Readers confident Milwaukee can maintain a WNBA team, support push for expansion franchise

Expansion is imminent for the burgeoning WNBA.

In 2025, the Golden State Valkyries, affiliated with the Warriors NBA franchise, will join the league. The following year, Toronto will have its own professional women's basketball squad.

The influx of elite talent and personalities is driving interest in one of the country's younger professional leagues. The growth is undeniable: just 27 years after its first game, the WNBA will receive $2.2 billion as a part of the NBA's new television deals.

Enter Milwaukee. The city already has high-level professional and collegiate sports in the Bucks, Brewers, and Marquette University.

Could Milwaukee be the next target for a WNBA expansion franchise? The Journal Sentinel asked readers for their opinions on Monday.

Readers supportive of a WNBA team

Sixty-seven percent of voters in the poll liked the idea of bringing a WNBA team to Milwaukee. Some already make the trip to Chicago to watch Sky games.

The other 33% cited concerns about the league's profitability, since it is tied to the NBA.

Below are some of the submitted responses, which have been partially edited for clarity.

Voters in favor of an expansion team

Sharon G : It should be owned by the public, just like the Green Bay Packers! Milwaukeeans would love to support our own WNBA team.

Greg C: Fan support is always great in Wisconsin for well-run teams.

Nathaniel H : Milwaukee is primed and ready for a women's sports team. The WNBA is ready for significant growth. My family would instantly buy season tickets so I can share my love of sports affordably while providing role models for my daughter.

Samm P : Yes and I'd get season tickets! Even with summer already jammed up with activities in Milwaukee, I think an indoor event (thinking air conditioning here) would bring enough people in to make it worth it.

Dan M : Impressively, the WNBA in the Midwest always has several natural rivalries - Chicago, Minnesota, Indianapolis - so a Milwaukee team will round out the region's presence in the growing league. The co-branding with the Bucks is well-timed as well, given their current success.

James F : Hell yes! We travel to Chicago just to catch games. It would also be good for the Deer District and downtown during NBA offseason.

Jamie A : Milwaukee is a sneaky good basketball town and could support a WNBA franchise, especially with Marquette playing in the Big East and the exposure to future stars. It would be be a boon to Milwaukee as a Major League city, and with Minnesota, Chicago, and Indianapolis as an already set group of rivals.

Voters not in favor of an expansion team

John H : If we went after anything, I'd prefer an NHL team.

Scott : We have too many teams already that don't have very good support. The WNBA is riding high right now but has not been a very successful league and will probably return to that place.

Tammy : Milwaukee has bigger problems to address/spend money on.

Steve B : The reality is that the WNBA is unprofitable, and stays in business partly because of the subsidy it receives from the NBA. When it stands on its own two feet, then it may be worth considering. The league needs to demonstrate that it can be a viable business before a small market like Milwaukee can jump in.

Christopher T : Milwaukee should not invest in any teams. That is the province of individuals. If someone wants to start a WNBA franchise, go right ahead.

WNBA team name

The Journal Sentinel also asked readers, if Milwaukee secured a WNBA team, what should the new franchise be called.

Some responses included the Milwaukee Vixens, Minks, Cream, and the Wisconsin Robins.

The majority of responses, though, addressed the Milwaukee Does. The Does were apart of the Women's Professional Basketball League in the late 1970s and early '80s.

The Does hosted the league's inaugural game in 1978, but it folded two years later. The WPBL closed a year after in 1981.

Readers were divided on the Milwaukee Does name. Some wanted it used again, in recognition of the old team. Other voters, though, wrote they wanted "anything but the Does."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Readers confident Milwaukee can maintain a WNBA team, support push for expansion franchise