Milwaukee WNBA team proposal; women's coaches and sports fans react

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Reaction is coming in following a proposal for a WNBA team in Milwaukee.

This week, CBS 58 confirmed that the Milwaukee Bucks ownership group has submitted a bid to bring the WNBA to the City of Milwaukee. No other details have been shared yet, but reaction continues to pour in from sports fans across the city.

Many think back to the late 1970's when Milwaukee had a professional women's team known as the Milwaukee Does. That team had a short stint, but the current popularity of the WNBA could help reignite excitement.

Head Coach Kyle Rechlicz of the Milwaukee Women’s Basketball Program said it would be a wonderful thing for the city and for young female athletes.

Right now, the WNBA has teams in 12 cities and popularity continues to grow. Cara Consuegra, head coach for Marquette women's basketball says now is the time to support women's sports.

"Specifically, women's basketball. The momentum is at an all-time high," she said.

Coach Consuegra played in the WNBA in the early 2000's and says even with the growing popularity in women's sports, there's still room to continue to build.

"I think there's also a lot of folks out here that just don't know...they haven't put eyes on the game, and they just don't realize how exciting it could be now that those eyes are getting on our game both from people coming to games and two from TV," she said.

There's no word yet on if the proposal will be a slam dunk for Milwaukee or when updates will come in. There are several other cities also in the running including Philadelphia, Miami, and Nashville to name a few.