In the past three years, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has reached heights we have never seen before. Thanks to the increased focus on the league’s biggest superstar A’ja Wilson, the forming of the New York Liberty’s superteam and the meteoric rise of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the WNBA has enjoyed historic viewership numbers and increased profits.
The league has also seen efforts from current players Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier to create their own winter league called “Unrivaled,” featuring some of the association’s biggest stars facing off in a three-on-three style play rather than going overseas, something many players have to do to earn money in the offseason.
One of the results from this rapid growth is the addition of several expansion teams to the WNBA. Since 2009, the league has operated with 12 teams, each holding 12 players. The league announced its first expansion team since 2000 in 2022, adding the Golden State Valkyries, who will play their inaugural season in 2025.
In the past year, plans for an additional three teams have been announced. Toronto will get their first shot at a WNBA team, adding the Tempo in 2026. Also, by 2026 or 2027 at the latest, Cleveland and Portland will each have their own teams, bringing the league’s total to 16. Unlike Toronto, Cleveland and Portland have had WNBA teams in the past, with the Cleveland Rockers folding as a franchise in 2003, and the Portland Fire folding in 2002.
On the surface, the idea of expanding the league is phenomenal. It’s far beyond time the WNBA receives its rightful recognition as a legitimate, competitive league with the world’s top talent. However, as both a fan and a historian of the league, I cannot help but question whether commissioner Cathy Engelbert is flying too close to the sun here.
The WNBA reached 16 teams in 2002, which was double their original size of eight in 1997. From that point on, several teams folded for a variety of reasons, including lack of public interest and owners not being able to find buyers. Even the Houston Comets, the league’s best team, which won the league’s first four championships, were forced to fold after just 12 seasons as a franchise.
There are legitimate obstacles that the WNBA will have to navigate as they expand from 12 to 16 teams in the period of three years. First and foremost, the number of roster spots in the league will expand from 144 to 192, leaving teams to expand their search for what are already somewhat shallow rosters.
The league will also have to deal with another expansion draft, having just completed the Valkyries draft that allowed each team to protect six players. Toronto, Cleveland and Portland will now have their chances to deplete the rest of the league’s rosters even more. Additionally, the Valkyries already had issues filling their roster for their upcoming inaugural season, unable to attract free agents or find trade partners, leaving them projected to be the bottom team in the league this year.
The most worrisome factor, however, is the profitability of the league with their new teams. The New York Post reported that despite the increase in popularity, the WNBA still lost $40 million in 2024, marking yet another year the league failed to see a profit. It’s hard to envision how the expansion up to 16 teams will help with this issue, considering all that goes into operating teams.
Seeing the league explode in popularity and capitalize on the moment it’s been waiting for has been nothing short of sensational. Players are finally becoming driving forces in the WNBA’s marketability, and there’s little doubt that will only continue. Yet as the league attempts to expand, it’s necessary to ask whether or not the league is biting off more than it can chew.
wjackso2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @wnba, Instagram
