Photo Credit: New York Times
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The WNBA’s newest expansion franchise finally has its identity. Cleveland officially announced Tuesday that its team will compete as the Cleveland Sirens when it joins the league in 2028. Team officials chose the name to honor Lake Erie, one of the city’s defining landmarks. Along with the new name, the franchise unveiled two official colors, Sirens Blue and Erie Blue, which also celebrate the lake’s influence on the region. Team president Allison Howard said the organization wanted a brand that reflected Cleveland’s strongest local connection. She explained that the club spent more than a year researching potential names and designs. The process included focus groups and extensive community feedback before officials settled on the Sirens identity. The franchise belongs to Rock Entertainment Group, which also owns and operates the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers.
Although the announcement generated excitement, it also raised questions because another professional women’s team already uses the Sirens name. The New York Sirens joined the Professional Women’s Hockey League during its inaugural season in 2023. Despite the shared nickname, both organizations expect to coexist without legal complications. According to sources familiar with the situation, Cleveland discussed the matter with the PWHL organization before revealing its brand. Those conversations helped prevent potential trademark disputes. While the PWHL declined to comment publicly, legal experts believe the two clubs should avoid significant conflicts because they compete in different sports and represent different cities.
Trademark law expert Alexandra Jane Roberts explained that courts generally focus on whether two brands create a likelihood of consumer confusion. In this situation, she believes fans can easily distinguish between a Cleveland WNBA team and a New York professional hockey team. Different logos, locations, and sports also reduce the chances of confusion. Intellectual property attorney Josh Gerben agreed with that assessment. He noted that trademark concerns would have increased dramatically if Cleveland had borrowed the name of a much more established sports franchise. He pointed to names like the Yankees or Phillies as examples that likely would have triggered immediate legal action. Instead, both Sirens organizations remain relatively young, making coexistence much more realistic.
Meanwhile, Cleveland continues to protect its new identity through the trademark process. The organization filed a trademark application for the Cleveland Sirens on May 15, 2026. The application became publicly available on Monday. Interestingly, CLE Travel Sports, LLC filed the paperwork instead of Rock Entertainment Group. Sources connected to the franchise said CLE Travel Sports operates as an affiliated entity. Organizations often use separate business entities for trademark filings to prevent branding plans from leaking before official announcements.
The Sirens name also closes the door on another possibility. Many fans hoped Cleveland would revive the Rockers, the name used by the city’s original WNBA franchise from 1997 through 2003. The Rockers ranked among the league’s original teams, and their name honored Cleveland’s connection to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, reviving that historic identity became much more complicated because of an ongoing trademark dispute. The Women’s Basketball League, a separate professional league that has not launched yet, applied for the Cleveland Rockers trademark in 2023. That league argues the WNBA abandoned the trademark after discontinuing the original franchise in 2003. Roberts explained that the Women’s Basketball League claims it now holds priority because the WNBA stopped using the name for more than two decades.
The Cleveland situation differs from another expansion story involving the Houston Comets. Houston plans to revive the Comets name after relocating a franchise from Connecticut next season. However, that move also faces trademark challenges. Delaware-based TSTM Holdings filed its own trademark application for the Comets name, and the WNBA formally opposes that filing. League officials argue fans still strongly associate the Comets brand with the original WNBA dynasty and maintain the league never abandoned its trademark rights. Looking ahead, the Cleveland Sirens will play home games at Rocket Arena, which also serves as the Cavaliers’ home court. The venue seats nearly 19,500 fans, giving Cleveland the largest arena capacity in the WNBA. That size could create one of the league’s biggest home-court advantages while allowing more fans to attend games.
Furthermore, Cleveland represents only one part of the WNBA’s aggressive expansion strategy. Philadelphia will enter the league in 2029, while Detroit will follow in 2030. Those additions will increase the WNBA’s membership to 18 teams. The league also plans to expand its regular-season schedule. Teams will play 50 games beginning next season, up from 44 games. League officials also expect the schedule to grow again to 52 games by 2029, matching the continued expansion across the league.
Author Profile
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Bradley Walker (VP) and Head of our Florida operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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