AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Never before has a team had so much success, yet so few noticed.

That was the never-ending story of the Detroit Shock.

No matter how many championships they won or championship runs they made, fans here just weren’t going to buy tickets to see women play basketball on the professional level.

It may sound mean. It isn’t. It’s just the reality.

That’s why the Shock, three championships and all, appear to be heading to Tulsa.

There could be an announcement any minute. That’s how white-hot the buzz is about the sale of this franchise is right now. While some will say good luck, the majority will probably say good riddance.

That’s not to say that there weren’t a lot of good players who came through and really played hard for this city, including Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith, just to name a few.

Also, Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn put all they had into coaching this franchise as well. Let’s not forget that Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman was the team’s first coach when it became the league’s first expansion team in 1998.

It’s one thing not to draw when you’re not good and losing. And that was certainly the case early on. But then the Shock really turned it around and became a powerhouse.

Nonetheless, no matter how much the team won or how hard the folks at The Palace worked to sell tickets, it was tough. Too often the building had less than 5,000 fans to see a game. A lot of the times, the crowds were downright embarrassing.

For a lot of guys, it was tough to watch women’s basketball played below the rim. Plus, a lot of the talent just wasn’t up to par, some players just didn’t seem skilled enough. That’s hard to get guys to watch who are used to the NBA where all 12 men are extremely talented.

The other thing that made it tough was the fact that the games were not during the traditional basketball season. Many didn’t want to give up nice summer and fall days or nights to go inside and watch basketball.

Still, the saddest thing is that the Shock did get the support it needed from women. If enough women took their daughters to the game, the team would not have had to rely on men showing up. For whatever reason, it just didn’t happen in the type of numbers needed to make the Shock a successful organization at the gate.

A few years ago, NBA commissioner asked late owner Bill Davidson to do him a $3 million dollar favor and keep the Shock around. At that time, there was talk the franchise was heading to San Antonio.

This time, it appears as if it will happen and there’s little anyone can do to stop it. Sure, people will be disappointed. But the masses didn’t do what was necessary so the team wouldn’t be here – an impending sale.

It just might work there in Tulsa, where there’s nothing but college football. Then again, it might not.

With the economic downturn affecting everything – especially fans’ ability to buy tickets to go to sporting events -- some believe the WNBA, even with all its backing from the NBA, will go the way of the Arena Football League and fold sooner than later.

To lose a franchise is a major market, a real sports hub, is a big blow to the league’s future. Bye Shock. We hardly knew you.

Parker's Pro Picks:

Take

Packers -11 Over the Lions – best bet

KC +6.5

Cincy -4.5

Steelers -14

Ravens +3

St. Louis +10

Saints -3

Panthers -3

Eagles -14

Cards +3

Titans +9.5

Bears +3

Chargers -4

Get Rob Parker’s NFL picks here every Friday on ClickOnDetroit.com