By: Lauren Cuppy
November 27, 2024
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated
The WNBA had a groundbreaking 2024 season. Attaining an all-time record of more than 54 million individual viewers across a myriad of networks, with all 12 teams reaching double-digit growth in home game attendance, and doubling their league revenue in the process (WNBA). It is safe to say that the WNBA has reached a turning point in the league’s development.
Even before the recent surge in the WNBA’s growth, the league had already been planning for expansion. The addition of new teams is already on the horizon, with the Golden State Valkyries joining as the league’s 13th franchise in 2025. The team will play at the Chase Center in San Francisco – a state-of-the-art arena that already hosts the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Further, teams are set to arrive in both Toronto and Portland, Oregon in 2026.
In Oregon, the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) have set attendance records, growing a fan base for women’s sports in the city and positioning a WNBA franchise for success. The addition of a team in Toronto represents a huge movement for the WNBA, as it will be the league’s first expansion outside of the United States. The Toronto Raptors’ success in the NBA has already established a strong basketball culture in the city, and the WNBA franchise should be able to capitalize on that generated interest.
Despite the addition of 3 teams, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert says that they are “on track” to add a 16th franchise in the next few years – and Patrick Mahomes is all over it. The Chiefs quarterback has announced that the opportunity to found an expansion franchise based in Kansas City is the “next logical step” for the WNBA. As a partial owner of the Kansas City Royals (MLB) and Sporting Kansas City (MLS), Mahomes is an extremely active ambassador for the city and has expressed strong interest in expanding his ownership portfolio into women’s professional sports.
Mahomes successfully drew attention to the NWSL’s Kansas City Current, which debuted in 2021. The city has shown an impressive commitment to the expansion and integration of professional women’s sports with the CPKC Stadium, the home of the Current. In fact, it is “the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team” (Kansas City Current). This investment in infrastructure, along with the T-Mobile Center, shows that the city has great potential as a home to a new basketball franchise.
The WNBA is at a pivotal moment in its history, marked by extreme growth and bold steps toward expansion. With record-breaking viewership, surging attendance, and increasing revenue, the league has a bright future ahead.
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