Could A WNBA Expansion Team Attract Fans And Find Success In Charlotte?
Does Charlotte have room for another professional sports franchise? One could be coming within the next two years. According to Front Office Sports, the WNBA is looking to expand and…
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(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Does Charlotte have room for another professional sports franchise? One could be coming within the next two years. According to Front Office Sports, the WNBA is looking to expand and Charlotte is on the short list.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has been talking about the league's need to expand beyond its current 12 teams. The goal is to add one or two teams in time for the 2025 basketball season. In addition to Charlotte, potential expansion markets being considered include the Bay Area, Nashville, Toronto, Austin, Denver, Philadelphia, and Portland.
You may recall that the Queen City was home to one of the original eight WNBA franchises. The Charlotte Sting were established as a sister team to the Charlotte Hornets, but did not follow their NBA siblings to New Orleans in 2003. The Sting played at the Charlotte Coliseum from 1997 to 2005 before moving uptown to what was then called Charlotte Bobcats Arena in 2006. The team officially folded in 2007.
Could the WNBA find a new foothold in the Charlotte market? Women's sports overall have been growing in popularity across America. Perhaps with the right combination of talent and marketing, the Charlotte Sting 2.0, or whatever they would decide to call the team, could attract a new generation of fans here.
