Approved as to Form and Legality
City Attorney’s Office
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY VICE MAYOR KAPLAN
RESOLUTION URGING THE WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL
ASSOCIATION (WNBA) TO APPROVE OAKLAND AS THE HOME FOR
A WNBA TEAM
WHEREAS, Oakland is ideally suited for a WNBA team because of its fervent and rooted fanbase, existing arena space, and shared core values with the WNBA; and
WHEREAS, the Oakland Arena, a prospective WNBA team’s venue, is easily accessible by both highway and pub lic transportation, complete with a pedestrian bridge that allows fans direct access from the Coliseum BART station, and sits on 132 acres with 10,000 on -site parking spaces; and
WHEREAS, the first crowd filled the Oakland -Alameda County Coliseum site on September 18, 1966, and since then it has been home to a rich history, hosting world champions and top athletes, and forging connections between sports teams and fans in Oakland and throughout the Bay Area; and
WHEREAS, in July 2021, the Oakland Coliseum Authority unanimously and enthusiastically voted in favor of a non-binding term sheet to bring a WNBA team to Oakland, and the Oakland City C ouncil followed suit, similarly voting to bring a WNBA team to Oakland in November 2021; and
WHEREAS, the Bay Area has a strong and organic fanbase for women’s basketball, including fans of the University of California Berkeley and Stanford women’s colleg e basketball teams; and
WHEREAS, the Bay Area has the fourth -highest number of WNBA fans among U.S. markets without a WNBA team - 418,816 WNBA fans, higher than eight current markets with a WNBA team; and
2 WHEREAS, more than a half million Bay Area market adults play basketball, and the Bay Area ranks in the top 30 markets in household delivery for the WNBA Regular Season; and
WHEREAS, a WNBA team in Oakland could give women and girls all across the region a new set of role models and a new sense of identity; and
WHEREAS, Oakland is a community that values social justice, equality, and women’s rights, these principles aligning with those of the WNBA; and
WHEREAS, Oakland is ready to move forward as a partner in advancing those goals as the home for a new WNBA team; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That t he Oakland City Council strongly urges the WNBA to approve Oakland as the home for a WNBA Team.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES – FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO,
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
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