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Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum wants to bring a WNBA franchise to his hometown, St. Louis, according to Sportico’s Jacob Feldman.
“Jayson Tatum is part of a high-powered group aiming to bring the WNBA to St. Louis. Tatum (an STL native) could become the 1st active NBA player to own part of a W team, which is newly allowed in the league’s CBA. But competition for Franchise 16 is already fierce,” Feldman reported on X on October 31.
The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement allowed players to own up to 4 percent of WNBA teams.
Tatum, who just signed the largest NBA contract — a five-year, $314 million contract extension last summer, will face stiff competition against NFL star Patrick Mahomes, who is also part of the bidding group from Kansas, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter.
The Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback is one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.
Last year, Mahomes restructured the 10-year, $450 million deal he signed with the Chiefs in 2020, the most lucrative NFL contract at that time, to $210.6 million over four years.
Mahomes and his wife Brittany are part of the ownership of the NWSL’s KC Current, who are looking to get the 16th WNBA franchise. Mahomes also co-owns the KC Royals and Sporting KC.
Philadelphia 76ers Also Interested
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals that they had received interest from around 10 to 12 cities, including the Philadelphia 76ers ownership group and Philadelphia City mayor Cherelle Parker, according to Front Office Sports.
So Tatum and Mahomes will also have to compete against other billionaire-backed groups.
“The good news is we have a lot of demand from many cities,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, per Front Office Sports. “I’d say 10 or so, maybe even plus at this point, because I think the more people are watching the WNBA and seeing what we’re growing here and seeing these players and the product on the court, more people are interested in having it in their cities.”
The WNBA plans to add the 16th franchise by 2028.
Caitlin Clark Boosts WNBA’s Interest
Interest in the WNBA has skyrocketed this season upon the arrival of a great crop of rookies led by Caitlin Clark.
Fox executive Michael Mulvihill reported that Clark’s games on TV during the regular season averaged 1.178 million viewers, per The New York Post.
Clark’s games tripled the viewers for all other WNBA games, which drew an average of 394,000. Her WNBA playoff debut against the Connecticut Sun drew 1.84 million viewers, a massive accomplishment considering Game 1 of their first-round playoff meeting competed directly against the NFL, according to sportsmediawatch.com.
Game 2, which was Clark’s final game of the season, drew a whopping 2.5 million average viewers and peaked at 3.4 million on ESPN.
Clark’s first WNBA meeting against her college rival Angel Reese and Chicago Sky on June 23 was the most-watched regular-season game, averaging 2.3 million viewers.
In July, the WNBA announced they have reached an 11-year multi-media deal with Disney, Amazon Prime Video and new rights holder NBCUniversal, which is close to $3 billion, according to ESPN.
WNBA Sustains Interest in Liberty’s First Championship
The WNBA sustained the momentum even after Clark and her Indiana Fever were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
According to ESPN, the New York Liberty’s championship run — the franchise’s first ever — was the most watched WNBA Finals in 25 years, with an average of 1.6 million viewers, up 115% from last year.
Games 3, 4 and 5 in particular were the most-viewed WNBA Finals ever to air on cable, ESPN added.
The full WNBA season was also the most-watched full season on ESPN platforms ever, and up 155 percent from 2023, drawing an average of 1.2 million viewers.
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