An online petition to keep the Los Angeles Sparks in the Southland has collected more than 800 names. The petition was started by loyal Sparks fans, Chris Woodmansee and Callan McClurg. The petition touts the achievements of the team:
“The Sparks are one of only four original WNBA franchises left to exist since the league was formed back in 1997, and they’ve won two WNBA titles (2000 and 2001) and have the longest winning streak in league history (18 straight wins).”
“The demise and or relocation of this franchise is NOT the answer and NOT what we are looking for. KEEP THE SPARKS IN LOS ANGELES!!”
The petition is aiming for a thousand signatures. Check out the petition here.
Many fans became concerned about the future of the Sparks, after former team chairwoman, Paula Madison, and her family owned company, the majority investor, threw in the towel last month. The decision to dump the team, leaving the franchise in limbo without owners, caught many folks off guard, including minority team investor and ex-Sparks star Lisa Leslie. This what Leslie had to say in some recent tweets about the Sparks drama.
My role as a minority owner has never involved the day-to-day operations of the team. The recent events came as a surprise to me.
As a member of the LA sparks family for over 15 years, it saddens me that the organization is (in) this situation.
Right after the first of the year, when it became public that the Sparks needed new owners, WNBA President, Laurel Richie, disclosed there are groups interested — one is led by Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob. If Lacob buys the Sparks, there’s a good chance the team would be moved to the Bay Area and that possibility has local fans worried.
There’s chatter on the Internet that a deal is close to move the Sparks up North. Story here. Stay tuned for more updates.
