By PanAfrican.email Sports Desk
Baltimore, Maryland — September 2026
Baltimore is preparing to welcome a new professional women’s basketball team, and its name carries a distinctly local meaning.
The franchise has officially been named the Baltimore Starlings, becoming the newest team in the UPSHOT League and giving Baltimore another professional sports identity while creating a new platform for women athletes in Maryland and beyond. The Starlings will begin their inaugural season in May 2027 at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus.
A Team Built Around Baltimore
The Starlings name was selected through a fan-driven contest, giving Baltimore residents a direct role in creating the identity of their new team.
The starling was chosen as a symbol of movement, unity and collective strength. The franchise also joins Baltimore’s tradition of professional teams named after birds, alongside the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens. The team’s branding incorporates Maryland’s distinctive flag colors, while a star in the logo references Fort McHenry and Baltimore’s connection to The Star-Spangled Banner.
For Baltimore, however, the significance goes beyond a logo.
The organization is being positioned as a community franchise designed to create opportunities for women and girls while strengthening the city’s basketball culture.
Sonia Chase Leads the Franchise
One of the most significant figures behind the new organization is Sonia Chase, a Baltimore native, former University of Maryland standout and former WNBA player who has been named president of the Starlings.
Chase brings an unusual combination of playing experience, professional basketball knowledge and Baltimore roots to the new franchise. She was selected by the Charlotte Sting in the 1998 WNBA Draft and later played professionally in the WNBA and internationally. She has also worked extensively with young athletes through youth basketball programs.
Her appointment is particularly significant at a time when women’s basketball is expanding rapidly but professional roster opportunities remain limited.
Chase has described UPSHOT as an opportunity league, rather than a competitor to the WNBA. The objective is to give talented players who do not secure WNBA roster spots another opportunity to continue playing professionally in the United States.
A New Professional Path for Women Athletes
The Starlings arrive during a major expansion of women’s sports.
The UPSHOT League was founded in 2025 and provides another domestic professional pathway for basketball players. Its original teams included the Charlotte Crown, Greensboro Groove, Jacksonville Waves and Savannah Steel. Baltimore is part of the league’s next phase of expansion, alongside Nashville.
That matters because professional basketball opportunities for women have historically been concentrated among a relatively small number of organizations.
Players who don’t make WNBA rosters have often had to pursue professional careers overseas. The Starlings and UPSHOT are attempting to provide another option: stay closer to home, continue developing professionally and build a career in American women’s basketball.
Baltimore’s Basketball Culture
Baltimore already has a deep basketball tradition, producing and developing generations of players at the youth, high-school, collegiate and professional levels.
The Maryland connection is especially strong. The region has produced prominent basketball figures including Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Angel Reese, while the University of Maryland has produced championship teams and professional players.
The Starlings now have the opportunity to connect that existing basketball culture with a professional women’s organization.
Their home arena, Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, has approximately 6,000 seats and sits on the UMBC campus in Catonsville.
Why This Matters for Black Women in Sports
For PanAfrican.email, the Starlings story also represents something larger than the arrival of another sports franchise.
Professional women’s basketball has become an important avenue for Black women to demonstrate leadership not only as athletes, but as coaches, executives, entrepreneurs, broadcasters and community leaders.
Chase’s position is particularly noteworthy because she is moving from the court into the executive office. Her journey illustrates a growing transition in women’s sports: former players are increasingly becoming decision-makers who shape the organizations in which future generations will compete.
Chase has said she hopes her presence as a team president will help young girls envision themselves not only as professional athletes, but eventually as leaders of sports organizations.
That message resonates far beyond Baltimore.
For African and Caribbean communities around the world, the growth of women’s basketball provides another opportunity to connect athletic development, education, entrepreneurship and leadership.
A Franchise Still Being Built
The Starlings are not yet a finished basketball team.
The organization is still assembling its front office, coaching staff and roster. Additional announcements concerning the head coach, player signings, uniforms and mascot are expected before the inaugural season.
Fans can already express interest in season memberships, with the team offering a refundable $55-per-seat deposit for its 2027 season-ticket waitlist. Games are also expected to be available through the UPSHOT League’s YouTube channel.
Baltimore’s Next Chapter
The Baltimore Starlings are arriving at an interesting moment.
Women’s basketball is experiencing unprecedented attention, while leagues are searching for ways to provide more professional opportunities to the growing number of talented players emerging from college basketball.
Baltimore now has an opportunity to turn that momentum into something lasting.
The Starlings’ first challenge will be building a competitive team.
The bigger challenge—and perhaps the bigger opportunity—will be building a community institution that inspires young girls in Baltimore and creates a pathway from neighborhood courts to professional basketball.
As Sonia Chase put it, the goal is not simply to create another team. It is to create an opportunity for the next generation to believe that professional basketball—and leadership within the sport—is possible.
In May 2027, the Starlings will take the court. Baltimore will be watching.
PanAfrican.email Tags
Baltimore Starlings, women’s basketball, Baltimore Maryland, UPSHOT League, Sonia Chase, women’s sports, Black women in sports, professional basketball, Maryland basketball, Baltimore sports, African diaspora, Pan African sports, women’s basketball USA, sports business, basketball opportunities
Sources: Zawyer Sports & Entertainment — Baltimore Starlings announcement · CBS Baltimore — Baltimore Starlings announcement · The Baltimore Banner — Starlings franchise coverage
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