Earlier this week, reports surfaced that the WNBA was looking at the Bay Area, specifically San Francisco, for a possible expansion franchise, which is great news for sports fans in that city but more bad sports news for Oakland, a city that definitely deserves better.
Oakland has a rich cultural history, the city being most widely recognized as the birthplace of The Black Panther Party, the social-political organization founded in 1966 by Merritt College students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton.
But its sports history is just as rich and reflects the hard-working, tough and proud people of the city.
From the late 60s to the 90s, the Raiders featured legendary players like Lester Hayes, Art Shell, Ken “The Snake” Stabler, Jack Tatum, Cliff Branch, Gene Upshaw, Howie Long, Jim Plunkett, Bo Jackson, Tim Brown and Marcus Allen.
In basketball during the period between 1974 – 2018, the Golden State Warriors had players such as Rick Barry, Joe Barry Carrol, RUN-TMC (Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin), Latrell Spreewell and of course Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green
And then there’s the Oakland A’s. This is a franchise that, after moving to the city from Kansas City in 1968, won four World Series titles and fielded legendary players such as Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue, David Stewart, Dennis Eckersley, The Bash Brothers (Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco), Miguel Tejada, Eric Chavez and Jason Giambi.
While in Oakland, these three franchises accounted for three Super Bowl victories (XI, XV and XVIII), four NBA titles (1975, 2015, 2017, 2018) and four World Series championships (1972, 1973, 1974, 1989).
These teams gave Oakland a rich, championship legacy that’s often unfairly marred by violence, misperceptions and greed.
And now it’s a city without a professional major sports team.
San Francisco has the 49ers, the Warriors, an economy on the upswing led by the tech and hospitality sectors, and (unfairly), a better general reputation than Oakland.
However, that doesn’t mean that it’s a better city than Oakland, for what Oakland lacks in a tech economy, it more than makes it up in a strong jobs forecast, history, tradition and a passionate and loyal fanbase that deserves better after money and politics robbed it of its professional sports teams.
Oakland has produced champions and Hall of Famers. It has birthed history makers such as the Black Panthers, icons like Bruce Lee, trendsetters like Too Short and MC Hammer and trailblazers such as Vice President Kamala Harris.
But now that A’s ownership has decided to flee to Las Vegas (although the deal is not officially done yet), the city is devoid of pro sports.
Oakland deserves a pro sports team, which is why the WNBA should consider it, and not San Francisco, for an expansion franchise in 2025.
According to The Athletic, the Warriors, who have been based in San Francisco since 2018, are in discussions to run the team but nothing has been finalized as of yet.
“[We] look forward to the possibility of being part of the league’s expansion plans,” wrote the team in an email to Fox station KTVU. “However, it would be premature to assume any potential agreement has been finalized.”
While that would be a great addition for the Warriors and the city, it would be an even bigger boon to Oakland, which tried to work with the A’s organization on a $12 billion waterfront renovation proposal that included a billion-dollar stadium for the team.
This is not a criticism of San Francisco but rather a push for a city that could, arguably, do more for a WNBA team as it would be the only pro team in the city. Fan support would elevate the franchise immediately and could act as a catalyst for other expansion franchises, including the NBA, which is rumored to be looking into expansion in the near future.
The Knicks and Nets co-exist, so why can’t the Warriors and an Oakland team?
Adding a WNBA franchise in Oakland would also help spur economic activity in the city which would ultimately also financially benefit the team.
So WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert, if you’re looking for a city for an expansion franchise, one that would passionately and financially support the team and help it grow, you don’t have to cross a bridge to find it in the Bay.
You’ll find it in the city that’s “2 Legit 2 Quit”.
