WNBA President Laurel Richie on Friday said that she "has decided to more actively pursue league expansion," according to David Woods of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Richie "wants to form a committee to look at potential new franchises and owners." She added, "It would behoove us to put a committee together and think about the criteria, to think about the markets, to revisit principles of ownership. The depth of talent is there, and the expressions of interest are increasing, so it just makes sense." As "examples of the league’s strength, Richie pointed to new corporate sponsorships with Nike, Pepsi, Kaiser Permanente and Harmon Kardon headphones and speakers." She added that the league’s season opener on ESPN2 "had increased viewership" of 31% year-over-year. Meanwhile, Richie said that she is "satisfied with the handling" of Liberty President Isiah Thomas’ bid for an ownership stake in the team. Richie: "I’m a big believer in following the process that are put in place at the league. My experience is that when we follow that process, nine times out of 10, we end up in a really good place. That’s how I would characterize this" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/11).
