Though the Shock's attendance "dropped significantly"
for the second straight season, team President Tom Wilson
said that the team "will return" for a fourth season in
2001, according to David Goricki of the DETROIT NEWS.
Wilson: "We'll be back. No question. We've had a loyal
following, but we have yet to capture the masses. I'd be
lying if I said we weren't concerned. We've had some lonely
nights, but then we've had some good crowds against Houston
and New York and they turned out to be very exciting
sporting events." Goricki notes that the Shock averaged
10,229 fans in '98, 8,485 in '99 and 6,716 this season.
Wilson said that he "believes the turnover in personnel has
been a major reason" for the decrease in attendance, as no
player has been with the team all three years. Wilson:
"We've had a large turnover in personnel and it's hard to
build an allegiance. It's been troublesome. The fans were
more excited the first year than when we advanced to the
playoffs [last season]. ... It's hard to build a marketing
campaign when the team changes. Fans want players who they
can identify with" (DETROIT NEWS, 8/16).
FAN SUPPORT: Sparks C Lisa Leslie, on the WNBA: "I
think the league has grown so much, starting first with the
fan base. It's been amazing how much the fan support has
really helped to create the type of environment that we
wanted for the WNBA. It's very fan-friendly" ("Up Close,"
ESPN, 8/15)....In Akron, Terry Pluto writes that last
night's Miracle-Rockers Game Three drew 9,528 fans who
"danced and pranced and cheered" (A.B. JOURNAL, 8/16).
