Sacramento Monarchs done, Kings next?

Just four short years ago, the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs were on top of the female basketball world, winning the WNBA Championship. Fast forward to 2009, with a struggling economy and slumping ticket sales for basketball, and the Monarchs are officially wiped off the WNBA's active teams list.

According to news reports, some Sacramento players didn't find out until logging into their Twitter accounts online. Rebekkah Brunson was one such player, who saw the news via her teammate Chantelle Anderson's "tweet".

The Monarchs general manager/coach John Whisenant broke the news earlier to a Sacramento TV station that his WNBA team was no longer going to be backed by the Kings organization. The Kings are currently owned & run by the famous Maloof brothers, Joe and Gavin. Despite the Maloofs being dedicated bball fans and very rich, their two teams have been in trouble in recent times. Many NBA teams are having financial difficulties coupled with lower attendance numbers, which could lead to problems. It's possible the Kings could be looking to move, while the Monarchs are currently homeless, but eyeing the Bay area for their WNBA squad. Golden State has already nixed the idea of adding a female franchise to pair up with the Warriors.

According to the Seattle Times:

"Everyone in this business environment ... you have to do what has to be done," Joe Maloof told the Sacramento Bee. "Our focus is to turn the Kings around, and to do that, we have to put all our efforts and good salespeople on the Kings."

Sacramento was one of the original eight WNBA teams, but also came off a 12-22 season, a league worst. During their history, they had a 224-200 record overall, with several playoff appearances including a 2005 Finals win over Connecticut, and a 2006 Finals loss to Detroit. In 1999, center Yolanda Griffith was the league MVP as well.

Attendance was down 5% for the team this year at Arco Arena, with overall WNBA attendance down a whopping 26% since it's all-time high of 10,864 in 1998. This isn't the first WNBA team to fold or move either. Other women's bball franchises which saw their demise include Cleveland Rockers, Detroit Shock (who recently moved to Tulsa) and Orlando Miracles, who found a new home in Connecticut as the Connecticut Sun.

(Story Source: Sacramento Bee)

The WNBA Meets WWE?

This past week saw the WNBA with a historic first in its league: a major brawl amongst two teams, as well as a coach getting involved, and a star player getting injured for the season. While the battle between the Los Angeles Sparks and Detroit Shock will never be talked about like the fight at the Palace between the Pistons and Pacers several years ago, it still goes to show sports can turn ugly.

In this situation, a player on the Shock ended up running over Candace Parker of the Sparks. Sparks flew after the collision which saw the players on top of each other on the court. Lisa Leslie of the Sparks tried to restrain players from fighting and ended up getting shoved by Detroit's assistant coach, former NBA player Rick Mahorn. Also during the melee, Detroit's Sheryl Ford ended up hurting her ankle and will now sit out for the rest of the WNBA season.

While many sports fans continue to belittle the WNBA as a pro sports league, a brawl of this sort will always help in the cause. But even more glaring is the idea that it will take a fight amongst women to gain their league more respect. The brawl at the Palace years ago is still recounted to this day as one of the worst incidents in pro sports mayhem, as fans got involved. While no fans were involved in the women's basketball battle, it may come to that at some point. And now the WNBA may start to get noticed, albeit slightly more, for its first major on-court brawl. It's unfortunate it may take that sort of event to spark more interest and shock fans into appreciating the women's basketball game.

Does WNBA Get Enough Love?

Next Saturday, July 19th, the WNBA will hold the first ever outdoor professional basketball game. It will feature the New York Liberty hosting the Indiana Fever in the outdoor game at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Hopefully the weather permits this historic event, but a great game may be played in pouring rain too. Previously the Liberty held the first ever game on the stage of Radio City Music Hall, which was a very interesting concept. Fans were seated down below the stage to watch exciting back and forth basketball, as if it were a Broadway show.

The question continually is raised with the WNBA: Should the league call it quits due to lower interest and attendance levels than its bigger brother, the NBA?

In my opinion, basketball's basketball, no matter where it's played or who might be playing. It's a game involving fundamentals, strategies and skills that many truly gifted athletes can hone. If you're a fan of the game, you can enjoy it on many levels, whether it's pros in the NBA, college hoops, high school and even the Women's version, the WNBA. There's been some impressive feats achieved in the league such as the Houston Comets and their early title dynasty of four straight. Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker have been two pro womens players to dunk in games, also historic.

Those who argue women aren't as athletic as males are discounting athletics. Watching certain players use their skills in the WNBA can be just as impressive as the NBA. For example, Steve Nash isn't a dunker, but he can definitely pass, shoot and run an offense well. The same goes for names like Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm, or Becky Hammons of the San Antonio Silver Stars. There's also outstanding offensive players such as Diana Tarausi of the Phoenix Mercury, and Alaina Beard of the Washington Mystics.

What it really comes down to is a fan's personal preference. If you truly love the game, you'll love it on all levels and be able to recognize the great performances that occur on basketball courts everywhere.