With the WNBA season in full swing, we’re being treated to some fierce competition already. In times past, you’ve seen me write about the wealth of star power the WNBA has. We’re at a point now where all these stars are going to need somewhere to go. A great sign of a league’s health is its ability to expand. What’s most integral to necessitate expansion is demand. You need to have fan bases that want to be a part of your league. And during this contemporary boom period for the WNBA, that demand is beginning to increase.
You don’t have to look any further than Golden State’s newest team, the Valkyries
In their first season, they’ve been able to attain two wins out of the gate as a new squad. It’s a testament to the large talent pool of women basketball players. The NCAA is churning them out like hotcakes. With Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, they seek to mirror the same success with the Valkyries. As they continue to forge on and build culture, the league’s expansion won’t stop there.
Next season, the WNBA will introduce a 14th team to the league in the Toronto Tempo
Toronto, a city that loves its sports, is craving a women’s basketball team. So, the Tempo are right on time. With some ownership help from the likes of Serena Williams and others, the Tempo also seek to achieve staying power in the WNBA. Representing the diverse cultural hotbed that is Toronto, they too have championship shoes to fill, created by the Raptors.
The beauty in these newer teams in these specific cities is the cultural blueprints that can be followed. They’re established. It’s well documented that with the right personnel, if followed, so will the championships. The WNBA is well on its way to sending a message to other markets that it is viable. Those markets will eventually want to explore having a team of their own as well.
It shouldn’t be glossed over that there are several defunct WNBA teams
One of them is one of the winningest franchises they ever had in the Houston Comets. The Comets not only won four WNBA titles, but they won them in succession between 1997 and 2000. There was also the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Miami Sol and Portland Fire. In many cases, poor business management led to the demise of these organizations. But the league was also extremely young. Trying to expand too soon can also have its share of challenges and consequences.
However, with a league that will soon boast the talents of Juju Watkins, you can be sure the league’s health is in a great place. I don’t foresee the WNBA staying and 14 teams for too long after next season. As league expansion continues, so will its mark on our society. I think that the WNBA is finally in a place to take many more steps forward than back. That’s a testament to the players past and present, as well as basketball programs across the country that continue to do the hard work.
This example that the WNBA is cultivating can serve as a guide for other leagues that will start from scratch at this point. For their sake, they’d be able to make some of the shots that the WNBA missed in their early going.