PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Before it was just speculation, but the self-monikered "City of Brotherly Love" could be steps closer to adding a WNBA team to its sports family.
League officials plan on expanding with three more teams to the organization by 2028, and according to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Philadelphia is on the shortlist.
“We're on our way to 16 that will add 48 roster spots in just a couple of years,” she said.
Engelbert announced last year the NBA’s Golden State Warriors will get an expansion WNBA team in San Francisco. That team, set to be the league’s first new franchise since 2008, will begin play in 2025. Other notable cities on the league’s expansion radar include Portland, Toronto, Denver, Nashville, and South Florida.
The commissioner insists there are things to consider when choosing the right cities for expansion.
“It's complex because you need an arena and practice facility and player housing and all the things you need committed long-term ownership groups,” Engelbert said.
Superfan Esther Rosen, who has been advocating for a local team on her WNBA Philly Twitter and Instagram accounts, says women’s sports is having its breakout moment.
“If you look at the last few years, the statistics of interest and revenue and all of these things are exploding annually,” she said. “The viewership numbers doubled this year from last year, and they had doubled the year before that as well.”
And Jennifer Leary, host of Watch Party PHL, says fans are willing to support women’s sports with their wallets.
“We just saw it with Caitlyn Clark's Indiana Fever jersey,” she said. “It's sold out in like an hour and a half. People want to give women's sports their money.”