WNBA taking cue from others
Boston was named as the next expansion home for the National Women’s Soccer League, a sign that women’s sports and the desire for more high-level professional competition is rising in America. The WNBA is paying attention to the NWSL and other women’s pro sports in its decision-making on expansion, marketing, and branding.
“I think obviously a rising tide lifts all boats; we want women’s sports to rise together,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said prior to the start of the WNBA Finals. “We obviously think we have a really compelling narrative for media companies to carry the WNBA and our product on their networks or streaming.
“While we compare notes here and there with other women’s sports leagues, we’re really focused on the WNBA and getting all of our quantitative and qualitative metrics in line as we get into the next media negotiation for us. But certainly we watch, and we’re in this ecosystem where we talk with others who have knowledge of the NWSL and the LPGA and Women’s NCAA; March Madness tournament is up after this season, I think.”
The WNBA, like its NBA peers, is seeking a new television deal in 2025 and the league is growing with more support from NBA teams and players, the formulation of super teams in New York and Las Vegas, which has created the latest intense rivalry, and the possibility of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese arriving in the league next summer.
“We feel really optimistic given where we’ve come from and where we are this year from a viewership perspective, so if only you looked at the quantitative statistics we feel really good, especially looking at what some of the men’s deals have been and the multiples on those deals over the last couple years,” Engelbert said. “We’re excited to continue to monitor what’s going on in the marketplace there, and then certainly focused on helping lead women’s sports to these great valuations that we think we’re going to get in our next media deal.”
San Francisco will be the next WNBA city for a 13th team, and the league is paring down a list of cities for a 14th team in 2025. Several NBA cities have emerged as candidates, though the WNBA could embrace a non-NBA market where women’s college basketball is popular. The blueprint for that is the Connecticut Sun.
“We did a huge data analysis of 100 cities in both the US and Canada when we started this over two years ago now, and looking at demographics and psychographics and number of Fortune 500 and Russell 1000 companies in the arena situation and practice facilities and current WNBA viewership and fandom, current women’s NCAA viewership,” Engelbert said. “It’s amazing how some cities rise to the top of the list, and certainly the Bay Area rose to the top of that list on almost every metric.
“We continue to look at that data but also talk with long-term committed owners in these cities that have reached out to us that were interested in a WNBA team, and I think there’s been even a lot of activity since we announced last Thursday, others coming out and saying they really would like to invest in a WNBA team, so all good from that perspective.
“But again, we have to be very thoughtful in the way we’re thinking about it, whether it’s the US or Canada. Visited Denver, Portland, we’ve been talking with Philly, Charlotte, Austin, Nashville, lots of cities have shown interest. Now it’s whether we can find the right — as you say, the right mix of the ownership group with the arena situation and everything else that’s important as part of long-term investing in women’s sports and in a WNBA team.”
Layups
Veteran guard Austin Rivers is still interested in an NBA return and the hope is he can catch on to a club during training camp. There are several former standouts looking for work, such as Terrence Ross, TJ Warren, Will Barton, John Wall, Nerlens Noel, and Kendrick Nunn. Rivers played last season with the Timberwolves and has said he’d prefer a place where he could play quality minutes as opposed to serving strictly as a mentor . . . The Hornets waived former first-round pick Kai Jones after the big man posted a series of bizarre videos on social media, then demanded a trade once the club decided to hold him out of camp for evaluation. The NBA and players association have increased mental health initiatives the past few years and the hope is Jones gets help and can eventually return to the league . . . Former Celtic Robert Williams missed Portland’s preseason game Thursday against the Suns after banging knees with teammate Jerami Grant in practice. The move was precautionary but an example of how prone Williams has been to injury. Meanwhile ex-Celtic Malcolm Brogdon scored 13 points in 15 minutes off the bench. The Blazers appear content to keep Brogdon on the roster. Portland has depth in the backcourt but view Brogdon as a veteran asset. There could be several teams in line for a point guard, including the Clippers and Suns who could make bids in coming weeks. Of course, the trade the league is waiting on is for James Harden, who has reported to camp in Philadelphia but is yet to play a preseason game. Teams such as the Clippers are waiting for general manager Daryl Morey to lower his trade demands, while he is waiting for teams to become desperate and increase their offers. The Clippers have championship aspirations and their primary point guard is 34-year-old Russell Westbrook. The 76ers are moving forward with Tyrese Maxey at point guard and he has looked impressive in three preseason games. Harden remains practicing but away from the team during games . . . Former Patriots great Tom Brady has purchased a stake in the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and attended his first game this past week. Brady is also seeking minority ownership in the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.