Original article published on Associated Press (07/10/18)

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) has announced that next season, only four of its 12 teams will be playing in current NBA arenas, including Los Angeles, Minnesota, Phoenix, and Indiana. This is part of a major venue downscaling effort, with WDMA President Lisa Borders noting that the league has hired an innovation and brand design consultancy to outline a five-year plan. The most significant development for this off-season was in New York, with the Liberty moving from Madison Square Garden to the Westchester County Center. This move saves millions of dollars in operating costs for the team, as the Garden costs almost 20 times as much to play. The Liberty will experience some revenue erosion from the loss of Garden-associated sponsorships, while the smaller venue has maximum seating of nearly 4,500; the team structured the arena to seat 2,319 people, which is the scale to be utilized for the immediate future. The Washington Mystics also are downsizing next year to a building with only 4,200 seats, which will be home to the Washington Wizards' practice facility as well as the franchise's G-league team. "We need a home-court advantage," argues Mystics general manager Mike Thibault. "We want to feel that the crowd is with us every night. Our current arena is a great place to play in, but it's 20,000 seats. It doesn't feel like we have a home-court advantage."

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