WNBA's Rust Belt expansion comes with a hefty price tag
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Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky celebrates a win in Los Angeles on June 29. Photo: Harry How/Getty Images
The WNBA will expand to three more cities — Philadelphia, Detroit and Cleveland — by 2030, bringing the rapidly-growing league's total team count to 18, it announced Monday.
Why it matters: The ownership groups each paid $250 million in expansion fees, according to the AP, signaling that the WNBA's rapid growth carries a hefty price tag.
- The league's been booming nationally on the shoulders of superstars Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers.
What they're saying: "The demand for women's basketball has never been higher," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
- "This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league's extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women's professional basketball," she said.
Driving the news: The three new cities will join the WNBA's existing 15 teams, which includes two other expansion markets— Toronto and Portland, Oregon — that will tip off in 2026.
- Cleveland will start in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030, the league said.
- The WNBA, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, chose the teams based on "market viability" and "community commitment to advancing the sport," per a press release.
Flashback: The WNBA is booming beyond its superstars and new franchise. The league inked a multiyear deal in May with Nielsen to measure its television viewership across traditional TV and streaming, Axios' Sara Fischer reports.
- Though Nielsen has a partnership with Ladies Professional Golf Association, the WNBA deal was the largest commercial measurement deal for Nielsen with a women's sports league, marking a massive stepping stone for women's sports, Fischer wrote.
And don't forget, the WNBA inked a 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC in July 2024, valuing the live rights at $200 million per year. That's about four-times its previous deal.
The bottom line: The WNBA is booming, and the cost for a seat at the table keeps growing.
Go deeper: WNBA returns to Detroit in 2029 ... Cleveland WNBA franchise to launch in 2028
