Sports have become the thing that it seems like everyone is following. There are a few different reasons, but money is the primary thought for people who are looking at owning a team. The break from worrying about their problems and concerns for what most people would term regular people. You think that it would be those leagues that have been established and profitable like the NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL. It’s true that all of those leagues are looking at expansion once again. However, there is a new trend that is making it’s presence known. The fact that Professional Women’s leagues are growing at a faster rate than men’s leagues would shock a few people just because the womens leagues aren’t covered heavily in mainstream media.
Most known women’s league is the WNBA. Over the past 2 years, they have expanded by three teams, the Golden state Valkyries, Portland Fire, and Toronto Tempo. In the next couple of years, they will have 3 more teams in Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia. I am assuming that the Detroit teams coming back into existence will be called the Shock like their predecessors. Cleveland also had a WNBA team before, but they might get a different team moniker. The Cleveland Rockers trademark was officially registered by the Women’s Basketball League owner in 2024. Philadelphia will also join the league. 2 years ago, there were twelve teams. This year there is 15. By 2030, there will be 18. That is if there is no further expansion or contraction during that time. I am concerned for the league. not of it’s existence, but the possibility that their first year of showing a profit was a one time thing due to the sudden increase in popularity.
Let’s take a minute to look at the PWHL, the Professional Women’s Hockey League. It started with 6 teams in 2024. In 2025, the league expanded by two teams in Vancouver and Seattle. I give the league crdit for that expansion and the risk they took. The original 6 teams were located in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, New York, Boston, and Minnesota. Expanding into an area that was so far away from the rest of their teams was a risk, but it paid off. The PWHL doesn’t have the same popularity as the WNBA, and doesn’t pay as much, but since there is just one owner, expansion is a very good sign that there is profitability. Later in 2026, the league will expand by at least three teams. They will be located in Las Vegas, Detroit, and Hamilton. There are reports that a fourth team will be announced soon in San Jose. The expansion could be strategic in a couple of ways. They could form partnerships with the NHL teams in those cities. All but Hamilton have NHL team in them. Hamilton has an OHL minor league team. Another is geographic. You have four Canadian teams clustered in the East. With Detroit, you have four teams in the U.S. that could be considered the East, and finally four teams that are out near the West Coast. 3 divisions, 4 teams each. Or if you go 2 divisions 6 teams each, you split Minnesota and Detroit from New York and boston. Minnesota and Detroit move to the West and New York and Boston join the four Eastern Canada teams. In 3 years, doubling the amount of teams is impressive and they are pulling in crowds.
The Women’s National Soccer League (NWSL) has been in business since 2013. They were formed out of previous leagues over the previous 12 years. They started with 8 teams. They had some hard times in the beginning. Three of the founding 8 teams folded within the first four years. The last a decade ago. Currently there are 16 teams in the league. It appears that the league has a plan of controlled expansion. They have expanded with two teams every two years this decade. There are two more teams coming in 2028, Atlanta and Columbus. There has been steady growth in the game and the league. Hardly anyone recognizes it because it doesn’t capture the typical sports fan’s imagination.
I know that this is about expansion and how the women’s leagues are growing large. But do you know about the largest professional league for women in the United States? Probably not. It is the Women’s Football Alliance. It was formed in 2009 and currently has 40 teams. And by football, i mean American Football. The league has expanded fast since 2020 and is now trying to stabilize all the teams in the league. The league is currently plagued by low attendance and therefore do not get much attention at all from the media. The league is divided into three different tiers.
We are in an age where the sports landscape is changing and I believe for the better. More leagues for women and slowly they are becoming covered more and more by mainstream media and by fans of that particular sport. It will take decades for women’s sports to be seen as just as important as the men’s leagues. I probably won’t be around to see that, but hopefully my nieces and women throughout the United States see that sooner rather than later.
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