(USA Today Images)
The popularity of basketball in the city of Philadelphia is no secret. From the streetball culture all throughout the city to the Philadelphia 76ers, Philly is one of the biggest basketball cities in the country. But one question about it looms: When is Philadelphia going to get a WNBA franchise?
The WNBA is growing, which will inevitably lead to the league expanding into more cities. Talks of the WNBA expanding have been heating up over the past two years and fans are wondering when and where they will expand to.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said that the WNBA could likely have two expansion teams in the WNBA, with Philly being on the shortlist. Expansion is a topic that the commissioner gets asked about a lot in interviews, in which she has said that the league "narrowed down their list to 20 cities". This does sound promising, as more teams would allow talented players that have been waived the chance to be on another team. Expansion would also grant the WNBA more exposure and allow for the league to gain more fans.
WNBA player, Delco native, and St. Joseph's alumni Natasha Cloud of the Washington Mystics has been leading a push for Philadelphia to get a WNBA team. She has voiced her support for a team in Philadelphia on social media as well as in various interviews.
Let’s take a look at some of the history of women’s basketball in Philadelphia. The most recent professional women's basketball team in Philadelphia was the Philadelphia Rage, who were active for just under two seasons in the American Basketball League. The Philadelphia Rage played their home games at The Palestra. The American Basketball League had their inaugural season in 1996 and folded operations in 1998. As said before, Women's Basketball has surged in popularity and in exposure since then.
The market is most certainly there for a WNBA expansion franchise in Philly. According to Nielsen, Philadelphia has the fourth-largest television market in the country. The three cities ahead of Philly (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago) all have WNBA teams already. Philadelphia is widely acknowledged as one of the best sports cities in the United States with some of the most passionate fans. Based off of this information, why wouldn't a WNBA franchise thrive in Philly?
With the popularity the city of Philadelphia's NBA franchise, the Philadelphia 76ers, have in the city, imagine if Philly had a second professional basketball franchise to watch and root for.
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