Maybe it’s due to some algorithm that I don’t understand, but hoop star Caitlin Clark has been on my newsfeed constantly for several weeks—even after her Indiana Fever’s early WNBA playoff departure.
With the possible exception of Babe Ruth, Caitlin’s probably done more to promote her sport and her league than anyone else ever has. And she only makes around $75K. (WNBA is a union operation with strict pay scales.) But her endorsement income is already in the tens of millions.
Practicing those three-pointers sure did pay off for CC and Company!
Which, incongruously, brings us to Portland, Oregon, and then Manchester, NH
Alert readers will recall that Dr. Beth and I spend a lot of time in the Beaver State of Oregon. (Kids and grandkids.) And they may recall my NBA column from Portland’s Moda Center after the Trail Blazers were good enough to grant this NH sports columnist credentials for a Bulls/Blazers game. And, of course, there was last year’s memorable column on the Sports Bra, Portland’s pioneering women’s sports bar.
Well, there’s big new sports news in Portland, as the WNBA is granting an expansion team to the city! Aka P-Town, Rose City, Stumptown, Rip City, PDX, or Little Beirut.
The yet-to-be-named 15th WNBA team (Roses?) will also play at the Moda Center beginning in 2026. Portland’s previous WNBA team, the Fire, played for two seasons and folded in 2002. But that was also the year 22 BC (Before Caitlin).
An excited Portland community scheduled a downtown block party to celebrate, sponsored by the Sports Bra, among other businesses. Dr. B and I were on our way to attend, but she slipped and broke her wrist, so we headed to an emergency room instead of the party. C’est la vie. So, no pics from the hoop block party for this column.
Which brings us to Manchester.
Why not put a WNBA franchise in New Hampshire’s Queen City? The SNHU Arena is largely unused, but can hold over 10,000 fans. The AHL Monarchs regularly sold out there 20 years ago. And it’s been a hoop venue before. I went to a Raptors-Celtics preseason game there in 2005 and saw Concord’s Matt Bonner (then with the Raptors) score the game’s first seven points.
The nearest WNBA franchise is the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville, Conn. The Sun played Caitlin’s Fever in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. The Mohegan Sun Arena is a bit off the beaten track, nestled in a bucolic corner of the Nutmeg State, away from Hartford, Bridgeport, and other population centers.
Manchester would be a perfect New England WNBA complement. Boston is too close to Uncasville for WNBA consideration, but the large eastern Massachusetts population would readily adopt a N.H. pro women’s team.
GOP gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte is all in. A cousin to Nashua girls’ basketball legend Missy Ayotte, Kelly would like to see Manchester in the mix for the sweet 16th franchise.
“Caitlin Clark has helped shine such a light on the phenomenal WNBA athletes,” said Ayotte. “With Portland just getting the 15th WNBA franchise, I’d like to help position New Hampshire for consideration for the 16th. We have a great arena in Manchester, great basketball tradition, and awesome Granite State basketball fans. I think we have a shot!”
Kelly is right. Her WNBA shot might not compare with Caitlin’s, but if Uncasville rates a WNBA team, then Manchester surely does as well.
Let’s do this!
