Also clouding the league’s expansion plans are the financial positions of current teams. Several sources said few WNBA teams are currently profitable. One person familiar with running a WNBA team and how its finances work said that breaking even is usually the goal for a franchise. Teams cannot rely on a large national media rights deal. They sometimes have to pay to appear on local TV, essentially debiting that outlay as a marketing spend just to air its games in its local market. Ticket sales and sponsorships are large revenue drivers. Engelbert would not disclose the number of teams projected as profitable for the 2022 season. “We’re definitely looking to significantly enhance the financial performance of many of our teams, but many of our teams are still in big investment mode,” she said.