Sportico looked at team revenue, assets and other metrics to estimate how much WNBA teams are worth, presumably if they are sold in the open market.
For most of the WNBA’s history, it has been notoriously unclear how much a team would be worth, even though estimated NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB team values are readily available on Forbes and other platforms.
Now, Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico released a report that the average WNBA team value is $96 million. Since this report is locked to subscribers only, numerous other reporters, including Madison Williams of Sports Illustrated gave more details. While some teams like the Las Vegas Aces lead the league at a $140 million valuation, the Atlanta Dream are rock bottom with just a $55 million valuation.
The Mystics are tied for 9th place with the Connecticut Sun at $80 million.
According to Badenhausen, via Williams, the Mystics brought in $11.9 million of revenue in 2023, which was among the lowest in the WNBA because they play at the Entertainment and Sports Arena, the second smallest team in the league.
Why would the Aces lead the league in valuation with the Storm not far behind at $135 million? This is not because of gate receipts or because of superstar players. First, the Aces and Storm brought in just under $18 million of revenue each. Rather, it’s because they own their own practice facilities. Most teams, including the Mystics, do not have their own separate facilities, let alone own their home arenas.
I anticipate seeing the Mystics getting their own practice facility one way or another. But it’s complicated to value the Mystics in the same way that teams like the Aces and Storm are. The ownership groups of those teams do not own another basketball team. Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Mystics, also owns the Washington Wizards NBA team. How do the Wizards’ shared facilities come into the conversation?
So how do I feel about this valuation? It’s a fair start, but seeing how shared resources with other teams can be considered in the valuations would be interesting. Also, it is good to know that WNBA teams, contrary to some X trolls’ beliefs, are worth a lot more than “nothing.”
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.