Patrick and Brittany Mahomes‘ quest to start a WNBA franchise in Kansas City could be dealt a hammer blow as the sports personalities find themselves needing to overcome requirements to change their would-be venue.
The NFL‘s star quarterback and his wife already hold stakes in the Kansas City Royals (MLB) and Sporting Kansas City (MLS), whilst Brittany co-owns the Kansas City Current in the National Women’s Soccer League.
But the pair are not finished with the sports empire yet as the ex-soccer player and her husband continue to push for a WNBA franchise in their town and are eyeing up the T-Mobile Center as a potential venue.
The site cost $406 million to build in 2023 terms and was opened in 2007 and is capable of seating some 18,972 fans for basketball games as well as other events such as ice hockey and concerts.
However, whilst it seems like a good pick on paper, there could be one key issue that breaks down the prospect of a women’s professional basketball franchise relocating to Missouri, which could be cosmetic changes.
But the Mahomes‘ are going to be worth half a billion dollars by 2030 at the latest so the changes shouldn’t be too much of a mountain to climb for a venue that already hosts college basketball competitions.
And equally, the family are keen on bringing the WNBA to Kansas in order to continue their legacy in sports.
“Whenever I’m done with football-and whenever that is-I want to venture into life after football,” Mahomes previously said, as per EssentiallySports. “Chase kids around, and still make an impact in sports.
“Hopefully, we can get this WNBA team here, so I can show my daughter that you can chase your dream, whatever that dream may be.”
Which cities are competing for a franchise?
After attendances and viewership spiked by 170% from 2023 to 2024, the WNBA are wasting little time capitalizing on the purple patch as they look to introduce four new franchises to the league by 2028.
One of them will be the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco, who will enter in 2025, whilst other rivals to the Mahomes‘ bid can be expected in Portland, Toronto and Salt Lake City.
