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Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wants to bring a WNBA team to Northeast Ohio.
Rock Entertainment Group, the company that manages Gilbert’s sports and entertainment assets, told CNBC on Wednesday that it intends to submit a proposal for a WNBA expansion team.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said she hopes to increase the number of women’s basketball teams in the league to 16 by 2028.
Officials in Cleveland, home to professional teams such as the NBA’s Cavaliers, NFL’s Browns, MLB’s Defenders and NHL’s Monsters, believe they are well-positioned to pursue a women’s team.
“We have a unique infrastructure, culture and the combination of that infrastructure that we think makes Northeast Ohio, and Cleveland in particular, a perfect location for WNBA expansion,” Cleveland Cavaliers CEO Nic Barlage told CNBC. Good opportunity.
As an example, he cited the Cavaliers’ recent announcement that they are joining forces with the Cleveland Clinic to create a new performance center Providing state-of-the-art training to the Cavaliers and the public. The Cavaliers also have an existing training facility in Independence, Ohio, which they say could be ready for a WNBA team.
Ballage said Cleveland also has passionate fans who support their team in good times and bad.
“Cleveland is a truly crazy sports town,” said David Gilbert, CEO of the Cleveland Sports Commission. “It’s so tied into the identity of the city and it’s been through some tough times over the past few generations.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers currently sit first in the Eastern Conference with a record of 15 wins and 1 loss.
Engelbert spoke about expansion last month before the WNBA Finals, saying there’s no lack of competition for expansion teams, with at least 10 cities expressing interest.
Potential suitors also include Denver, Miami, Milwaukee, British stone. Louis and Philadelphia.
“The good news is we have a lot of demand from many cities,” she said. “I think the more people watch the WNBA and see us growing here and see these players and the product on the court, the more people are going to be interested in having a WNBA in their city.”
Under Engelbert, the league has seen some expansion. The WNBA’s 13th team, the Golden State Warriors, will begin the new season in 2025. toronto and Portland, Oregonwhich secured its 14th and 15th franchises earlier this year.
“We’re in no rush. We hope to launch it in ’27 or no later than ’28,” Engelbert said of the timeline for a 16th team.
The league said it considers a variety of factors in a city when selecting an expansion team, including training facilities, a loyal ownership group, demographics and Fortune 500 companies.
The WNBA has hired investment bank Allen & Company to lead its expansion process. Coincidentally, Allen and his team also helped Gilbert when he was there. Acquired the Cavaliers in 2005.
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This isn’t Cleveland’s first foray into the WNBA. The city was home to one of the WNBA’s original teams, the Cleveland Rockers, from 1997 to 2003. The team folded after seven seasons as owner Gordon Gund cited low attendance and said he couldn’t find a way to do it. Let the team profit.
“I’ve been investing in it for seven years, trying to find a business model that would work in our market,” Gund said in 2003. “Our fans are very passionate and very supportive. We just don’t have enough.” support.
With the league unable to find a new owner, Gund turns his attention to the Cavaliers and their pursuit of Cleveland’s hometown hero LeBron James.
However, much has changed in the 20-plus years since the Rock broke up, and the WNBA and women’s sports are thriving.
The WNBA had its most anticipated event last month finals 25 years later. The league also saw large crowds of fans turn out to bring energy to the WNBA. Best attendance record In 22 years. This is reflected in wallets too – merchandise sales are up more than 600% from 2023.
Cleveland itself has experienced a renaissance, in part because James returns to the city Back in 2014, the Washington Post editorial board even published piece January called Cleveland “America’s best example of turning around a dying urban center.”
“We firmly believe that we are at the intersection of the Mediterranean in the central and western parts of the country and there is no reason why we cannot have and present the same opportunities as some of the high-growth markets in the southern half of the country that we have,” Balague said.
According to statistics, since 1994, the combined output of the Cavaliers, Monsters and Rockets Mortgage Arena has reached $6.5 billion. Cavaliers 2024 Community Impact Report. Cavaliers Rockets Mortgage Arena hosted more than 150 events this year, including 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Fourhelping to stimulate cities of millions.
“I’m very confident that if you give Cleveland a team that’s going to be a huge success right away, partly because of the city, partly because of what sports means here and partly because of the Cavaliers,” Gilbert said. .
