RedState Sports Report: All of a Sudden, Everyone Wants a WNBA Expansion

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Greetings from the sports desk located somewhere below decks of the Good Pirate Ship RedState. Apologies for the sparsity of posts as of late. Part of the blame falls on Sammy the Shark and Kark the Kraken having been too busy trying to work off their overindulgence in fish crackers to get any writing done …

Mostly, I’ve been under the weather.

Anyway, with the NFL and its minor league system, otherwise known as college football, in full swing — for top-notch info on the latter, check out Brad Slager’s excellent post from November 19, 2024 — plus hockey, and pro along with college basketball cranking it up, naturally it is time to focus on … the WNBA. No, really.

The league, for reasons ESPN and all other traditional sports media cannot for the life of them deduce — more on that in a bit — is enjoying an explosion of public interest not seen since its conception. Proof pudding of this is how significant sports figures, franchise owners and power players alike, are suddenly hopping on the bandwagon to secure an expansion franchise for their preferred town. The latest entry in the WNBA expansion derby is Cleveland, where the Cavaliers’ ownership has made it known they’d love to have a team grace the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse floor:

“It has long been woven into our mission to utilize our platform to unite our community in ways that drive equal opportunities across the board,” said Nic Barlage, CEO of the Cavaliers, Rock Entertainment Group and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “To that end, we are actively pursuing bringing a WNBA expansion team to Cleveland.”

“Cleveland’s vibrant ecosystem of world-class assets, passionate and engaged sports fans, coupled with a culture that has allowed professional sports to thrive, make our team and city uniquely positioned to provide an ideal home for the W’s next franchise.”

Cleveland faces several challengers in its attempt to be the WNBA’s sweet 16th franchise location. Patrick Mahomes, who’s already put legit coin down on women’s sports in Kansas City, has met with the WNBA regarding his desire to have a team in the city where he plies his trade. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is willing to pony up big time to secure a franchise for his St. Louis hometown. Philadelphia is also in the mix. It bears mention that the league will have 13 active teams starting in 2025 when the Golden State Valkyries first take the floor, jumping to 15 in 2026 when as-yet unnamed franchises in Toronto and Portland will commence activities. Each team eagerly awaits the league schedule so they’ll know when to expect a sold-out stadium, said days being when Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are in town.

Speaking of Ms. Clark, all parties benefiting from her presence continue doing their utmost to avoid giving her proper credit for the WNBA’s leap into relevance. Consider this choice morsel from the Associated Press (emphasis mine):

The city hosted this year’s Women’s Final Four at 19,000-seat Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The games were sold out, and events surrounding the weekend drew massive crowds in part because of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who led her team to a runner-up finish before going pro and winning Rookie of the Year with the Indiana Fever.

“In part?” Sure … when the part is 100 percent of the whole.

Did you know Caitlin Clark has a charitable foundation? Probably not; she keeps it low-key, and the national media gives it scant coverage. When a local food bank asked her to help and offered to pay for her time, she immediately said no … to being paid. Recently, Clark played a half-round of golf with LPGA superstar Nelly Korda to raise funds for her foundation.

I know this will come as a shock to the WNBA in general and a large portion of its players in particular, but perhaps a bit of self-reflection in lieu of the stock in trade bitterness and blaming racism in a manner befitting Jasmine Crockett for the lack of interest in the WNBA B.C. (Before Clark) may be in order. In addition to being superbly skilled, Clark is genuinely likable. It has nothing to do with skin color. Everyone admires Simone Biles. Why? Like Clark, in addition to being superbly skilled, she is likable. The WNBA and its sycophantic media cannot figure out they are the living embodiment of the late cartoonist Walt Kelly’s immortal phrase, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”