When I worked inside sales for the Blazers, I got more requests for bringing the Fire back than I did for season tickets. This was right after Patterson was hired though. I do not think the WNBA is ever going to be huge but Portland would be as ideal spot as any. Not sure why they couldn't play in Veteran's Memorial Coliseum for the next two years if renovation was an issue.
Does any WNBA team actually run a profit? Aren't they all heavily subsidized by the NBA? I'm sure some people would want a WNBA team, but it sounds like a really poor business decision if your business is about making money. "Does the WNBA make money? The league does make money annually and that too a good amount. It just has not been able to turn a profit. The only reason that the WNBA has not folded even when incurring such huge losses is because it is a subsidiary of the NBA. If it was not for the NBA, the WNBA would have run out of business a long time back." https://sportslulu.com/wnba-profits-by-year
Accountants can create the picture they want to create. Even if the NBA is kicking in 10M (about the cost of ONE mid level NBA player) a year, that is one hell of an investment in marketing basketball to women. I know I am more interested in tennis and soccer because my kids play. Having the WNBA helps all levels of the sport, thus increasing demand for the NBA.
The NBA was a money loser for decades after it started. And it was the incumbent. There are STILL NBA teams that lose money. It takes time.
When a league "projects" they will make $180 million but only brings in $60 million you have a problem. I highly doubt the renovations are the root of the problem with a team coming to Portland.
Maybe operationally - but not in terms of franchise appreciation. The NBA is printing money. If it was a money loser, the Allen trust would've dumped it by now. The WNBA is definitely losing money - some of the teams are still playing in small gyms. Atlanta plays in a 5,000 seat building (Chiles Center equivalent) and Dallas in a 7,000 seat arena - and they're not packing them in even there. I'm not anti-WNBA, but does no good to deny that the business model here is still not good. https://acrossthetimeline.com/wnba/attendance.html
Remember, the WNBA was the second kid on the block, beating out the ABL only because it had the NBA's financial backing. That's actually sort of a trick question, because I couldn't even remember the name of the initial league... The topic has barely come up the past 20 years. I think the ABL ran into problems securing arena use due to NBA pressure? (Edit: Actually, I think the main issue was the NBA pressuring media outlets to not give the ABL coverage.) Ironic then that the WNBA is pulling back out of Portland over arena availability issues. Long story short, the WNBA has never been a business model that could stand on its own.
Okay, hear me out for just a minute. One of my absolute favorite sports to watch is Women's college volleyball. Super athletic and competitive. I prefer it much better than the men's game because the women hit hard but can still defend. The men's game is just boring because they hit so hard there aren't any good rallies. Having said that, for reasons I don't understand, women's basketball just looks much less athletic and less interesting to me. So, for me, it isn't about the gender, it is more about the gender-sport fit. For me, women's volleyball is a fantastic fit, women's basketball just isn't. Just my opinion.
I disagree with @Reep but he had the courtesy to explain his views. We disagree. Fine. Another person said he (I presume he) would rather watch paint dry than women playing ball. That does sound like a gender issue. More precisely, a MCP issue. Also irrelevant. If someone doesn't like a given sport, don't watch it. I dislike boxing and wrestling and auto racing but if someone wants to watch them,no skin off my nose. But a number of sexists opine they dislike women's sports so no one should have the opportunity to watch them.
I wonder if you would care if you we did get a team, you would get a $30,000 raise. Wonder if that would help you get thru your anger issues?
Two problems with that. First, Memorial Coliseum is a landmark and has to be kept as is. Second, Paul tried very hard to buy the land across from the Rose Quarter in order to develop it into something similar to the area around the arena in Los Angeles or Key Arena in Seattle. Was told the owners were not budging. No doubt I think Paul would have loved to have built that up.
