Last semester, Student Life published an article detailing how St. Louis, among many other cities, put in a bid for a WNBA expansion team. It was exciting to see that St. Louis native and NBA star Jayson Tatum even joined the push. The cities selected for expansion were Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029), and Philadelphia (2030), as well as Toronto and Portland, which were previously selected and will join the league next season. Despite the city’s efforts to fund an expansion team, St. Louis unfortunately was not selected.

Every city that was selected already has an NBA team and thus has a proven basketball fan base — something St. Louis is missing. To be selected, St. Louis would have to build up its basketball infrastructure and guarantee fan support. Today, the WNBA has 13 teams and has plans to expand that to 18 by 2030, a number much less than the NBA’s 30 teams. Many more teams could be added to the WNBA in the future, so there is still hope for St. Louis to have an expansion team at some point.

In the meantime, the WNBA postseason perfectly showcases why St. Louis should want to be part of the league.

The WNBA Playoffs began on Sept. 14, with eight teams vying for the championship trophy. Round One consists of a three-game series, while the semifinals will consist of a five-game series, and the final matchup will be a seven-game series.

Up 1-0, the top-ranked Minnesota Lynx beat the bottom-ranked Golden State Valkyries 101-72. The Lynx are playing with a chip on their shoulder after losing in last year’s final, and will be a fun team to watch. Their star player, Napheesa Collier, is one of the favorites for the league’s MVP and will play a large part in this team’s success. The Lynx played against the WNBA’s first expansion team since 2008, the Valkyries, in Game Two on Sept. 17.

The defending champions and fifth-ranked New York Liberty will take on the fourth-ranked Phoenix Mercury in Game Two on Sept. 17 at 7pm, with the Liberty leading 1-0. The Liberty seek to defend their title, with their former MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, and their young star, guard Sabrina Ionescu. Although ranked higher, the Mercury have a lower expected chance at winning, but will still show a strong performance with six-time WNBA All-Star Alyssa Thomas joining the roster this year. Thomas has shot a career high of 53.5% and has recorded a league record of eight triple-doubles this season.

After their Game One win, the second-ranked Las Vegas Aces took on the Seattle Storm in Game 2 on Sept. 16. After winning the Finals back-to-back in 2022 and 2023, the Aces are attempting to reassert their dominance, especially after coming off of a 16-game winning streak beginning in early August. Keep an eye out for their star A’ja Wilson, who is a three-time MVP winner and was the 2024 MVP. Although the Storm have multiple all-stars on their roster, they seem unlikely to win after hitting a slump in the second half of their season. 

The third-ranked Atlanta Dream beat the popular Indiana Fever in Game 1, and took them on again in Game 2 on Sept. 16. The Dream have had their best season in history under the leadership of a new coach and were able to win twice as many games this season as they did last year, with a franchise record of 30 wins in a season this year. Having won 15 of their last 18 games, the Dream, led by all-stars Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, hope to continue their momentum against the Indiana Fever. Caitlin Clark and five other players on the Fever have suffered season-ending injuries. They still have strong players in Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, but Clark’s absence will definitely be felt by the Fever.

The excitement of the WNBA postseason and the success of the new expansion teams should make the people of St. Louis want an expansion team of their own. It would draw in a fan base and be an opportunity for people in St. Louis to support women’s sports on a professional level.