Colorado deserves WNBA, PWHL sports teams – The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.

Now is the perfect time for Denver, Colorado, to get a Women’s National Basketball Association and a Professional Women’s Hockey League team.

Recently, women’s sports have been growing at a rapid pace with the addition of the PWHL and increased viewership of the WNBA. With the surge of recognition for rising stars like Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, fan engagement in women’s professional sports has spiked.

Additionally, the National Women’s Soccer League announced a new expansion team Jan. 30 to Denver. This new team is the only current major professional women’s sport team in the state.

However, Colorado deserves more than just one pro women’s sports team. Colorado should become one of the leading states in the professional women’s sports movement.

In the past year, the WNBA received a lot more attention due to its new, exciting players. The competition is getting interesting, and the players are performing at an even higher level than in the past. This is the perfect time for a new Colorado-based team to enter the mix.

The peak of the WNBA hasn’t even started yet, and Colorado desperately needs to be a part of it. Right now, fans are seeing the formation of tomorrow’s legends. Most current fans are too young to remember the golden age of the NBA, with Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing, but the WNBA hasn’t had its golden age yet. It’s just now coming out of its early developmental years and is finding its foothold in the market. Denver needs to be a part of the WNBA and, consequently, witness the approaching golden age of women’s basketball.

“Colorado sports fans are some of the most loyal fans throughout the entire country. They only want to see their teams succeed and grow, and it’d be no different with a women’s hockey team.”

Some ideal places for a WNBA team include Denver, Colorado Springs or Loveland. Denver is an obvious choice because it’s the capital of Colorado and has a well-established sports market as well a large arena capable of hosting a new team.

Colorado Springs would be a good option because it’s the second biggest city in Colorado, with a population of almost half a million people. The Springs also has an arena that can hold nearly 8,000 people for a basketball game, which is a good size for a budding team. Also, there are no other professional sports teams in Colorado Springs, creating less competition for a pro team.

Loveland already has a pro team: the Colorado Eagles, an American Hockey League team with an average attendance over 5,000 people. A dedicated following like that might just translate over to the WNBA. The team is also looking to build a new arena, which would be perfect for an expansion team. Northern Colorado, with its three large cities and proximity to the Wyoming market, offers a profitable region where fans can easily commute to see games.

Hockey, a game generally dominated by men, could see some great change in the future with the PWHL gaining traction.

The PWHL, announced in August 2023, is gliding through its second season and aiming to expand the popularity of women’s hockey. Denver represents the perfect city for this emerging sport.

The National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche already consider Denver to be home and have fostered a hockey culture that rivals any other city. The Avalanche’s average home attendance last year met Ball Arena’s 18,000 capacity for hockey games.

Denver should be the next city to host women’s professional hockey because of the strength of its existing hockey culture.

A women’s professional hockey team can provide a great opportunity for the PWHL to grow the game. Having any professional sports team can be a great inspiration to generations of women who want the same opportunities as men to grow and compete.

Many young women don’t get the same opportunities as their male counterparts, largely because of the lack of resources. But with the addition of a PWHL in such a highly invested city, it could provide additional resources to young women wanting to compete in the sport.

The addition of a team in Denver would also promote deeper community engagement. The game of women’s hockey is full of devoted athletes, coaches and fans, and with the potential expansion of another professional women’s sports team, the community could grow exponentially. The growth of one community can lead to the inception of another, and in this case, expanding the women’s hockey franchise could broaden the women’s sports community.

A Denver professional women’s hockey team may even inspire more diversity and inclusion within the sport. Women’s hockey would provide another environment for athletes to grow and learn.

Colorado sports fans are some of the most loyal fans throughout the entire country. They only want to see their teams succeed and grow, and it’d be no different with a women’s hockey team.

Reach Alex Graser and John Vu at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.