DFW Absorbs the Shock

[lethalweapon3]

After a little Texas Two-Stepping, the Tulsa ownership shows their hand.

 

 

 

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/shock/tulsa-shock-announces-plans-to-move-to-dallas-fort-worth/article_3f774a7d-356b-540b-8ed5-a27315a07318.html

 

Tulsa Shock majority owner Bill Cameron solidified more than a week’s worth of rumors Monday, announcing in a press release his plans to relocate the team to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

 

Shock minority owner Stuart Price fired back Monday evening, holding a press conference to announce that he had filed a lawsuit against Cameron. Price accused Cameron of using Tulsa to “incubate” the franchise before moving it to Dallas, saying the city had been “wronged in a lot of respects.”

 

The move is contingent upon approval by the league’s Board of Governors, which is composed of owners or executive representatives from each of the 12 teams in the league. Each team, including the Shock, has one vote, and approval would require seven votes in favor of the move.

 

Cameron asked that the WNBA submit the request to the board as soon as possible. He cited the larger fan base and increased corporate sponsorship pool in a top-five media market as reasons for the move...

 

“This is a very difficult decision, and I know it is particularly difficult for the Tulsa investors,” he said. “From a business perspective, it was necessary to evaluate options to place the team and the organization in the best position to achieve financial success. After a thorough review, I believe the Dallas-Fort Worth area holds the greatest potential to achieve our long-term business objectives.”

 

 

Given the underwhelming attendance and low TV market numbers coming from Tulsa, I suspect there'll be little problem putting this relocation to the Metroplex into effect.

 

Former Dream coach Freddy Williams will be on the move once again, but will do all he can to ensure a postseason game in what would eventually be the final WNBA game in Oklahoma anytime soon. 

 

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/shock/shock-fans-loyal-but-not-optimistic-about-possibility-that-wnba/article_451f7b6d-d15c-5beb-b45a-77ee4190389c.html

 

Some fans see the second half of this season as a prolonged funeral for the Tulsa chapter of the WNBA. Shock coach Fred Williams said he doesn’t see it that way and said he and his team are focused on winning for the city of Tulsa while they still can.

 

“I wouldn’t call it a funeral because we still have games to play,” Williams said. “We still have to play a lot of games out there. So I think for some of the fans — I can’t speak for them, but I know their heart is really into it, and we are too. We just have to — our team — we’ve just got to stay focused.”

 

 

~lw3

[Randy]

Now one of the minority owners is suing to stop the move.  Says the majority owner (Cameron) lied and said the team would never be moved from Tulsa without a super-majority vote.  The team reportedly lost over a $1 million per year in Tulsa. Unless the minority owners want to take on the full ownership of the losses, looks like Cameron is holding all the cards and Dallas move won't really be held up.  Its also pretty interesting that a minority owner would rely on something he was told rather than what's in the legal documents.  Seems like something like that would be spelled out pretty clearly.

[HawkItus]

Did the ASG by a WNBA team?

[Guest]

Now one of the minority owners is suing to stop the move.  Says the majority owner (Cameron) lied and said the team would never be moved from Tulsa without a super-majority vote.  The team reportedly lost over a $1 million per year in Tulsa. Unless the minority owners want to take on the full ownership of the losses, looks like Cameron is holding all the cards and Dallas move won't really be held up.  Its also pretty interesting that a minority owner would rely on something he was told rather than what's in the legal documents.  Seems like something like that would be spelled out pretty clearly.

This is like a small-scale bit of redemption for Seattle. "Oh sure, you're not going to move the team. Heard that before!"

[Randy]

Did the ASG by a WNBA team?

 

 

Yeah - the plan is to "get the band back together" - Belkin, Levinson, Gearon, Billy Knight+ David McDavid.  Once they heard about the lawsuit they all wanted in.