CHICAGO – The Chicago Bulls are interested in having a WNBA
team in the city but want to gauge fan interest before applying for
a franchise. According to newspaper reports, a team could be moved
from Utah.
The Bulls have started a waiting list for season tickets to the
women's professional basketball games, requiring those interested
to pay $100 per season ticket. The team anticipates season tickets
for all 18 games will range from $180 to $630, depending upon seat
location in the United Center.
"Our goal is to receive commitments for 7,500 full season
tickets," Bulls executive vice president Steve Schanwald said
Thursday. "This is what we feel will be needed to persuade the
WNBA to award a franchise to Chicago and to ensure the success of
the franchise."
The Chicago Sun-Times, citing an anonymous source, said the area
probably wouldn't receive an expansion franchise but could get a
relocated franchise from Utah or Charlotte, N.C.
Utah Starzz owner Larry Miller signed a three-year contract with
the WNBA in 1999, keeping the team in Utah through 2002, after the
league rejected his request for a longer deal.
"We're in the second year of a three-year agreement. We're
secure for this year and next," said Ron Goch, Utah's vice
president of business operations.
When the WNBA was established about five years ago, Bulls
chairman Jerry Reinsdorf took a pass, saying he did not believe the
league would be profitable.
"We have watched the growth and success of the WNBA with great
interest the past five years," Reinsdorf said Thursday. "The
timing for applying for a WNBA franchise wasn't right previously,
but I feel that it may now be."
Bulls officials said all money received for season tickets will
be refundable with interest in the event a WNBA team is not awarded
to Chicago by April 1, 2003, or if the number of checks received
does not indicate significant interest. A decision on whether to
pursue a WNBA franchise will be made by December.
WNBA president Val Ackerman said there is no timetable for
expansion of the league, which started with eight teams and now has
16 teams playing a 32-game schedule. The league drew 2.5 million
fans last year.
Ackerman said it is ironic the league has national appeal,
considering it is without teams in some of the major markets,
including San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago. She said
those are among the cities the league hopes to expand into.
The WNBA has not turned a profit, television ratings have been
weak and game attendance has been sagging. Ackerman said the
earlier start of the season last year because of the summer
Olympics hurt attendance.
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