As one reader here pointed out recently, there is another ABA basketball team in the city of Chicago.  Well, technically, it is a team that has decided to set up shop in the suburb of Cicero.  The city of Cicero is one known primarily for being a favorite hang out for Al Capone and for the former town president who ended up in prison.

I used to live in Cicero.  It was a town undergoing change then.  Not many of the residents there thought it was a good change. It was moving from bohemian and white middle-class to mostly latino  and latin middle-class.

I am not sure what to make of this revival of the ABA.  It seems that anyone can have a team.  I think if you sign up at their website, they just give you a franchise.  There are something like 60 teams listed on the ABA corporate website.  They seem to be a league filled with teams, but short on popularity or longevity.  They certainly don’t get much media coverage

There have been several attempts at a Chicago team.  There already is the Chicago Throwbacks, a team with a name so awful, and a website so poorly done, I have to wonder about whether or not a team will take the court at any point.  Their website now shows a schedule, but I wouldn’t go out and buy season tickets if I were you.

Now comes the team known as the Cometas.  For those of you unclear, that is Spanish for “comets.”  Since Cicero is predominantly Spanish-speaking, when the owner decided to move the franchise from a city in Mexico to Cicero, he kept the name.

Their website is here and there is an interesting story on their home page from the Chicago Tribune about the team and where it came from.   The owner seems like a guy who is passionate about his team and really wants it to succeed.  From what I can see in the story, the people of Cicero seem intrigued by the idea and are welcoming.

I think what needs to happen is that one ABA team needs to win.  Such a thing could rally a close-knit neighborhood like Cicero and turn the team into a success.  It is possible.

Of course, the Chicago market is very saturated.  Still, if they take their cues from some of the successful minor league baseball teams and make it as family friendly as possible…who knows?  Maybe the Cometas will become something to watch around here.

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