Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Should the Charlotte Hornets bring back the WNBA’s Sting?

By Shawn Simmons

18 Jun 2000: Dawn Staley #5 of the Charlotte Sting making a hand gesture during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. The Sparks defeated the Sting 70-62. NOTE TO USER: It is expressly understood that the only rights Allsport are offering to license in this Photograph are one-time, non-exclusive editorial rights. No advertising or commercial uses of any kind may be made of Allsport photos. User acknowledges that it is aware that Allsport is an editorial sports agency and that NO RELEASES OF ANY TYPE ARE OBTAINED from the subjects contained in the photographs.Mandatory Credit: Kellie Landis /Allsport
18 Jun 2000: Dawn Staley #5 of the Charlotte Sting making a hand gesture during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. The Sparks defeated the Sting 70-62. NOTE TO USER: It is expressly understood that the only rights Allsport are offering to license in this Photograph are one-time, non-exclusive editorial rights. No advertising or commercial uses of any kind may be made of Allsport photos. User acknowledges that it is aware that Allsport is an editorial sports agency and that NO RELEASES OF ANY TYPE ARE OBTAINED from the subjects contained in the photographs.Mandatory Credit: Kellie Landis /Allsport /
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18 Jun 2000: Rhonda Mapp #51 of the Charlotte Sting and DeLisha Milton #8 of the Los Angeles ready for action during the game at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. The Sparks defeated the Sting 70-62. NOTE TO USER: It is expressly understood that the only rights Allsport is offering to license in this Photograph are one-time, non-exclusive editorial rights. No advertising or commercial uses of any kind may be made of Allsport photos. User acknowledges that it is aware that Allsport is an editorial sports agency and that NO RELEASES OF ANY TYPE ARE OBTAINED from the subjects contained in the photographs. Mandatory Credit: Kellie Landis /Allsport
18 Jun 2000: Rhonda Mapp #51 of the Charlotte Sting and DeLisha Milton #8 of the Los Angeles ready for action during the game at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. The Sparks defeated the Sting 70-62. NOTE TO USER: It is expressly understood that the only rights Allsport is offering to license in this Photograph are one-time, non-exclusive editorial rights. No advertising or commercial uses of any kind may be made of Allsport photos. User acknowledges that it is aware that Allsport is an editorial sports agency and that NO RELEASES OF ANY TYPE ARE OBTAINED from the subjects contained in the photographs. Mandatory Credit: Kellie Landis /Allsport /

WNBA expansion is inevitable; Charlotte could be a target city.

The city of Charlotte didn’t fail in the WNBA the first time around because of lack of interest, the failure falls squarely on the shoulders of the team’s ownership, namely Robert Johnson.

If you have a product, don’t invest in the product, and don’t promote your product, then the product will fail. The Sting had a solid fanbase. When Johnson was the owner of the team, consumers struggled to find information on the team; when the Sting became out of sight, they were out of mind and out of Charlotte.

The women’s game is growing. Interest in women’s college basketball and the WNBA is at an all-time high as the league gears up for the start of its 25th season in May. League expansion is definitely on the mind of WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert, players, and fans.

There are currently 12 teams in the WNBA. There is a maximum of 12 players per roster, a total of 144 players in the league when the season begins. There is way more talent in the women’s game on the outside than there is on WNBA rosters. With 12 teams and a lack of roster spaces, it is hard to find a WNBA team that doesn’t have a Big 3 or Big 4.

In her media call prior to last week’s WNBA Draft, Englebert stated that if that league had a successful year, then league expansion would be looked at.

The Sting didn’t have the fanbase at the numbers of the Houston Comets, the team that won the first four league championships and ultimately folded due to ownership issues, but the team had enough support that it could have survived and still be playing today under different leadership.

North Carolina is a basketball state and with the continued growth and popularity of the women’s game and the success of local programs such as Duke, North Carolina State, and North Carolina, in addition to former franchise star Dawn Staley coaching a powerhouse South Carolina program down the road in Columbia, a WNBA return to Charlotte would be a great option for the league to consider in future expansion plans.

Would you support a WNBA return to Charlotte?

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