At The Athletic, Chantel Jennings and Mike Vorkunov wrote a column about WNBA expansion containing this Philly nugget:

“League sources believe Philadelphia has potential as an eventual expansion city, but it would likely mean the involvement of the 76ers — both financially and in terms of an arena. Though 76ers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer have bought a number of franchises outside of the Sixers, anything linking the 76ers ownership group to a WNBA expansion franchise would be premature, a source said.

While the 76ers play in the Wells Fargo Center, they do not own it and have a lease that runs through 2031. Even if 76ers ownership were to get involved, they do not control dates at the building.

Still, Philadelphia holds lots of appeal. It is the fourth-largest media market in the country and the biggest one in which the WNBA does not already have a team. It has a rabid basketball fan base, with love for not only the 76ers but five local college teams.”

Going back to March of last year, Delco’s Natasha Cloud said that the WNBA has been looking at Philadelphia for some time now. There’s always a lot of Philadelphia scuttlebutt whenever WNBA expansion comes up.

Couple of thoughts here:

  1. Obviously Philly is a basketball town with a rich tradition. The Sixers are popular right now. Geographically speaking, this is a hoops region and it makes sense to have a WNBA squad here.
  2. The majority of 55+ white guys who listen to sports radio won’t give one-tenth of a shit about a WNBA team, but that’s to be expected. Truth be told, we’re living in an Eagles town and everything else is seasonal or at least on the periphery. Hockey is treated like a minor league sport by some media outlets here. If the WNBA works in Philly, it’ll be the result of finding a niche foothold with a younger and more diverse demographic.
  3. I’d be surprised if Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment got involved with the WNBA. They do not own any women’s teams and tend to spread out their portfolio. They’ve got hockey and basketball teams in the Northeast and are in the UK soccer market. Their Wells Fargo Center lease runs out in nine years and their Philly focus I presume is settling the arena situation. They placed that bid on the Penn’s Landing location, remember?
  4. There are other venues to use. Liacouras Center. Palestra. The Blue Coats facility down in Wilmington might even work, though that takes you away from the Philly demo. Finding the team a home wouldn’t be a problem, but if you get it wrong, you’re cooked. Small margins here. Can’t have the team playing in a place that’s hard to reach.
  5. It’s been a long time since a women’s pro team existed here. We had the Charge and Independence for a few years. The Liberty Belles existed in two incarnations and there are some semi-pro and amateur rugby teams that are based out of the suburbs. Otherwise though, outside of the college ranks, there hasn’t been much female representation in Philly sports. We had to pull for Carli Lloyd and Dawn Staley and other local figures plying their trade elsewhere.

The WNBA is much more stable these days, and on solid footing. If the right ownership situation exists in Philly, i.e. the people give a shit and don’t just get involved as some sort of hobby or investment, then a team could certainly be successful here. Find that hardcore basketball niche fan base and git r done.