me. I surely would think Knoxville/Tennessee would be a much better option. Maybe their though is that Atlanta is close enough to Tennessee to possibly draw from them, while also drawing from a different market.Over/Under on the WNBA in the ATL...3 years; what do you think?I'll take the under. I really don't get having a team in Atlanta at this time. I think somewhere in Tennesssee would be a great addition because of all the rich women's basketball history. But whatever, I watch like a quater of a Sky game last year and needless to say, it helped me fall asleep.She-hawks FTL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik121 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I have to admit that Atlanta came as a shock to me. I surely would think Knoxville/Tennessee would be a much better option. Maybe their though is that Atlanta is close enough to Tennessee to possibly draw from them, while also drawing from a different market.Over/Under on the WNBA in the ATL...3 years; what do you think?I'll take the under. I really don't get having a team in Atlanta at this time. I think somewhere in Tennesssee would be a great addition because of all the rich women's basketball history. But whatever, I watch like a quater of a Sky game last year and needless to say, it helped me fall asleep.She-hawks FTL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik121 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I have to admit that Atlanta came as a shock to me. I surely would think Knoxville/Tennessee would be a much better option. Maybe their though is that Atlanta is close enough to Tennessee to possibly draw from them, while also drawing from a different market.Over/Under on the WNBA in the ATL...3 years; what do you think?I'll take the under. I really don't get having a team in Atlanta at this time. I think somewhere in Tennesssee would be a great addition because of all the rich women's basketball history. But whatever, I watch like a quater of a Sky game last year and needless to say, it helped me fall asleep.She-hawks FTL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee. Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I'd like to know why Philadelphia keeps getting passed over for a WNBA team.Because you guys will make those poor girls cry. Welcome to DrunjFlix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy! Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I have to admit that Atlanta came as a shock to me. I surely would think Knoxville/Tennessee would be a much better option. Maybe their though is that Atlanta is close enough to Tennessee to possibly draw from them, while also drawing from a different market.Over/Under on the WNBA in the ATL...3 years; what do you think?Make it 3.5 and I'll take the under. It's a bit of a surprise considering Orlando, Miami, and Charlotte didn't last in the southeast. But if smaller markets can try and make it work, why not Atlanta? "I secretly hope people like that hydroplane into a wall." - Dennis "Big Sexy" Ittner POTD - 7/3/14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sodboy13 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 America's most apathetic sports market gets another reason not to care. I'd actually give Philly a franchise before Atlanta or several other NBA cities - they supported the ABL Rage decently, no? On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said: For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA. PotD: 10/19/07, 08/25/08, 07/22/10, 08/13/10, 04/15/11, 05/19/11, 01/02/12, and 01/05/12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrivnak Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Maybe Bob Hartley can coach them now that he's got nothing better to do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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