From WolstatSun: With the WNBA in Toronto for the league's first-ever exhibition game in Canada, many will wonder if expansion is in the near future.
The 12-team league, which made its debut 19 months after the NBA’s Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies arrived in Canada in the mid-1990s, most recently expanded in 2008 to Atlanta. The WNBA has been as large as 16 teams in the past, but some didn’t pan out and folded, while others relocated.It’s long past time the WNBA expanded to Ontario’s capital, one of the biggest markets in North America and one with an ever-increasing appetite for both hoops and women’s sports in general.
And while it’s no longer the case that WNBA franchises have to be affiliated with NBA counterparts in their city, as was originally the case, one would expect the deep-pocketed owners of the Raptors to be heavily involved in any pursuit of a team. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment partnered with NBA Canada and the WNBA to co-host Saturday’s game and have investigated a bigger partnership in the past., along with others in the U.S.
“Obviously, we’re working here in the off-season on expansion. It’s one of the things I’m asked about the most by both the media and fans … I’ve said from the beginning, a league of our size and scale in a country of our size and scale, leading the women’s sports momentum, we’re going to expand at the right time,” Engelbert said on a conference call in January, also saying there were around 100 cities on the WNBA’s radar.
“I’ve talked about narrowing that, Toronto is certainly one of the names on the narrowed list,” Engelbert said then. “But we’re having conversations with several potential owner groups and many markets at this point. And we’re just excited to see the passion for the game in Canada.”Don Brennan’s daily hit on the world of sports betting. Whether you’re new to sports gambling or an experienced wagerer, this newsletter offers trustworthy insights into the odds game. 19+. Please gamble responsibly.
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