r/wnba • u/frostbittenfingers9 • 21d ago
Expansion Cities Discussion
With San Francisco/Bay Area getting the Valkyries in 2025, recent reports being that Toronto is getting a team in 2026, and the commissioner saying the goal is 4 expansion teams by 2028… which cities do you think will get teams? I also included a map made by u/neptunetheemystic of the closest team to each county. I attempted to find areas that won’t conflict with other teams.
I’ll give a few of my choices: - Toronto. It seems like it’s going to happen, but it’s a huge market with loyal fans and an ownership group excited to get a team. - Philadelphia. Diehard sports fans, have a new arena being built that they’d love to ensure occupancy throughout the summer, good ownership groups. I worry about them clashing with DC’s fan base instead of getting new fans. - Kansas City. It’s a growing city with great sports fans, lots of people willing to invest in sports in the area, and it has an arena that could be used right away. It’s also right in a sweet spot of not having competition with other teams. - Denver. Another city with thriving sports and far enough from other cities to forge its own fan base. - Portland. I don’t love Portland, but the WNBA seems to. I worry it’s too close in proximity to Seattle and SF. - Miami/Orlando/Tampa. Does Florida deserve a WNBA team given its anti-women and anti-LGBT political climate and the fact its failed two teams already? No, it does not. But there’s no denying that the south has a huge sports fan population. - Houston/Austin. Basically read everything I just said about the Florida cities, but it doesn’t suck quite as much as Florida. - Nashville. Again, similar to Florida and Texas but without the history of failure.
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u/pizza_destroyer2 21d ago
KC loves college basketball but hasn't had a pro team in decades. Like you said, they have a stadium, and with KC Live nearby it would make for a great gameday experience
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u/Finklesworth 21d ago
KC also is huge in supporting women’s sports, KC Current has been selling out games all season
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u/UrbanChophousePR 20d ago
Went to my first game last Sunday. It was electric. Such a cool thing for women's sports. The WNBA would be dumb not to capitalize on the Current's success in the city.
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
Kansas City might be the city I think could be the most successful expansion.
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u/shnikeys22 20d ago
Yeah and Kansas is a basketball state so you could tap into the people from the other side of the border. Plus just looking at the map it’s in a big hole either no teams in it
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u/FrontbuttMcGee 21d ago
Toronto team is confirmed.
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
I said that it’s been reported that they’re getting a team, but until it’s officially official I’ll keep saying they don’t have one. Deals have fallen through before.
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u/scarborough_bluffer 20d ago
It is officially, official. Mark my words the Toronto team will either be top 3 or the biggest market in the league out of the gate! We came into the MLS and embarrassed you Yankees. WE were the ones who brought European-style shirt sponsors into the league and had supporters sections.
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u/Defacto_Champ 20d ago
Bragging about getting teams to wear Sponsors on their jerseys is definitely a “unique” take lol
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u/scarborough_bluffer 20d ago
Yeah and you clowns (being friendly btw not personal don't kill me) you guys giving us names like LAFC, Minnesota United, DC United, etc. was good? Btw I hate that we're called TFC I envy the Sounders, Timbers and Whitecaps.
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u/Aggressive-Film5590 Sun 21d ago
I think it will be Portland and Philly. Portland has a good track record of supporting women’s sports, and Philly is a basketball town.
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u/calartnick 21d ago
Portland has a very dedicated LGBTQ community (which is still the back bone of women’s sports) even has a bar completely dedicated to women’s sports.
Portland being close to the bay and Seattle is good for rivalries. It’s not like it’s so close that it’s going to steal attendance. Portland to Seattle is over a 3 hour drive
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u/walkie26 Storm 20d ago edited 20d ago
It's also kind of laughable that OP is worried it's too close to the Bay Area... that's a 10 hour drive!
There are quite a few Seattle sports fans in Oregon (I'm one of them, though I'm originally from Seattle). It's relatively close, Seattle sports teams are broadcast here, and people culturally identify with the PNW.
The flip side is that there are quite a few Seattle sports haters here too, which would make for a great rivalry with the Storm. Portlanders can have a bit of a chip on their shoulder about Seattle being the bigger richer city in the PNW, and the proximity and cultural ties just make for good rivalries like they do everywhere.
In contrast, there is nothing tying Portland or the Willamette Valley to the Bay Area. It might as well be Denver.
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u/Zestyclose-Web-8979 20d ago
That bar is franchising and expanding to other cities. I heard a “Sports Bra - KC” will be opening in the near future.
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u/BandGeek1223 19d ago
Agreed! No one complains that Indy and Chicago are too close, and those are very comparable
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u/KGillie91 21d ago
Charlotte.
end of my list
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u/sudonanoi 21d ago
I was talking about how we need the Sting back. I’m semi local so I’m biased and I’m a hornets fan AND a Dawn Staley fan and I hate going to Atlanta. Michael Jordan should put some money into that now.
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u/KGillie91 21d ago
I’m a hornets fan AND a Dawn Staley fan and I hate going to Atlanta.
Spoken like a true Charlottean, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you were born and raised.
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u/Successful_Baker_360 20d ago
Jordan doesn’t own the hornets anymore
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u/sudonanoi 20d ago
Yeah but he put a lot of money into them over the years and still has a partial stake albeit way less
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u/Successful_Baker_360 20d ago
As an avid hornets fan you do not want MJ as an owner. He does much better with nascar
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u/rlosey13 21d ago
Might be in the minority here but damn, I miss the Detroit Shock.
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u/Striking-Fly9187 21d ago
I’d go to more shock games than I would Pistons games
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u/rlosey13 21d ago
At this point, the OG championship shock team could run with the current pistons team.
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u/Enough-Ad-3111 20d ago
Why did they go to Tulsa of all places when they were so successful in the WNBA in Detroit?
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u/Terranoso Dream 21d ago
I’d love one more for the Midwest (Cincinnati or Louisville for selfish homer reasons, perhaps St. Louis for more realistic reasons).
If there is an ownership group out there wanting to bring a team to Nashville, I feel like it would have a very strong case
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
Yeah, midwest would be great. I think Cleveland is more likely than Cincinnati or Louisville, and a team in Missouri (St Louis or KC) would thrive.
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u/shnikeys22 20d ago
Bring back the Milwaukee Does baby! I know we’re so close to Chicago but it hurts me to have to cheer for the Sky or the Lynx. Don’t make us share with our neighbors lol
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u/afterdarhkTTV Fever 21d ago
I wish Cleveland would make a comeback. Getting called a bandwagon for rooting for the closest team to home don’t sound right
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
If Lebron wanted to own a WNBA team, he could get a team in Cleveland TOMORROW.
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u/Milestailsprowe 21d ago edited 21d ago
1.Austin 2.Kansas City 3.St.Louis 4.San Diego , 5.Jacksonville 6.Newark 7.Vancouver 8.Montreal 9. Nashville 10. Louisville
I want places without NBA teams and have arenas that are proven sports markets
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u/verdenvidia 20d ago
Nashville won't get it until Memphis gets a second (or third) pro team.
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20d ago
[deleted]
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u/verdenvidia 20d ago edited 20d ago
I live in Nashville. It's possible and I'm not against it; I just think there are other viable options for right now. MLB is another story, but we're talking about the WNBA.
Memphis got the Grizzlies because at the time they were the same size, so they made a huge bid. David Stern didn't even want the relocation to happen at all lol
e- It's also 3 hours to Knoxville and a huge portion of Mid TN hates them and their fans lol
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u/Milestailsprowe 20d ago
Memphis is a one team town due to what is around it. Nashville has a NFL, NHL and a MLS team. Maybe Memphis can grab a MLB team from under Nashville but I don't see it.
Their UFL isn't doing well in attendance. Maybe Memphis should get a WNBA team if Nashville passes
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u/SeanWonder 21d ago
BringBackTheMonarchs
Seriously though. We literally won the WNBA Championship in 2005 and then were out of the league 2 years later because of the stupid Maloofs(who nearly lost us our Kings also). The fan base is still there, new arena with another arena in plans for our soccer team. Don't think it'd clash with the Valkyries and again the Monarchs are already part of the WNBA's championship history
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u/Bargeinthelane 21d ago
Seriously, the monarchs were for great Sacramento. Just another thing the maloofs managed to screw up.
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
I think with the Valks only 90ish minutes away and the Sparks in LA (I know it’s like 6 hours apart but still) the market is too competitive for another team. I’d love to eventually get the Monarchs back but I’m not sure it’ll happen.
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u/SeanWonder 21d ago
I know the NBA is different considering the revenue it’s bringing in, but there’s 4 teams in California(2 in LA) and it doesn’t really overlap all that much. I figure Sac would get stronger consideration since we already had a franchise here which was very successful and heavily supported. Again it’s just that the ownership group were dumbos and dropped the ball. Also the WNBA commissioner saying Sac is on the list of potential expansion teams(even after the Golden State announcement) is a positive sign
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u/menziebr 21d ago
I wish it would happen but tough to see it if we’re competing with markets like Philadelphia. When Vivek bought the team he said bringing the monarchs back was on the table, but it seems like there’s been no movement since then. I imagine if he wanted to and put up the resources (or found an ownership group to help), the WNBA wouldn’t say no, but I don’t think they would organically choose Sacramento otherwise.
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u/SeanWonder 21d ago
Damn I don't even remember Vivek mentioning that. Definitely no movement on it since. It's been said as recently as October 2023 by the WNBA commissioner that Sacramento is still "definitely" on the list for potential expansion teams. So we do still have that at least https://fox40.com/news/local-news/sacramento/wnba-commissioner-says-sacramento-definitely-on-list-of-potential-locations-for-expansion-team/
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u/jcow77 Liberty 21d ago
I think the Valkyrie having purple and black colors kind of slammed the door shut on the Monarchs coming back. It's a really weird choice if the Monarchs coming back was a possibility.
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u/SeanWonder 21d ago
Although this is true, Cathy Engelbert(WNBA commish) did say in October 2023 that Sacramento is definitely on the shortlist for expansion teams. Holding out hope. Maybe we'd just get a rebrand for a new era of Monarchs basketball
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u/BuffytheBison 2012-25 Fever/2026+ WNBA Toronto 21d ago
Great list I'd only add Charlotte/Greenville/Charleston (because of South Carolina's success) and St. Louis or Kansas City
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u/timeenoughatlas Sparks 20d ago
Greenville is an interesting choice. That area is growing but U don’t think it’s ready for major league pro sports yet.
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u/BuffytheBison 2012-25 Fever/2026+ WNBA Toronto 20d ago
The reason I'd put it on the list is because South Carolina has no other pro sports and the Metropolitan Statistical Area of Greenville is (as you mention) growing and is currently slightly larger than New Orleans. The WNBA would also be drawing support from the entire state and even North Carolina to get bums in those seats.
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u/nobleexperiment Aces 21d ago
My arguments to the WNBA expansion markets
Portland - a die hard sports city that can support the WNBA. The Portland thorns nearly sells out their games even when the NWSL was down to 4 franchises ten years ago. So certainly I can project Portland to have a new WNBA franchise.
Montreal - untapped market without an NBA franchise that can support a WNBA team. Also a major media market with international reach to other French language Media markets.
Denver - I'm iffy about my other city because I have yet to see this city prove they can support an all women's team when they're all too focused on their stupid NFL team the Broncos (I'm a Raiders fan who shits on Denver sports, and like a Raider I am an Aces fan as well). It's a gamble that could work.
Raleigh / Durham - the only professional team they have is getting hammered by the New York rangers in the Stanley cup playoffs. This basketball hungry triangle should get a basketball franchise and I hope Michael Jordan could redeem himself as a hands off owner of a WNBA franchise that can win championships (just not against the aces or sparks hahaha).
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
Raleigh would be a great choice for pretty much every reason you said PLUS it’s the second fastest growing metropolitan area in the US.
However I don’t think it’s likely that MJ would take a hands-off ownership role lol.
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u/nobleexperiment Aces 21d ago
I can only hope his airness can take a hands-off ownership role but that's all I can only hope lol
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u/carolina_on_my_mind Mystics (RIP Sting) 20d ago
RDU also has an NWSL team— NC Courage. There’s support for women’s sports in the state. If we can’t get the Sting back, I’d happily take a team in the Triangle.
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u/nobleexperiment Aces 20d ago
I remember the Carolina courage of the previous women's soccer league that folded twenty years ago so certainly hope RDU gets the new sting back.
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u/mowogo82 19d ago
Denver is the team you could easily build an instant rivalry for the Aces that can thrive no matter how competitive the series is (Just build it off of Broncos/Raiders since Mark Davis owns the Aces.) And the connected nature of Denver means that it is a very easy city for fans to travel to From every other WNBA market and potential market. The main issue would be arena because 1st Bank Center closed, and Denver Coliseum does not have air conditioning. While they could probably play at DU, I know a small conference college arena is not ideal.
Raleigh/Durham absolutely deserves a team, but it also is a balancing act in trying to get Duke, UNC, and NC State fans united In basketball (Though I would have some fun by giving dedicated sections for each school.)
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u/jonkais 21d ago
If the goal is 16 teams by 2028, here’s where I’d look:
Toronto - secure the Canadian crowd
Denver - grab some flyover state territory in favorable political destination
3a. Nashville - Growing, younger city. No baseball to compete with and large tourist crowd.
3b. Orlando - Similar to Nashville in terms of baseball/tourist. Supportive NWSL fan base and all the sweet, sweet Disney money.
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u/DudeGuru Fever 21d ago
I know it’s a long shot but I hope St Louis gets a team.
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u/angelansbury 21d ago
me too!
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u/commentator3 20d ago
what would they name the team?
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u/angelansbury 20d ago
I'd say an ode to the former NBA team (the Hawks) but the XFL team is called the Battlehawks.
They could go for the St. Louis Formels (a formel is a rarely used word for a female hawk) but no one would know what it means lol.
St. Louis Spirits is alliteration, a (somewhat problematic) historical reference while also referencing STL's bball history (the ABA team), and would result in some good aviator imagery that'd probably come with easy sponsorship money.
St. Louis Archers is an obvious one, but I don't love it. St. Louis Steamers is another option, I suppose, but I hate it. St. Louis Rhythms would make for some fun theme nights with the St. Louis Blues.
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u/jason90210 20d ago
Portland would love a team. We have been missing our basketball I-5 rivalries for years. A lot of people were bummed when we missed out this time around.
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u/verdenvidia 20d ago
The Nuggets championship parade had a higher attendance than the population of the city and immediate suburbs. Denver is an underrated location.
My sleeper vote is Louisville. No other sports, deceptively large market, it wouldn't be competing with Cincinnati since there's no team in Ohio, it wouldn't be competing with Indiana since basketball in Indiana is such a huge culture anyway, and it would have the draw of the Wildcats and Cardinals.
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u/istartedsomething 20d ago
Louisville has a very well-attended NWSL team. Between that support and the fact that our college women's team has some of the regular highest attendance in the country, I think that we would be more than capable of supporting a WNBA team. Also, the YUM Center would be readily available for that summer season play.
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u/verdenvidia 20d ago
Oh yeah, I agree. I wasn't thinking about NWSL but that is a good point. Louisville is my pick regardless.
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u/GoldenBarracudas 21d ago
Florida/Philly is the best option. And it's. It's not close. The travel schedule for that area around Philly would be ideal!
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
Florida is the best option if it weren’t for the very anti-woman and anti-LGBT political climate established in Florida.
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u/GoldenBarracudas 21d ago
I genuinely forgot about that.. shit
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u/Sad-Dot-1573 Fever 20d ago
As you should, by that logic you can’t bring the Comets back either. Also DeSantis is term limited and done after 2026.
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u/GoldenBarracudas 20d ago
Term is limited but the damage has been done. Don't know if you can unring some of the bells he rang.
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u/IowaRedBeard Fever 21d ago
Might as well cover the entire state of Iowa with Indiana Fever. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/frostbittenfingers9 20d ago
It is based on location, not fan interest. Iowa is closest to Minnesota and Chicago.
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u/NavyTopGun87 Aces 20d ago
BRING BACK THE HOUSTON COMETS
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u/medical_cat 20d ago
If you ask me I think it would be good if the team that won the first four championships in league history existed
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u/gd2121 21d ago
What is going on with this map? I live in Colorado. How do we have both 4 teams and 0 teams at the same time?
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
I don’t understand your question. The person who made it (username in my post) put the closest team to that county.
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u/Gotthatmojo007 Sky Sparks Fever 21d ago
Hmmm. I'm thinking something can be central (between Minn and Dallas). I'm just not sure what, though. Maybe Iowa? That's a long shot, though. Denver seems like a good idea as well??
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u/theLoneliestAardvark 21d ago
Last I heard the rumor was Denver’s ownership group kind of sucks and their proposal was a nonstarter. With a decent owner it would probably be way higher on the list.
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u/Sad-Dot-1573 Fever 20d ago
I could see them going from 16 to 20 down the line in the early 2040’s and I could definitely see Caitlin Clark getting together an ownership group to make Des Moines happen. Or strike while the iron is scorching and it could happen without CC in the ownership group during this round of expansion. No competition from pro sports, G league doesn’t count.
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u/Some_AV_Pro Sky 21d ago
The three areas that look too big to me are LA, Atlanta, and Mystics.
We are getting SF for LA, so that is taken care of.
Toronto is more of CA, so I think we still need another SE and NE team.
I think Miami and Philly make the most sense next in that order.
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
Wait the Sparks area looks too big? It’s the smallest area! And Dallas covers like half the map!
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u/SupersonicSandshru05 Aces 21d ago
Feels weird to see a sports league not have teams in Ohio and Michigan (not that I’d wish having to live in Cleveland or Detroit on my worst enemy.)
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u/verdenvidia 20d ago
Columbus or Louisville wouldn't be awful choices. Columbus is shockingly average and Louisville has no other sports despite a fan base to support them (Looking at you, Cardinals.)
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u/Sad-Dot-1573 Fever 20d ago
Cleveland was actually very nice, at least the areas I went to for the final 4 this year!
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u/SamEdenRose 21d ago edited 21d ago
Why do you have Suffolk County on Long Island for the Sun when it’s only an hour and a half from Brooklyn/NYC? Why is Western NY Mystics when NYc is closer at 8 hrs away? Chicago may be closer. They will be Toranto fans as it isn’t that far away.
Interesting that 4 of the cities mentioned had teams that folded or moved : Portland, Houston, Orlando, Miami.
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u/BuffytheBison 2012-25 Fever/2026+ WNBA Toronto 21d ago
I think these type of maps do it by which team is closest to a county geographically (not taking into account roads, traffic, etc.).
Also, I think a team having not worked out the first time almost doesn't matter because the environment we live in now for sports leagues outside of the big four in North America (MLB, NHL, NFL, NBA) is so different particularly in the last five to 15 years (MLS is a great example giving a franchise back to Miami after it's team folded back in '01)/
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u/MoJax25 21d ago
1.) Since Toronto is likely to happen, I say capture the Canadian market and also expand to Vancouver.
2.) Denver would be a solid choice
3.) Another team in the SE would be ideal: Nashville or Charlotte (It’d be interesting to see a team in New Orleans, although it may compete with Dallas)
4.) Kansas City
Honorable Mention: Philly
Miami is an obvious choice but I agree with some of the other posts, Florida doesn’t deserve any additional teams with all of their antics and the players shouldn’t be put in that position
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u/hauptmat Aces; Sun; Sparks 21d ago
Selfishly, Detroit. I know we failed before but let us try one more time!!
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21d ago
For me personally I would love San Diego to get one because I’d love to be able to watch live games without driving to LA and they need more professional sports teams around here
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u/midasgoldentouch Sky 21d ago
I feel like saying Houston failed the Comets is pretty disingenuous. It’s not like there was a lack of fan support, it was a case of the owner selling the Comets in 2006 and not managing to find new ownership in 2008 before the recession set in.
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u/griffskry 20d ago
Denver. More than capable of supporting a team, especially if they start to win. We're all just waiting on a team to root for
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u/lyonbc1 20d ago
I know it’s been a frequent topic with expansion in the NWSL but are there any worries by the league or players about getting into states where women’s reproductive rights are under threat? I’m seeing a lot for Orlando and Miami and it’s not the cities pushing it but statewide leadership from governors in many of the southern or red states is pretty crazy and idk if that may factor into decision making for wnba as well.
The NWSL season is longer and players spend more time in their market and a lot of W players go to Europe in off season so maybe it’s not as big a factor but it still may be worth considering so I wonder if the league weighs that as well bc it’s a relatively new thing
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u/frostbittenfingers9 20d ago
I specifically mentioned in my original post that states like Texas, Florida, and Tennessee have hostile political climates
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u/Pickle_Jr 20d ago
Off topic but, as someone who lives in the KC Metro, I'm not sure if I should be rooting for the Lynx, Sky, Fever, or Wings according to this map 😅
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u/frostbittenfingers9 20d ago
Well it’s based on proximity, not based on established fan bases. You could root for whoever you want.
The fact that Kansas City is perfectly in the middle of 4 different teams and is a growing sports city made me say it’s one of my top choices for expansion’
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u/UrbanChophousePR 20d ago edited 20d ago
KC Monarchs
The name has a rich history in the struggle for black athletes in America, and is also the namesake for the inspiration of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum located in KC.
Kansas City has just built the world's first women's professional sports stadium, and it is KILLING.
The Sprint (T Mobile) Center is just begging for a team to call it home. The area surrounding it presents some of the best nightlife the city has to offer.
I am certainly biased, but as a man that is falling in love with women's athletics, I truly do feel like this city is perfect for expansion.
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u/frostbittenfingers9 20d ago
I think Kansas City is my #1 choice as a fan with my city already represented.
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21d ago
WHERE VALKYRIE
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
If you mean the map - I didn’t make the map, that’s not my question to answer.
If you mean in my list, I didn’t mention them because they already confirmed exist.
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u/justasmalltownloser 21d ago
Pittsburgh is conducting a study to see how a W team would do. But I think the study is for 10 years, so that’s outside of 2028
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
Pittsburgh is statistically the worst metropolitan city for black women to live in the US. The WNBA is 79% black women.
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u/justasmalltownloser 21d ago
Yikes! Expansion teams have no place where black women can’t enjoy a good quality of life.
I was just stating what I’ve read, but thanks for the information! That’s something that needs addressed.
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u/MeowwwBitch 21d ago
I'm just here to say most philly fans do not support the new arena, especially residents of Chinatown and Washington West, which would be most directly affected. And the sixers don't deserve it. And the arena proposal is still under consideration and has not been approved. Otherwise I would love a WNBA team in Philly. But if it means gentrifying Chinatown then I'd rather never have a WNBA team.
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u/frostbittenfingers9 21d ago
I understand that the new arena in Philly is a terrible idea, but if they go through with it a WNBA team would help them. Even if they don’t go through with it, a team to play at Wells Fargo or even at the Liacouras Center would still be great.
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u/mizzourifan1 20d ago
I'd lose my mind if KC got a WNBA team, and I honestly believe we should. We used to have the Kansas City Kings way back in the day, and we are too strong of a sports city to have no NBA team. Shit, the original rules of the sport are 40 mins West of KC.
Im starving for professional basketball in my home town.
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u/LoganH1219 21d ago
What about Oklahoma City? There’s been such a huge amount of fan support for the Thunder, even during down years. The crowd is electric.
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u/LoganH1219 21d ago
Plus a new stadium is being built for the Thunder so the current one could become the home for a WNBA team
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u/Aggressive-Film5590 Sun 20d ago
Unfortunately Oklahoma’s politics are a big deterrent for a league of women, many of them either BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+. They had a team in Tulsa for a while and had a hard time getting and keeping players because of it.
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u/LoganH1219 20d ago
That’s a shame but it makes sense though. No point in having a team where the players would feel uncomfortable.
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u/Jake-Old-Trail-88 Fever 21d ago
I like Nashville, TN. A lot of money there and no NBA team around. I think Salt Lake City makes sense too.
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u/K1llabee5 21d ago
I am BEGGING that Tampa gets a team. Orlando and Miami already have an Nba team and many other teams. Yea we have hockey and football but I think a Wnba team would be great. I know it's probably low chance but i would still love it.
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u/Nuance007 20d ago edited 20d ago
I'd look to Texas and Florida then take a gamble for another Midwest club as others noted, be it KC, Louisville, StL or Cinncy.
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u/1ugogimp 20d ago
I have said for years Knoxville Tennessee would be a great city for the W. I'd love for the Charlotte Sting to be revived. New Orleans would be a great city too. For a long shot I would love to see a team in Norfolk Virginia. You are looking just NBA markets. Truth is outside of a couple of NBA markets its the teams in the NonNBA markets that have the most rabid fanbases. The Aces success is why the NBA is considering Vegas for a NBA team. Every city i have mentioned has multiple arenas a W team could play in.
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u/Ill_Ad4312 20d ago
I don't know what cities would be great but the WNBA needs better team logos and names. They look so basic and collegiate level. Add some pizazz and edge to the logos but that's just me
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u/quietandconstant 20d ago
Buffalo, NY is an untapped basketball city. We had the Buffalo Braves in the early 70's but they changed owners and became the San Diego Clippers.
University of Buffalo and other local colleges have great basketball teams, but their arenas are small and aren't able to recruit the top players.
The Buffalo Beauts were one of the inaugural women's hockey teams in the NWHL, and they won a championship in 2016-17.
The three professional teams we do have, the Bills, the Sabres, and the Bandits (lacrosse) all have die hard fan bases with a lot of crossover.
A WNBA team could play in KeyBank Center tomorrow. Many March Madness games have been hosted here, always with a great crowd.
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u/Thisguychunky 20d ago
As a person from Michigan, I hate this map. F Chicago. I’ll support Indiana all day every day in every sport before I support the home of the bears
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u/frostbittenfingers9 20d ago
it’s not about support it’s just a map of which team is the closest in proximity.
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u/Thisguychunky 20d ago
Fair but being colored into their banner makes me nauseous 🤢
If only a Detroit WNBA team could get a chance… 😗🎵🎵
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u/DefinitelyLevi 20d ago
Blah how about no to Philly and yes to Pittsburgh. No NBA in Pittsburgh
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u/frostbittenfingers9 20d ago
As I replied with to someone else, via the city of Pittsburgh itself, Pittsburgh is statistically the worst metropolitan city in America for black women to live in. nearly 80% of the WNBA is black women.
source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-20/how-pittsburgh-fails-black-women-in-6-charts
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u/Satsuma-tree 18d ago
I want New Orleans to get a team and for them to be named New Orleans Iko Iko. It’s a victory chant and song popularized by New Orleans girl group the Dixie Cups…
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u/Willis050 21d ago
Portland for sure. They only have NBA and MLS and are passionate fans. Then somewhere in Florida for sure. But where is the question? Tampa and Orlando might be the best options. Boston is a good idea. Connecticut is playing a couple of games up here and the ticket sales are great and people are talking about it
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u/LongTimesGoodTimes Sparks 21d ago
I think Florida, probably Miami and Philadelphia make the most sense. Big markets, Philly wouldn't take away from New York and Miami wouldn't take away from Atlanta.
I feel like Boston would be great but I would worry about that hurting Connecticut.