Rap Icon Eminem Joins Group Attempting to Reestablish WNBA Franchise in Detroit After a Decade's Absence
Hey there! Let's chat about the music legend and Detroit native, Eminem, and his recent interest in bringing a WNBA team to his hometown.
According to reports from Sportico, Eminem has teamed up with the Detroit Pistons' ownership, local sports team owners, and prominent figures like Jared Goff (current Detroit Lions quarterback) in an attempt to secure a women's basketball team for Detroit. This potential investment might set them back around nine figures as the average cost of a franchise is approximately $96 million.
Other cities are also vying for a WNBA franchise, including Cleveland, Austin, and Philadelphia. The league is considering adding between one to three new teams as its popularity continues to grow.
Detroit had a WNBA team in the past – the Detroit Shock – but it relocated to Tulsa after the 2009 season. The new team would call Little Caesars Arena, home to the NBA's Detroit Pistons and the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, their home court.
Reintroducing a WNBA team to Detroit is part of a broader effort led by the Detroit Pistons’ ownership and a supergroup of investors, with Eminem joining the discussions (Source: [1][2][4]). Despite the financial specifics remaining undisclosed, investments for WNBA expansion teams usually involve millions of dollars to cover franchise fees, operational costs, and market development. The Detroit group, with Eminem’s potential involvement, is up against other cities also competing for new teams, but the exact competitors have not been detailed in the available information (Source: [1][2]).
Eminem, along with the Detroit Pistons' ownership and other local investors, is pursuing the acquisition of a WNBA team for Detroit, aiming to reintroduce professional women's basketball back to the city, as part of a broader effort to boost the local sports scene. The group's potential investment in a WNBA franchise could reach up to nine figures, considering the average cost of a franchise is around $96 million, as reported by Sportico.
