Posted November 20, 2024Nov 20 About time Dan Gilbert throws Cleveland's hat in the ring for a WNBA team. It would be great to add this activity to the slate of events at RoMoFiHo, unclear from reporting if the WNBA team would move with the Cavs from Independence to the River Front facility once completed, almost sounds like they would keep the Independence facility for their own use. Cleveland wants a WNBA expansion franchise. Here's an inside look at the bid. Joe Scalzo November 20, 2024 Dan Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment Group (REG), which owns the Cleveland Cavaliers, is joining a crowded group of cities bidding on the WNBA’s 16th franchise, which is expected to be in place by the beginning of the 2028 season. ... Cleveland’s expansion team, which may or may not keep the Rockers’ name and colors, would play its home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and would use the Cleveland Clinic courts in Independence as its practice facility. The Cleveland Cavaliers will vacate that practice facility in 2027 following the completion of the Cleveland Clinic Peak Performance Center, the first vertical development for Bedrock’s $3.5 billion Cuyahoga Riverfront Master Plan. ... At least 10 other cities are planning to bid for the 2028 expansion team: Austin, Texas; Philadelphia; Milwaukee; Kansas City, Missouri; Miami; Nashville; Charlotte; Houston; Orlando and Denver. The bids are due at the end of January. https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/cleveland-enters-bidding-2028-wnba-expansion-franchise Edited November 20, 2024Nov 20 by Luke_S
November 20, 2024Nov 20 21 minutes ago, BoomerangCleRes said: WNBA bid submitted by Dan Gilbert Amazing! Where will they play though? Wolstein may be the best option for a traditional basketball environment but maybe they share the same facility as the Charge.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 Author 18 minutes ago, MyPhoneDead said: Amazing! Where will they play though? Wolstein may be the best option for a traditional basketball environment but maybe they share the same facility as the Charge. 15 minutes ago, BoomerangCleRes said: Right maybe Cleveland auditorium until they out grow it There's a new thread for this, Crain's is reporting they'll be playing at RoMoFiHo.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 Link the thread? EDIT here it is Edited November 20, 2024Nov 20 by BoomerangCleRes
November 20, 2024Nov 20 What happened to the WNBA Cleveland Rockers, did they fold or did they move elsewhere?
November 20, 2024Nov 20 I wasn’t familiar with the circumstances of the Rockers folding, and I found this article helpful: https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/sports/articles/why-did-the-wnba-cleveland-rockers-leave-20-years-ago-largely-lebron-james It sounds like attendance wasn’t all that bad, and Cleveland mostly lost the team due to lack of interest by the Gunds. There’s a lot of competition for the bid, and my initial thought was they wouldn’t waste it on a city where the WNBA already failed. I still think it’s probably a long shot, but at least there’s evidence to suggest the city would show up for a new team. it would definitely be cool to get a WNBA and NWSL team and have summers packed with women’s sports downtown!
November 20, 2024Nov 20 When the third wealthiest owner sports wants a WNBA team I think they may look beyond the past
November 20, 2024Nov 20 Crain's Story on WNBA Bid. https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/cleveland-enters-bidding-2028-wnba-expansion-franchise Basically with Dan being behind it - it should be a slam dunk. They could play at RMFH or Public Auditorium or Wolstein Center. Also, Donovan Mitchell has mentioned that he would invest in a Cleveland WNBA team. I wish Dan Gilbert would make a bid for an NHL Expansion team .
November 20, 2024Nov 20 32 minutes ago, acd said: I wasn’t familiar with the circumstances of the Rockers folding, and I found this article helpful: https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/sports/articles/why-did-the-wnba-cleveland-rockers-leave-20-years-ago-largely-lebron-james It sounds like attendance wasn’t all that bad, and Cleveland mostly lost the team due to lack of interest by the Gunds. There’s a lot of competition for the bid, and my initial thought was they wouldn’t waste it on a city where the WNBA already failed. I still think it’s probably a long shot, but at least there’s evidence to suggest the city would show up for a new team. it would definitely be cool to get a WNBA and NWSL team and have summers packed with women’s sports downtown! Gordon Gund fo;ded them before Gilbert bought the team. Dan Would have kept the Rockers going https://www.cleveland19.com/2024/11/20/cleveland-bid-wnba-team-city-has-strong-history-with-womens-hoops-rockers-once-league/
November 20, 2024Nov 20 8 minutes ago, simplythis said: Crain's Story on WNBA Bid. https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/cleveland-enters-bidding-2028-wnba-expansion-franchise Basically with Dan being behind it - it should be a slam dunk. They could play at RMFH or Public Auditorium or Wolstein Center. Also, Donovan Mitchell has mentioned that he would invest in a Cleveland WNBA team. I wish Dan Gilbert would make a bid for an NHL Expansion team . NHL expansion team is almost certainly a non starter due to teams in Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Columbus. The other advantage of WNBA compared to NHL is that while both could play in RoMoFiHo the NHL and NBA seasons are basically on top of each other, but WNBA plays in the summer, so WNBA would basically be filling in during the arena's slow season. While this isn't something that personally excites me, I'm happy for anything that's good for Cleveland.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 2 minutes ago, simplythis said: Gordon Gund fo;ded them before Gilbert bought the team. Dan Would have kept the Rockers going https://www.cleveland19.com/2024/11/20/cleveland-bid-wnba-team-city-has-strong-history-with-womens-hoops-rockers-once-league/ Agreed, I was trying to say that the team folding because of the Gunds’ disinterest is better for their prospects of landing a new team than folding due to lack of fan interest/support.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 49 minutes ago, simplythis said: I wish Dan Gilbert would make a bid for an NHL Expansion team. With an NHL team already in Columbus, I doubt they would consider Cleveland for an expansion team.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 38 minutes ago, LibertyBlvd said: With an NHL team already in Columbus, I doubt they would consider Cleveland for an expansion team. And according to this story today: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/20/cnbc-official-nhl-team-valuations-2024.html the Blue Jackets are dead last in valuation at just $1B and have one of the worst EBITDA's and Revenue in the league. So doesn't seem there's room for two. But also on the other hand with the Cleveland Monsters having the #1 attendance in AHL (https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph_season.php?lid=AHL1941&sid=2024_ I would argue there could be a market here.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 20 minutes ago, dwolfi01 said: And according to this story today: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/20/cnbc-official-nhl-team-valuations-2024.html the Blue Jackets are dead last in valuation at just $1B and have one of the worst EBITDA's and Revenue in the league. So doesn't seem there's room for two. But also on the other hand with the Cleveland Monsters having the #1 attendance in AHL (https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph_season.php?lid=AHL1941&sid=2024_ I would argue there could be a market here. I agree with your viewpoint
November 20, 2024Nov 20 58 minutes ago, dwolfi01 said: And according to this story today: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/20/cnbc-official-nhl-team-valuations-2024.html the Blue Jackets are dead last in valuation at just $1B and have one of the worst EBITDA's and Revenue in the league. So doesn't seem there's room for two. But also on the other hand with the Cleveland Monsters having the #1 attendance in AHL (https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph_season.php?lid=AHL1941&sid=2024_ I would argue there could be a market here. Blue Jackets are basically the Browns of the NHL though.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 Shockingly though the browns have a valuation in the middle of the pack far from last unlike the Blue jackets
November 20, 2024Nov 20 2 hours ago, simplythis said: Crain's Story on WNBA Bid. https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/cleveland-enters-bidding-2028-wnba-expansion-franchise Basically with Dan being behind it - it should be a slam dunk. They could play at RMFH or Public Auditorium or Wolstein Center. Also, Donovan Mitchell has mentioned that he would invest in a Cleveland WNBA team. I wish Dan Gilbert would make a bid for an NHL Expansion team The WNBA could be in a weird position due to their growing popularity. They downsized some of their arenas to accommodate for smaller crowds, ala MLS in NFL stadiums, but now they are getting popular and more frequently playing NBA arenas. I wonder how they navigate that because going between different venues depending on who is coming to town could be a challenge.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 Is the WNBA popularity due to Caitlin Clark? I wonder if it will be sustained or is it just temporary?
November 20, 2024Nov 20 Yep. Say what you will for the Cameron Diaz model and loudmouth permanent victim, and their online fame/notoriety, but Caitlin Clark has truly changed the sport.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 Author 1 hour ago, lockdog said: Rock entertainment has put in a bid for a WNBA franchise... I wonder if this could have any affect on the women's soccer bid... I believe their seasons overlap... About to make a lot of assumptions here; I assume the pool of fans for the WNBA and NWSL will be smaller (at least initially, or at least the hope is it grows) and there will probably be significant overlap in the interested groups, but I would think the Guardians would pose the biggest obstacle to drawing larger crowds. Assuming the ownership groups play nice I think the teams could do a lot of cross-promotional events to build awareness and support one another. And, as @Ethan pointed out, because the season doesn't overlap with the Cavs/Monsters this will basically activate RoMoFiHo all year. A WNBA team, along with the Guardians and hopefully a NWSL team, would ideally create a virtuous cycle of increased and more consistent activity all year around to support more restaurants and retail>>creating more interest for residents>>creating a larger base to support the sports teams.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 1 hour ago, dwolfi01 said: And according to this story today: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/20/cnbc-official-nhl-team-valuations-2024.html the Blue Jackets are dead last in valuation at just $1B and have one of the worst EBITDA's and Revenue in the league. So doesn't seem there's room for two. But also on the other hand with the Cleveland Monsters having the #1 attendance in AHL (https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph_season.php?lid=AHL1941&sid=2024_ I would argue there could be a market here. Part of the problem is that the NHL already has the Cleveland market through the Blue Jackets, though I don't know anyone outside of my own family that watches them. I think a Cleveland team would do much better than a Columbus team with attendance and ratings, but they already "have" us. Unfortunately, the only way Cleveland gets a team without the league expanding to 40+ teams is if the Blue Jackets were to move up here. But I wouldn't feel great about stealing them, and they'd probably just move to another state if they were to move. The NHL owners want bigger TV deals, not necessarily where the fans and following will be the best. They want Houston and another shot at Atlanta next for their TV markets. If they wanted the other stuff, Quebec City would be next in line.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 Hey, how about bringing the Cleveland Crunch indoor soccer team back downtown too. I think they are playing at a rec center on the west side currently.
November 20, 2024Nov 20 1 hour ago, LibertyBlvd said: Hey, how about bringing the Cleveland Crunch indoor soccer team back downtown too. I think they are playing at a rec center on the west side currently. The Cleveland Crunch play at Soccer Sportsplex in North Olmsted which has a seating capacity of 600 for their games. They play in the MLIS ( Major League Indoor Soccer ) Lower League - Second tier. Their ownership is young and are Undercapitalized to Either join the MASL ( Major Arena Soccer League ) ( Top Tier ) and to go back to playing at the Wolstein Center. They were drawing large crowds at the Wolstein Center back in the 90's. They would need an infusion of capital & investors to make this work. Can someone call Dan Gilbert and connect him to the Crunch ownership.
November 21, 2024Nov 21 4 hours ago, JB said: Blue Jackets are basically the Browns of the NHL though. How is that even possible with their success in the bustling C-bus market. No wonder the word on the street is Haslam wants to buy the Blue Jackets as he smells a bargain basement deal given that valuation.
November 21, 2024Nov 21 According to this story expansion could be in 2027 and it would be at RMFH. https://news.sportslogos.net/2024/11/21/cleveland-makes-bid-for-wnba-expansion-team/basketball/#google_vignette
November 21, 2024Nov 21 Interest in the WNBA has increased due to the media buzz about Caitlin Clark, but I do wonder if it will be sustained.
November 21, 2024Nov 21 1 hour ago, LibertyBlvd said: Interest in the WNBA has increased due to the media buzz about Caitlin Clark, but I do wonder if it will be sustained. Personally, I think it could be sustained. For one thing, Caitlin Clark should be around for a long time to come. The recent WNBA finals had good ratings (over 3 million viewers for the deciding game) even without Caitlin Clark. The WNBA signed a big media deal this summer to air more games on ESPN, NBC, and Prime, which is scheduled to start in 2026. That will make it easier to watch games and incentivize those networks to talk more about the WNBA. I've also been hearing a lot about Paige Bueckers, who currently plays at UConn and is expected to be drafted number 1 next year and could be a similar draw to Caitlin Clark. There's obviously a lot of Caitlin Clark buzz, but I do think a decent number of people that are drawn in by the buzz are sticking around because they like the product. So I think the WNBA is still on the upswing in popularity, and I definitely think it's worthwhile for Gilbert to bid on having a team. Plus, there's no real downside for the city, as he doesn't seem to be asking for money, facilities, or anything.
November 21, 2024Nov 21 between NBA, AHL, WNBA - the Q would host 100 home regular season games per year. plus pre and post season. I'd be very happy if the arena was only dark for one or two days a week, regardless of attendance, and a WNBA franchise would definitely help.
November 21, 2024Nov 21 There used to be an arena football team that played there, but apparently, the team or the league has folded.
November 22, 2024Nov 22 These would be nice if they kept the Rockers name. https://www.instagram.com/p/DCpJ5NVPDNN/?igsh=MTcxeXJncGFwdTdlYw==
November 22, 2024Nov 22 WNBA Expansion Candidates. https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba-expansion-which-us-cities-are-vying-for-the-chance-to-add-a-new-franchise-to-the-rapidly-growing-league-211135102.html
November 22, 2024Nov 22 16 minutes ago, simplythis said: WNBA Expansion Candidates. https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba-expansion-which-us-cities-are-vying-for-the-chance-to-add-a-new-franchise-to-the-rapidly-growing-league-211135102.html Interesting that most of the listed cities aren't the high growth Sunbelt cities I would expect them to want to get into, but rather Cleveland, Milwaukee, Philly, KC- older industrial cities. 9 hours ago, LibertyBlvd said: There used to be an arena football team that played there, but apparently, the team or the league has folded. A friend of mine told me that the AFL is trying to reorganize. The Guardians were a popular team, so I would think there's a good chance they'd be a part of whatever league emerges. If there are further rumblings about that happening, we'll have to continue the discussion here:
November 23, 2024Nov 23 WNBA Cleveland to practice at new practice facility. https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/278133/Cavs-Ownership-Actively-Pursuing-WNBA-Team
December 2, 2024Dec 2 Expansion Fee to reach 200M https://sports.yahoo.com/200m-battle-wnba-expansion-team-202238584.html
December 3, 2024Dec 3 Average WNBA attendance is less than the Lake Erie Monsters, is there money to be made?
December 3, 2024Dec 3 Author 48 minutes ago, Aquavelva said: Average WNBA attendance is less than the Lake Erie Monsters, is there money to be made? Comparing the average attendance of an entire league to the average attendance for a team in a completely different league and sport with the highest attendance in said league isn't the most honest argument. But if we run with your argument—average AHL attendance last season was 5,920 and the Lake Erie Monsters were well above that with an average attendance of 10,263. The WNBA average attendance last season was 9,807, over the AHL average attendance and just behind the Monsters. I'd bet the same ownership group could beat the average league attendance with their WNBA team as well. Edited December 3, 2024Dec 3 by Luke_S
December 19, 2024Dec 19 Nice article on Cleveland WNBA chances and why it was folded the first time. https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/three-reasons-why-cleveland-ripe-wnba-expansion
February 5Feb 5 WNBA yesterday filed an application with the patent and trademark office for Cleveland Rockers
February 5Feb 5 42 minutes ago, BoomerangCleRes said: WNBA yesterday filed an application with the patent and trademark office for Cleveland Rockers The five patents, which I'm assuming is the pool to pick from: Cleveland Rockers Miami Sol Houston Comets Detroit Shock Charlotte Sting Edited February 5Feb 5 by Geowizical
February 5Feb 5 20 minutes ago, Geowizical said: The five patents, which I'm assuming is the pool to pick from: Cleveland Rockers Miami Sol Houston Comets Detroit Shock Charlotte Sting These are just the defunct team names from former WNBA teams that presumably submitted bids this year. I think the pool of total bids is actually much larger (for example, I heard Nashville submitted a bid with a team named for Pat Summitt).
February 16Feb 16 Potentially great news! Cleveland is very lucky to have Dan Gilbert as an owner! https://www.si.com/onsi/womens-fastbreak/news/cleveland-reportedly-set-to-land-wnba-s-16th-franchise-amid-expansion-news-01jm879c3wm5
February 16Feb 16 ^ 90% chance according to SI. I like it. Great for women's sports and great for downtown.
February 16Feb 16 Another huge investmaent in the city of Cleveland from Dan Gilbert. While Jimmy dreams of parking lots.
February 17Feb 17 Crains story on the previously posted WNBA potential news: Cleveland Rockers 'likely' to return to WNBA in 2028: report https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/cleveland-rockers-expected-add-wnba-team-2028 "Cleveland’s WNBA team is (reportedly) ready to rock again. Cleveland is likely to be awarded the WNBA’s next franchise for the 2028 season, according to a report on Sunday, Feb. 16, from Sports Business Journal". Edited February 17Feb 17 by brownsfan1226
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