Sports
Could A New WNBA Team Find Fans And Success In Charlotte? – K104.7
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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.
Every March, college basketball fans across America are overcome with hysteria. No, wait, that’s not the right word. Delirium? Not quite. Madness? Yeah, that’s it. Madness! But some cities have more of it than others.
Personal-finance website WalletHub has released its report on 2023’s Best Cities for College Basketball Fans. WalletHub ran the numbers on 295 U.S. cities and towns using nine key metrics. They include the number of teams per city, winning percentage of each team, stadium capacity, and social-media engagement.
It should come as no surprise that a city in North Carolina is the No. 1 seed, if you will. But there’s another nearby city ranked 8th. Depending on which side of college basketball’s greatest rivalry you find yourself, you’re either going to be very happy or crying foul. See the countdown below.
North Carolina Tar Heels fans cheer during the first half of their game against the Duke Blue Devils at the Dean E. Smith Center on February 05, 2022 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
A young fan screams during the Villanova Wildcats Championship Parade on April 8, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
Michigan State Spartans fans reads the paper while the starting lineup is introduced for the Boise State Broncos at the Breslin Center on November 20, 2012 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
UCLA Bruins fans cheer against the USC Trojans in the second half at UCLA Pauley Pavilion on January 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Fans of the Kentucky Wildcats show their support for their team during the game against the Louisville Cardinals on December 27, 2003 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The Cardinals defeated the Wildcats 65-56. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Connecticut Huskies fans cheer in the student section during the first half against the Byrant Bulldogs at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on November 14, 2014 in Storrs, Connecticut. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
Wayne Selden, Jr. #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks slaps the scoreboard and celebrates with fans after a 83-75 win over the Oklahoma Sooners at Allen Fieldhouse on February 24, 2014 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Duke Blue Devils fans cheer during the second half of the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 05, 2022 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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