Per USA TODAY Sports activities, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is ready to announce the WNBA might be increasing to the Bay Space on Thursday. After months of hypothesis, the WNBA has been cryptic on social media. An enlargement workforce would mark the thirteenth workforce within the league. Maybe there might be two cities introduced for enlargement.
10.5 pic.twitter.com/J4qlLOrg6E
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 4, 2023
The WNBA will increase within the Bay Space
Months after the hypothesis, the WNBA will announce an enlargement workforce within the San Fransisco Bay Space, per USA TODAY Sports activities. As soon as having 16 groups, the league is right down to 12. For the reason that inaugural season in 1997, there have been six defunct franchises, together with the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, Miami Sol, Portland Fireplace, and the Sacramento Monarchs. In 26 years, three present franchises have relocated a number of instances, together with the Connecticut Solar, Las Vegas Aces, and the Dallas Wings. Beforehand the Orlando Miracle, they relocated to Connecticut in 2003. Earlier than the Dallas Wings have been the Detroit and Tulsa Shock. Earlier than the Aces transfer to Las Vegas in 2018, the franchise operated because the Utah Starzz and the San Antonio Silver Stars. The WNBA has made a number of abstruse posts on social media, insinuating a change is close to.
With the information of the #wnba enlargement tomorrow
Right here’s a clip of Commissioner Cathy Engelbert on the enlargement and constitution flights on August 6 in Brooklyn, New York. pic.twitter.com/xheqwFlf6k
— Sara Jane Gamelli (@SaraJGamelli) October 4, 2023
Two workforce enlargement?
Previous to the matchup between the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces on August 6, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert expressed her need for enlargement, together with the trajectory of the league’s progress, and constitution flights. Michael Voepel, of ESPN reviews that Engelbert is aiming for a two-team enlargement progress within the close to future. With the rise in gamers and expertise, having solely twelve groups limits the variety of roster spots. Moreover the Bay Space, the WNBA has regarded into the next cities for enlargement: Portland, Toronto, Nashville, Charlotte, Austin, and Denver.
“Clearly, we’re working very arduous on enlargement, ” stated Engelbert. “As I stated, and everyone is aware of, that is actually one thing I feel we have to do. Not simply due to opening up, , probably 12-24 roster spots. We want greater than 12 groups. We should be in some massive cities on this nation, the place our demographics and psychographic, and all our information and knowledge reveals that there is some nice markets on the market for WNBA Basketball.”
The Golden State Warriors might be granted an enlargement workforce in 2025
Not official, Doug Feinberg of the Related Press has confirmed that the Golden State Warriors might be granted an enlargement workforce in 2025. The Related Press has reported that the WNBA Commissioner might be making an announcement within the Bay Space tomorrow.
It is evident Engelbert will solely work with buyers who will present groups with sufficient services, along with longevity. ” I do not wish to carry an proprietor on this league who’s going to be within the backside quartile because it pertains to participant expertise,” she stated. “They have to be within the high quartile. In reality, they need to be on the high.” stated Engelbert (Related Press).
The Golden State Warriors are co-owned by Peter Guber and Joe Lacob. For the reason that 2014-2015 season, the Warriors received 4 NBA titles, just lately in 2022 in opposition to the Boston Celtics. In Lacob’s tenure, he ended the Warriors 40-year drought, and led Golden State to seven straight playoff appearances. In 2019, the Warriors have been named “Franchise of the Decade,” and might be remembered as one of the crucial infamous dynasties in NBA historical past. Peter Guber was closely concerned within the groundbreaking of the Chase Middle, with a concentrate on household and fan expertise.
The San Fransisco Bay Space appears probably the most logical selection for an enlargement workforce. Apart from the soldiers, the world has a number of sports activities groups with profitable accomplishments. The San Fransisco Giants have three World Collection wins since 2010, and the San Fransisco 49ers have received 5 Tremendous Bowls in workforce historical past.
The WNBA had report viewership and attendance this season
Excited to “capitalize off NCAA recognition,” the WNBA at present has media partnership offers with ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, and ABC. “There’s a complete transformation of financial mannequin for ladies’s sports activities”, the Commissioner advised the press. “It is all about media rights. For those who look again in historical past, and I ask you all, I am comfortable to offer anybody an financial lesson about how the boys acquired their advantages and pay. It was all of the multi-billion-dollar media rights charges deal, so I’m very optimistic,” Engelbert advised the media.
The 2023 WNBA season introduced report viewership and attendance. Per WNBA PR, viewership was up 21 p.c this season, and attendance up 16 p.c. The WNBA social media engagement was up 96 p.c from 2022. The general attendance was the very best it has been in 13 years.
The WNBA is “the longest tenured girls’s skilled league within the nation, by double some other,” stated Engelbert. The Atlanta Dream was the newest enlargement workforce, which got here in 2008.
The Dallas Wings partnered with the Dallas Mavericks in early August. The enlargement of the WNBA underneath the Golden State Warriors might be extraordinarily helpful to the league.
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Sara Jane Gamelli is a full-time Sportswriter at Ballislife, and a Sports activities Content material Creator on Twitch and TikTok. She has a concentrate on the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball, and the NFL. Sara Jane at present resides in Connecticut together with her Cat and Canine. SJ has her undergraduate diploma from the College of Connecticut in Economics, with a minor in enterprise administration.
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