Nashville's WNBA effort suffers a setback

Yes, but: The effort is not vanquished. Bill and Crissy Haslam are spearheading a local ownership group seeking to lure the WNBA here.

• The group anticipates more expansion than the three teams announced yesterday.

The intrigue: There's also the possibility of the Haslam group purchasing an existing WNBA franchise and relocating the team to Nashville.

• The expansion fees to buy into the league were $250 million per team, but buying an existing franchise would cost less than that.

What he's saying: "This decision does not end our commitment to Nashville and women's sports fans," Bill Haslam told Axios in a statement. "We will continue to keep our eye on future opportunities and evaluate them as they present themselves. I am confident that one day Tennessee will be the home of a major professional women's sports franchise."

Go deeper: Read the full story about the WNBA expanding to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.