PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Sports and Exhibition Authority is considering spending tens of thousands of dollars to explore the possibility of bringing an NBA or WNBA team to Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is a football town, a hockey town, and in good years, a baseball town. But the idea of bringing professional basketball to the Steel City appears to be a non-starter.
93.7 The Fan host Andrew Filipponi said, “Pittsburgh people wear this as a badge of honor here that they’re not NBA fans. We had an NBA team.” Because there isn’t. They invent logic and come up with ways to bash the NBA.” They don’t even watch the NBA. ”
Regardless, the Sports and Exhibition Authority is putting out a request for proposals for companies considering the possibility of bringing an NBA or WNBA expansion team to Pittsburgh. The survey will determine whether there is a fan base and appetite for professional basketball in the area.
“That will determine whether we have a chance to attract an NBA or WNBA team here in Pittsburgh,” Sports and Exhibition Authority Chairman Wayne Fontana said.
Fontana admits that’s difficult for NBA teams. After all, back in the 1970s, the United States Basketball Association’s Pittsburgh Pipers and Pittsburgh Condors drew only a few thousand fans per game. And when the American Basketball Association merged with the NBA, Pittsburgh didn’t qualify.
“But it was the guys’ fault. And frankly, the girls basketball team might have a better chance here,” Fontana said. “And I think it can survive. I think people are ready for it. It’s something different.”
“I would like to see more of that. I don’t think there’s a lot of talk about that per se,” Filipponi said.
But Andrew Filipponi of 93.7 The Fan said that while a WNBA team might have a better chance in Pittsburgh, even a women’s team has a better chance of long-term success. And SEA should pocket the $50,000 it would spend on a feasibility study.
“Can you upgrade Acresure Stadium? Can we do something at PNC Park? How about improving the fan experience for our team at those games?” Filipponi said.
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