# Rockers Petition and Latest News



## osu87 (Oct 17, 2003)

Please sign our petition. We are all in this together.

In case you need the link here it is

http://www.petitiononline.com/25rock14/petition-sign.html 

Latest News


Our efforts ARE being noticed, yes, by you, the league, your office, and other team's front offices……………..Article from the Medina Gazette (http://www.medina-gazette.com/):



Rockers fans not quitting 



The Cleveland Rockers still exist, at least on paper, as the WNBA's 14th franchise. They have no owner, no arena to play in and no employees under contract.



But, as fans of the Charlotte Sting are quick to point out, neither did their team two years ago — and it is still buzzing around because the league agreed to operate it until local ownership was found.



Fueled by that knowledge, a group of loyal Rockers fans have spent the past month making sure WNBA officials realize Cleveland is still a viable market for the league.



Literally minutes after Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund announced he would no longer fund the Rockers, they went to work.



In the days since, they've gone out of their way to be major pests — and I mean that as a compliment — to everyone associated with the league when it comes to voicing their displeasure with Gund's decision.



The group has contacted league executives and other WNBA teams, wrote letters to sponsors emphasizing the intrinsic value of the Rockers, and contacted every media member who so much as thought of the team during its seven-year run on the North Coast.



In an ironic twist, the group's persistence is a tribute to the female empowerment the Rockers players always displayed on and off the court.



"Cleveland will be losing more than just a team. They will be losing a benevolent group of young women who give back to the community," said Amanda Haren, whose on-line petition has garnered over 1,100 signatures.



"The Rockers and WNBA players in general, know that it is the fans that make their dreams a reality and they are incredibly thankful for that. They truly love the sport they play and the fans that support them."



Without the group's efforts, the Rockers would be no more than a memory and the WNBA office would have no reason to consider anything but moving or folding the franchise.



This fan army may not have $8-10 million to buy the team, but it is going to keep beating the drum until someone does.



The group was outside Gund Arena on Monday prior to the Cavaliers' preseason game, and plans on being back there for the nationally televised home opener.



Other courses of action will be determined tonight, when the Save the Rockers team meets at 6:30 p.m. inside the Brooklyn Library. Any interested fans are more than welcome to attend.



"The Rockers are a one-of-a-kind sports team that brings more than just basketball to the city of Cleveland," Haren said. "They bring stable summertime entertainment and are very active in the community. We have to do all we can to keep that going."



Dulik may be reached at 330-721-4059 or [email protected]

Also told to us is this that was not in the article:



"Also, people around the league are well aware of your efforts to rally Cleveland fans, and say they far exceed the response they got when Charlotte was in shaky shape three years ago, as well as the very slight feedback Orlando, Miami, Portland and Utah fans delivered at a similar time. I will add that front office types from three other teams (that I can confirm, perhaps there are more) are working behind the scenes to try and find a way to keep a team in Cleveland because it has always been one of the league's stronger markets."



Keep The Faith Rockers Fans. We are loud, loyal dedicated, resilient, unwavering, and relentless in our efforts and support of OUR CLEVELAND ROCKERS. I was watching NBA TV yesterday and saw the WNBA Select team with OUR Latoya Thomas on it. I can’t wait to see her in uniform in Cleveland, as a Cleveland Rocker next season. Come on WNBA, we know you have noticed as have other teams, do for us what you did for Charlotte. 


Michelle


----------



## jov_brien (May 15, 2003)

Hey,

I am so proud of you Cleveland residents who are supporting the Rockers. It was a shock for me to find out that the league decided to support the Sting when there attendance average for the previous seasons weren't that good. They, by all means, should support the Rockers in Cleveland, at some point it is much more than money, it's about loyalty. This will prove if this is a league about money or about their fans. I'm a 19 year-old male, but I am not ashamed to say if this team is disbanded or relocated, I would cry. I barely got over the Utah move. It's one thing to move a team, it's quite another to move a chartered franchise. LET THE ROCKERS LIVE... IN CLEVELAND!!!!

Jovany


----------

