Gift link for today's Chronicle story:

" The Golden State Warriors said Tuesday they have had "productive conversations" about bringing a WNBA expansion team to the Bay Area after a published report said a deal was close to being finalized.

The Athletic reported that the Warriors were close to being awarded one of the teams in the next round of WNBA expansion.

Responding to the Chronicle's request for comment, the Warriors in a statement said: "It would be premature to assume any potential agreement has been finalized. We have no further updates at this time.""

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/report-warriors-bring-wnba-expansion-team-bay-18390985.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL3Nwb3J0cy93YXJyaW9ycy9hcnRpY2xlL3JlcG9ydC13YXJyaW9ycy1icmluZy13bmJhLWV4cGFuc2lvbi10ZWFtLWJheS0xODM5MDk4NS5waHA=&time=MTY5NTgyNjAxMjA5Nw==&rid=MDAyMjUwYmQtNGY5Ni00OWJkLThkODgtYTNiMDBlNTNkMWI2&sharecount=NA==

I was hoping that the Oakland group (AASEG) headed by former WNBA player, Alana Beard, would be the ones selected for the franchise with games at the Oakland Arena. Oh well. Perhaps they'll have some open practices at the Oakland facility near the downtown Marriott.

Let's hope the Warriors set ticket prices at levels which are affordable for families with young kids so that they can enjoy the WNBA game experience.


Any suggestions for a team name??

So if it goes thru does that mean the team would be playing in SF or Oakland ??? Do most of the WNBA teams have a packed house where they play?

3Cats4CAL said:

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So if it goes thru does that mean the team would be playing in SF or Oakland ??? Do most of the WNBA teams have a packed house where they play?

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As article states, they would play in San Francisco at Chase Center and practice at the Oakland facility.

Oh, hell, I would so like to see a WNBA team in Oakland. Getting to Chase Center will not be easy for a lot of us, and anything involving Chase Center is going to require more money. (And YES--I understand that there are reasons for the San Francisco locale, so no lectures or 'splaining, please. I am just venting.)

As I understand it, W attendance is up; Rebkell probably has some stats:

http://boards.rebkell.net/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=ad8d9f62084622f4931eec94562814ae

By the way, my stepdaughter in Brooklyn has been attending play-off games; she says Liberty fans are LOUD and passionate and plentiful. (For an NYC convert to even notice noise level is unusual, so I'm glad for the new team's success.)

AASEG was a mirage from the start ...

The games will be at Chase and will be sparsely attended until the team is a contender.

The biggest issue will be parking/access/BART. It doesn't matter what the ticket prices are if it costs $50 to park and takes two hours to get there. And if BART continues its death spiral.

Oh, and an expansion team will be truly awful.

ClayK said:

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AASEG was a mirage from the start ...

The games will be at Chase and will be sparsely attended until the team is a contender.

The biggest issue will be parking/access/BART. It doesn't matter what the ticket prices are if it costs $50 to park and takes two hours to get there. And if BART continues its death spiral.

Oh, and an expansion team will be truly awful.

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Gosh, you seem to be an "expert" on ALL topics on this board. And quite negative. Hmmmmm. Do you have facts (remember those?) to back your claim about AASEG?

BART doesn't serve the Chase Center neighborhood. You can, however, take it to Powell Street and take the new SF Muni T/Third Street Line. It has a stop at Chase Center. Use your Clipper Card. That's the same line that now goes to SF Chinatown too. Postgame dinner, perhaps.

With all the excellent college players out there who don't make it to the WNBA because of limited roster space, how can you say the team will be "awful"? Current WNBA players who become free agents might also want to play in the Bay Area which gives you a balance between veterans and rookies.

Quote:

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AASEG was a mirage from the start ...

The games will be at Chase and will be sparsely attended until the team is a contender.

The biggest issue will be parking/access/BART. It doesn't matter what the ticket prices are if it costs $50 to park and takes two hours to get there. And if BART continues its death spiral.

Oh, and an expansion team will be truly awful.

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Who invited Debbie Downer? I don't find it a problem to get to the Chase Center from Berkeley, not all expansion teams are truly awful, attendance might be respectable to start and how about letting us just enjoy the idea of having a WNBA team in the area? Goodness, me.

I think it is a valid point that Oakland would be a better location for a new team. You don't need 17,000 seats, you need some loyal fans, Lacob's ego seems to be getting in the way by potentially locating the team in San Francisco. I think you would have a better chance of building a new fan base on the East Bay side. Maybe at least do a marketing study.

When there are expansion teams who gets first pick at the draft- the expansion team/s or the existing teams with the worst records?

ClayK said:

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AASEG was a mirage from the start ...

The games will be at Chase and will be sparsely attended until the team is a contender.

The biggest issue will be parking/access/BART. It doesn't matter what the ticket prices are if it costs $50 to park and takes two hours to get there. And if BART continues its death spiral.

Oh, and an expansion team will be truly awful.

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Gosh, well forget it then eh? Why even bother trying to have a team here?...Let's just watch Las Vegas on TV...LOL (I do have friends who fly there from the Bay Area for games btw).

However, if a team does materialize-- featuring a bunch of lousy players---it makes sense that the Warriors, if they are involved with bringing the team to the Bay Area, would choose to have them play at their shiny new facility. It's not difficult to get to. People seem to get to Warriors games...takes about 10 minutes on the streetcar doesn't it? Perhaps I'm an outlier, but I'd much prefer to go to SF for a game than the Oakland Colosseum.

I take always take BART into the city (from El Cerrito) rather than drive and actually find BART really great these days since I can always find a seat (and parking at the station). The new cars are also nice...of course I lived in NYC and Boston and rode the subway (and T) regularly there too so perhaps I'm not a good example of someone who avoids public transportation. Gee, sometimes I also take BART to Berkeley from EC so as to avoid having to park, etc....

I'd never drive to see the Warriors or the Giants. I did drive to Sacramento when I had season tickets to the Monarchs....I would have preferred a shorter drive, but my biggest complaint with the WNBA was all the loud rah-rah baloney and loud music during time outs...

I think it would be better to be in Oakland. I know I won't be going to San Francisco. And most expansion teams in any sport have some rough years in the beginning. Depends on the front office. We don't even know who the front office is going to be.

How many Warrior games did each of you attend the last two seasons. I didn't go to one. But I attended a lot of Cal games. And Cal attendance was not that great.

There will be a hard core of fans in either location. But in Oakland, you have a chance to become "Oakland's team" now that the Warriors, Raiders and A's are out, and get some community pride going for you. Also, I am among those who now avoid BART and would want to drive to the Oakland arena, with its great freeway access and ample parking. There are many more like me. Why not be different instead of disappearing into the existing competition for sports and entertainment in SF?

We once had 10,000 women's basketball fans at a game at Haas not too many years ago. Those potential fans are still out there, mostly on this side of the Bay.

annarborbear said:

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There will be a hard core of fans in either location. But in Oakland, you have a chance to become "Oakland's team" now that the Warriors, Raiders and A's are out, and get some community pride going for you. Also, I am among those who now avoid BART and would want to drive to the Oakland arena, with its great freeway access and ample parking. There are many more like me. Why not be different instead of disappearing into the existing competition for sports and entertainment in SF?

We once had 10,000 women's basketball fans at a game at Haas not too many years ago. Those potential fans are still out there, mostly on this side of the Bay.

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Thanks, AAB--you've summed it up well.

1) AASEG never actually did anything but talk. Alana Beard, their frontperson, lives in DC and as far as I know, hasn't visited the Bay Area in years.

AASEG's proposal was tied to a $5 billion project at the Coliseum that was dependent on a) buying 50% of the land from the A's; and b) finding investors willing to put billions into a city that is poorly run at every level.

My favorite AASEG quote: "We're as close as we've ever been," which had about as much content as its actual progress on getting a team.

2) If there's all that talent out there, why isn't it in the WNBA right now? Fans lament the poor quality of their teams, and most of those teams are trying to find point guards that don't exist.

The reason this factors into the expansion team is that a) existing teams probably will get to protect six, and maybe seven players, and few teams, if any, have a seventh or eighth player who deserves to be a starter, and b) the expansion teams will not be a part of the lottery.

All that said, put a WNBA uniform on a player and she's a WNBA-level player, and the team will be good in time.. Lacob is a competitor, and wants to win. (My guess is he was hoping for relocation from Indiana rather than having to start from scratch.)

3) The Chase Center is not as easy to get to as the Oakland Coliseum, unless you live in SF. That's just a fact. It's a nice arena, but it's trek from the East Bay. And the reason I don't like BART isn't just the homeless, but rather the length of time it takes to get home after a game. Getting there is fine, but trains run less frequently later at night, and when all the fans pour out of Chase, you sometimes have to wait for a couple trolleys or trains before you can board.

4) Five years from now, the team will be good. Five years from now, AASEG will still be talking about building at the Coliseum site (or maybe have put a couple shovels in the ground). Five years from now, the new team will be part of the Bay Area sporting experience, and it will be a good thing.

But if casual fans are led to believe that the new team will be immediately competitive, and that Chase is cheap and easy to get to, disappointment will be an issue.

Looks like it's actually happening. https://justwomenssports.com/reads/wnba-san-francisco-bay-area-expansion-team-october-2023/?fbclid=IwAR0KT0TUakoR44H6OgQ2-XWl1OQ3_B5y7j87qxFiSwXYP5F_cxvi6wW9EPQ

Thanks for the update.

2025 ... it will raise consciousness of women's basketball in the area, and maybe trickle down to Cal's attendance.

Just as he said when he bought the Warriors, Lacob says “we will win a WNBA championship in the first five years of this franchise.”

— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) October 5, 2023

https://justwomenssports.com/reads/golden-state-warriors-wnba-expansion-season-tickets-2023/

Thanks. Just put my deposit down for two tickets!

Quick links to Golden State Wonder Women (or whatever) deposit site, etc.

https://www.wnba.com/golden-state/faq

https://www.nba.com/warriors/tickets/golden-state-deposit

If you are a Chronicle subscriber, look for a Reader Survey on the front page of the online edition which asks you to submit your suggestion for a team name.

Interesting read. Sounds like some vagueness on the WNBA's part and maybe AASEG wasn't aggressive enough? However, AASEG probably never had a shot once Lacob committed.

Has Oakland ever had a legitimate shot at getting a WNBA expansion team?

AASEG is still trying, but it’s not happening any time soon. Where did the expansion process breakdown happen? | @sfchronicle https://t.co/2zlKo7Lf69

— marisa ingemi 🎃 (@Marisa_Ingemi) October 13, 2023

AASEG's WNBA "bid" is, and always has been, nothing more than virtue-signalling.

They still get headlines even though they never submitted a bid.

AASEG is really good at PR, not so much at accomplishing anything.