Cleveland is set to become home to a new WNBA franchise in 2028, nearly three decades after the city helped launch the league as one of its original markets. Ideastream Public Media’s sports commentator Terry Pluto says the timing couldn’t be better.
“The women's game clearly is on the way up at an astounding rate the last few years,” Pluto said. “Just look at the price that Dan Gilbert and the Cavaliers are paying for the expansion team; $250 million.”
That figure represents a significant jump in franchise value compared to other recent WNBA expansion teams.
“Toronto paid $115 million, Portland $125 million, now Cleveland $250 (million)," Pluto said. "It just shows the value of how these franchises are going up."
Attendance and viewership are also on the rise.
“The average WNBA team has drawn almost 11,000 (fans) a game," Pluto said. "Many of their TV broadcasts are bringing over a million fans."
While he credits Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark with driving much of that attention, she's not alone.
“It isn’t just Clark," Pluto said. "There's something special going on in the summer with the women's pro league.”
The WNBA fills a unique space in the sports calendar, with the regular season running from May through September and directly following the NCAA tournament and draft.
“There is a market in the summer….ESPN and some of the other networks began to realize this is nice alternative programming to just baseball,” Pluto said.
Cleveland was one of the eight original WNBA cities in 1997, home to the Cleveland Rockers. But the team folded in 2003. Pluto recalled the uncertainty around the league’s launch.
“It was a real experiment," Pluto said. "There was even discussion; Do you have the women's pro teams play at the same time as the men in the winter? But players said, for what you're paying, we better be in the summer because we're making more money playing in Europe and Russia.”
Cleveland already has three pro sports teams and a Major League Soccer NEXT Pro franchise (men’s and women’s) on the way. But Pluto said owner Dan Gilbert believes the market can support all this growth. Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment Group also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers, the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, and the NBA G-League’s Cleveland Charge. Pluto says all of those teams are drawing strong crowds.
“This past year, the Monsters led the American Hockey League in attendance and they set a franchise record for attendance," Pluto said. "The Cleveland Charge, which moved from Canton to the Wolstein Center and now play at the refurbished Public Hall, they set a record for attendance. So, I think (Gilbert) believes, why not the WNBA?”
Pluto said the WNBA’s popularity today is a stark contrast from when the league formed in 1996.
“21 years ago, not only did the Rockers fold, so did franchises in Miami and Portland,” Pluto said. “You basically had four teams fold within a 12 month period. Fold, that means they couldn't sell them anywhere (and) they couldn’t t move them anywhere.”
Now, Pluto says, Cleveland is a prime location for a successful return.
“Markets such as Cleveland, mid-markets, whatever you want to call it, are good places for these kinds of endeavors because sports is more ingrained in them," Pluto said. "If you market it the right way, there is an audience.”
He also believes Cleveland’s track record helped secure the city an earlier launch date than other expansion cities like Detroit and Philadelphia.
“Part of the reason is they believe Dan Gilbert and his people can put together an organization faster to make this go," Pluto said, "I give them just a ton of credit for making basketball come alive here in town.”
