WNBA Announces Expansion: 3 New Franchises, RI Player’s Effort for Boston Team Stymied
The Biz of Sports
WNBA Announces Expansion: 3 New Franchises, RI Player’s Effort for Boston Team Stymied
Record Expansion Fees Signal New Era
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTEach new franchise will pay a staggering $250 million expansion fee, a figure that shatters previous records for women’s professional sports in the United States. For context, the most recent WNBA expansion teams—Golden State Valkyries, Toronto Tempo, and Portland—paid $50 million, $50 million, and $75 million, respectively, to join the league. The new $250 million fee is more than double the previous high for a women’s sports franchise, set earlier this year when the NWSL’s Denver club paid $110 million.
This leap in expansion costs underscores the WNBA’s rapidly rising profile and the heightened demand for franchise ownership. The average WNBA team is now valued at $269 million, up 180% from just a year ago, according to Sportico. The league’s newest team, the Golden State Valkyries, is already valued at $500 million in its inaugural season.
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, “The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher… 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.”
As GoLocal reported on February 23, 2025, one of the best high school basketball players in Rhode Island history was leading a bid to win the WNBA team in Boston.
Michael Carter-Williams was a star at St. Andrew's School in Barrington. At St. Andrew's, he was a three-year starter who averaged 25.4 points per game. As a senior, he averaged 23.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.
Carter-Williams then starred at Syracuse University and was the 11th pick in the NBA draft. He was selected by the 76ers.
He was NBA Rookie of the Year and played ten-plus years in the NBA.
Timeline: When the New Teams Will Debut
- Cleveland will be the first of the new franchises to take the court, beginning play in the 2028 season.
- Detroit will follow in 2029.
- Philadelphia will round out the expansion, joining the league in 2030.
This expansion follows the debuts of the Golden State Valkyries in 2025 and the upcoming launches of Toronto and Portland in 2026. The league had remained at 12 teams from 2009 until this recent wave of growth.
Driving Forces: Surging Attendance, Valuations, and Media Deals
- Attendance soared by 48% in the 2024 season, with an average of 9,807 fans per game and a total of 2.35 million attendees—the highest in 22 years. The league also set a record with 154 sellouts, up from just 45 the previous year.
- Franchise valuations have skyrocketed, with the average team value jumping from $96 million in 2024 to $269 million in 2025, and the league’s combined worth reaching $3.5 billion.
- Media rights have played a significant role, with a new national broadcast agreement valued at $200 million per year—six times the previous deal—set to begin next season, further boosting league revenues and team profitability.
- Star power has also fueled this momentum. Rookie sensation Caitlin Clark and a new generation of talent have driven record viewership, merchandise sales, and social media engagement, attracting unprecedented attention to the league.
The Wall Street Journal reports, “Viewership of WNBA games on ESPN networks surged 170% to an average of 1.2 million last season. Ratings have remained up this year, though they dipped when Clark missed a few games due to injury.”
Strategic Expansion: NBA Ownership and Market Selection
All three new franchises will be owned by groups that also control their cities’ NBA teams, leveraging existing basketball infrastructure and fan bases. Cleveland and Detroit are both making returns to the WNBA after previous stints; the Cleveland Rockers played from 1997 to 2003, and the Detroit Shock, winners of three championships, competed from 1998 to 2009 before relocating. Philadelphia, meanwhile, will host a WNBA team for the first time.
Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities
The league’s rapid expansion comes as WNBA players have opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement, with new negotiations underway and the potential for a labor dispute looming before the 2026 season. Nonetheless, the influx of investment and the league’s surging popularity have positioned the WNBA for a new era of growth and visibility.
This story was written by GoLocal with contributions from WSJ and Perplexity.