Baltimore has its professional women’s basketball team: the Starlings

The UPSHOT League, a second-year professional women’s basketball league, on Thursday unveiled the team name and logo of its fifth franchise: the Baltimore Starlings.

The Starlings, one of the league’s four expansion teams, will play their inaugural season in May at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on UMBC’s campus.

Starlings president Sonia Chase, a former University of Maryland star, sees the organization as one that can fulfill a variety of purposes: uniting the community, boosting the local economy and creating more opportunities for women to play pro basketball.

“What sports does, it unites us, it brings us together and it bridges the gaps, and it bridges divides between one community to another,” Chase said in an interview with The Banner. “That’s what the Baltimore Starlings are going to do.”

The name and logo reveal, which took place at The Pendry Baltimore, drew a wide range of guests, including Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller and John David Merrill, chief of staff to Mayor Brandon Scott.

The name “Starlings” was chosen through a contest that invited fans to submit suggestions. The mascot pays homage to the bird, a common inhabitant of Baltimore, and the city’s history as the birthplace of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The UPSHOT League completed its inaugural season in late August. It was founded in 2025 as a complementary domestic league for players who couldn’t crack rosters in the WNBA, the premier women’s basketball league in the world, though the two leagues aren’t affiliated.

“The whole point is to create a team that’s for the community,” Greg Resh, a representative of the team’s ownership group, told The Banner. “This is Baltimore’s team. Baltimore is a basketball town. We all know that. I feel very blessed and humbled to be part of this project and to be part of this league and this team.”

While many women’s basketball players seek to play professionally, WNBA roster spots are limited. Many skilled players who didn’t make those teams were forced to go abroad.

Chase, a six-year WNBA veteran, was one of them. She played in 10 countries during the WNBA offseason. She hopes that, with a league like UPSHOT, players will look locally instead of feeling forced to leave the country.

“I want to make this clear: UPSHOT is not in competition with them,” Chase said of the WNBA. “We are in collaboration with them. We are working together to allow women to be able to have more opportunity at the table here stateside.”

The creation of the league comes when interest in women’s sports is rising. According to a recent study by McKinsey, women’s sports revenue grew 4.5 times faster than men’s from 2022 to 2024.

A Deloitte study found global revenues in women’s elite sports will reach at least $3 billion in 2026; since 2022, that’s a 340% increase. The study also revealed that 35% of the revenues are expected to come from soccer and basketball.

As for what’s next, Chase and Resh said they plan to hire a coach. Chase said she’s started recruiting players.

They’ll have a large pool to choose from — current professionals and college players whose seasons will wrap up before their season begins.

The team’s jersey and mascot unveiling will follow in the months leading up to its debut in May. The team’s website features a contact form for season memberships. Fans can place a $55-per-seat refundable deposit to join the team’s 2027 season ticket waitlist. Parking on event days at UMBC is free and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Games will be available to watch through the UPSHOT League YouTube channel.

The league was founded with four teams — the Charlotte Crown, Greensboro Groove, Jacksonville Waves and Savannah Steel — loaded with former WNBA draft picks, including some with local ties.

Guards Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (Towson) and Shyanne Sellers (Maryland) played for the Crown and Waves, respectively. Guard Ny’Ceara Pryor of the Groove is from Baltimore, while guard Lindsey Pulliam of the Waves is from Silver Spring.

As Chase laid out her vision for the organization, she invited 11-year-old Kayhden Lyles to stand next to her with a basketball in her hands. Lyles, in Chase’s eyes, was the point of all of this.

The growth of the game has outpaced the opportunities available for women to play. But Chase believes the Starlings can set the standard for what a women’s professional sports franchise can be. And they can help girls in Baltimore imagine what can be.

“Keep going, keep dreaming, keep working and keep believing,” Chase said to Lyles.

This article has been updated.