PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JULY 07: Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty handles the ball against Shey Peddy #11 and Sophie Cunningham #9 of the Phoenix Mercury during the first half of the WNBA game at Footprint Center on July 07, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury defeated the Liberty 84-81. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
WNBA qualifiers start on Wednesday, but the bay region has no skin in the game, in addition to supporting local products such as Sabrina Ionescu, Chelsea Gray and others who play for several teams throughout the league.
It could soon change.
With the WNBA which envisages an expansion in the near future, the bay has become a legitimate target market to house a new franchise.
Several prominent basketball figures, including the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver and the withdrawal of the WNBA legend, Sue Bird, identified San Francisco or Oakland as the main location to have a team.
"I am definitively in favor," said Silver in the NBA final. He also called for a "fantastic basketball market" which "has also been an excellent basketball market".
.Engelbert has repeatedly mentioned the bay in its comments on an expansion, curiously pointing its proximity to the Silicon Valley.
In an interview in July with the board of directors, Engelbert said: "When technology leads a large part of its economy, not having a team in the bay region seemed a lost opportunity, In particular with the Stanford women's basketball program which was so successful. So I was surprised that it was a market that would be interesting. »
Exactly when the WNBA announces that its expansion locations are still not clear. Engelbert told Atlético in June that he hoped to identify a city or two by the end of the year, in order to have the team or the teams in the 2024 season.
Engelbert has mentioned other potential expansion markets, notably Austin, Philadelphia, Toronto and Nashville.
But here there are three reasons why the bay could eclipse these other cities:
1. Investors wishing
There are two possible groups belonging to the Bay region which have expressed their interest in buying a team: the Golden State Warriors and the African African Entertainment Group (Aaseg) based in Oakland, an organization of heads of Eminent black local company with a group of goods made by black women, including the 16 -year -old WNBA star, Alana Beard.
The owner ofWarriors, Joe Lacob, has long been a female basketball defender, after having owned the San José lasers of American Basketball League, an important professional female basketball league that preceded the WNBA . Lacob called "a dream" to bring a WNBA team to the bay, but failed twice in its research to move other franchises when they have been sold.
By virtue of Lacob's property, the Warriors have established a reputation to win at all costs, and it would bring this mentality to a WNBA franchise. An additional advantage is that warriors have a prosecution center.
Meanwhile, Aaseg is a little more a joker because he has no previous experience to have a sporting franchise. Last year, Aaseg won exclusive negotiation rights to buy half of the Colisée complex in the city of Oakland, although these negotiations are still underway. The founder and president of Aaseg, Ray Bobbitt, said that his group is committed to prioritizing the WNBA.
"When you look at our proposal in its entirety and what we have done to attract attention here and make sure that we involve the league, it would be difficult to see how someone would not want to take root for that. "" He has already told this organization of news.
Have two possible offers on the WNBA offers table, as well as the competition to create a better offer than the League can improve.
2. Location
Before seriously considering an expansion of the League, the first three years of Engelbert, because the commissioner of the League had focused on the economy of the League. He brought new investors and partners, as well as expanded media associations to help the League more sustainable financially.
The proximity of the Bay with Silicon Valley offers exciting and immense opportunities for corporate sponsorships for the team and the league. It should also be noted that the greatest consciousness of the WNBA can, in part, be attributed to successful social media campaigns and influence support.
Bay is also the sixth media market and the second largest market without equipment. (Philadelphia, another place that contributes for a franchise, is number 4, according to the Nielsen ranking.) A team here would only strengthen the presence of WNBA in the West.
.Geographically, it would be exchanged between the sparks of the storm of Seattle and Los Angeles, without being far from the Aces of Las Vegas.
A problem that arises for a team in Toronto is to have to bring opponents in a timely manner. According to the collective negotiation agreement, the teams must manage advertisements, which continues to be a field button problem, because the players are subject to travel delays and flight cancellations. Trying to have a big travel party on the border will surely create even more headaches.
Meanwhile, the bay has three main airports in Oakland, San Francisco and San José. While Oakland and San José see less air traffic, stinging only an average combined with 270 flights per day, San Francisco is a center for Alaska and United Airlines and knows about 1,300 flights per day. It is more than triple of the quantity of flights that airports have in Nashville and Austin, which could give teams more options to fly inside and outside.
3. Basketball Fan Base and Cultural Adjustment