With the WNBA Finals' TV ratings up from last season and an "influx of talented players, there have been questions surfacing about league expansion," and there "could be potential landing spots for teams" in the Bay Area and Tennessee, according to Gary Washburn of the BOSTON GLOBE. The question "is whether the league wants to take a chance to expand when it has lost franchises over the years in Cleveland, Charlotte, Utah, Sacramento, Miami, Houston, Orlando, and Portland." WNBA President Laurel Richie: "I absolutely believe that we will expand. ... We’ll know when the time is right. It’s not like I’ve got a concrete timeline for that, so it’s something that we sit down at the end of every season and evaluate" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/14).
GRINDING GRINER: In Phoenix, Tyler Killian wrote the WNBA champion Mercury believe C Brittney Griner "can be a dominant force in the league for years to come, helping to add to the team's three championship trophies." The WNBA, "still fighting for credibility but on much firmer footing than years ago, has been thrilled by its good fortune in having someone like Griner to build around and advance the sport." Griner "has the intelligence and the wherewithal to capitalize on her potential, bringing visibility to women's sports and becoming a role model for young girls around the world." She "has an endorsement deal with Nike and is one of the more open, genuine athletes in professional sports today" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 9/14).
