Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
by Dan Krieger
July 7, 2025 - Pioneer League (PL)
BASEBALL
Eastern League: The Erie (PA) SeaWolves of the Double-A Eastern League will rebrand as the Erie Moon Mammoths for four games this season starting on July 19. The name was inspired by the 1991 discovery of woolly mammoth remains by local resident George Moon and selected by comedian John Oliver as part of an offer on his HBO show to create a personal rebrand of a minor league baseball team.
Northwoods League: The Madison (WI) Mallards of the summer-collegiate Northwoods League became the Madison Neverminds in a tribute to the Nevermind album by the rock band Nirvana and a track that was recorded in Madison.
Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League: The summer-collegiate PGCBL is playing its 2025 season with 15 teams aligned in a 7-team East and an 8-team West and playing a 42-game schedule through this month. The league had 16 teams last season but the Watertown (NY) Rapids and Albany Baseball Club did not return and the league added its first Canadian team call the Niagara Ironbacks (St. Catharines, Ontario).
Pioneer League: The independent Pioneer League's Northern Colorado Owlz (Windsor) franchise has resigned from the league and a league-operated team called the Colorado Springs Sky Sox has been created to complete the Owlz' remaining 2025 schedule. The Sky Sox will play home games in Colorado Springs at the home of the league's Rocky Mountain Vibes. The ownership of the Owlz has suffered financial difficulties surrounding construction of the Windsor-based Future Legends Complex that was to be the home of the Owlz. The Colorado Springs Sky Sox was the name of a former Triple-A Pacific Coast League team that moved to San Antonio for the 2019 season.
South Atlantic League: The Brooklyn Cyclones of the High-A SAL played a game as the Coney Island Franks on July 4th to celebrate the team's Coney Island home, which is also home to Nathan's Hot Dogs.
Texas Collegiate League: The summer-collegiate TCL is playing its 2025 season with the same six teams aligned in three-team Louisiana and Texas divisions. Each team will play 48 games through this month.
West Coast League: The summer-collegiate WCL is playing its 2025 season with 17 teams based in Oregon (5), Washington (6), British Columbia (5) and Alberta (1). Teams are aligned in an eight-team North Division and a nine-team South Division and will play 54 games through August 6. The WCL had 16 teams last season but the new Marion Berries, based in Salem (OR), were added to the South Division.
Women's Professional Baseball League: The proposed new WPBL, which plans to start playing in 2026 with six teams, announced it will hold player tryouts next month to determine players for an October draft.
BASKETBALL
Women's National Basketball Association: The WNBA announced plans to grow to 18 teams by 2030 with addition of three expansion markets, Cleveland in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030. The league is playing with 13 teams this season after adding the expansion Golden State Valkyries and will grow to 15 teams next season with the addition of the Toronto Tempo and an unnamed Portland (OR) team. Cleveland had a former WNBA team called the Cleveland Rockers for seven seasons (1997-2003) while Detroit had the former Detroit Shock for 12 seasons (1998 to 2009). Several other markerts like St Louis, Kansas City, Austin, Jacksonville, Houston, Miami, Denver, Charlotte and Nashville, which has the Tennessee Summitt as a proposed team name, have also expressed interest in a WNBA expansion team.
FOOTBALL
National Arena League: The new Amarillo-based indoor football team that was briefly called the West Texas Warbirds has joined the NAL as the renamed Amarillo Warbirds for the 2026 season. A different team called the Amarillo Dusters, renamed from the Amarillo Venom of the 2024 American Indoor Football, was announced as a 2025 NAL team but was dropped in February before the start of the 2025 season. The owner of the new Amarillo Warbirds was involved with a former Odessa-based team called the West Texas Warbirds prior to the team's move to the NAL for one season in 2023.
International Football Alliance: After playing three games against non-league opponents, the Ohio Valley Ironmen (Wheeling, WV area) of the first-year outdoor professional IFA have shut down for the rest of the season and will work toward a return in 2026. The IFA stated it will continue playing "showcase games" against non-league opponents through August but the league's Huntsville Astros appears to be the only active IFA member. One of the IFA's "showcase teams" called the Tennessee Hornets announced last week the team has ceased operations. The league stated it has six locations (four in the United States and two in Mexico) for the 2026 season and wants to add two more locations. A 2026 expansion team called the Arkansas Storm (Little Rock) is scheduled to play an exhibition game in Mexico City next month.
Professional Independent Football League: The proposed new outdoor PIFL announced teams called the Carolina Impact (North Carolina) and the Texas Syndicate (Austin) have been added for the league's inaugural season starting in May 2026.
Winter Indoor Football: The developmental fall-season WIF announced a team called the CNY Blue Devils has been added for the 2025 season and the Pittsburgh Outlaws team, which was part of the WIF's 2024 season and played in the recent 2025 season of the American Arena League 2, will return in 2025.
HOCKEY
3ICE League: The independent three-on-three professional 3ICE League announced its third season will start on July 18 with eight teams called 3ICE Boston, 3ICE Buffalo, 3ICE Chicago, 3ICE Dallas, 3ICE Minnesota, 3ICE NY/NJ, 3ICE Pittsburgh and 3ICE Tennessee playing a short, four-week season at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale. Each team will participate in two of the four events followed by a Championship Week on August 14. The 3ICE played its first two seasons (2022 and 2023) as a tour-based league with six teams named after coaches that were former National Hockey League players. Before cancelling the 2024 season, the league had assigned each of the new eight teams to specific markets: Tennessee (Clarksville), Dallas (Allen, TX), Chicago (Geneva, IL), Minnesota (Minneapolis), Boston (Lowell, MA), New York/New Jersey (Newark), Buffalo (Buffalo) and Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh).
American Hockey League: The AHL's Bridgeport (CT) Islanders are reported to be close to a deal to relocate the team to Hamilton (Ontario) and the renovated TD Coliseum (formerly the FirstOntario Centre) after the 2025-26 season. Hamilton last had the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs team in the 2014-15 season. The city's recent Hamilton Bulldogs team in the major-junior Ontario Hockey League ended up permanently moving to Brantford in 2023 due to renovations at the city's arena. Bridgeport has been part of the AHL since the 2001-02 season when the team began as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Federal Prospects Hockey League: The minor professional FPHL announced its 2025-26 season schedule will feature 14 teams aligned in 7-team Continental and Empire divisions. Each team will play 56 games from October 10, 2025, through April 11, 2026. The FPHL had 14 teams last season but lost three teams and added three new teams. The Danville (IL) Dashers are no longer a member of the league while the Motor City Rockers (Fraser, MI) are sitting out the season due to arena issues. The HC Venom (Poughkeepsie, NY) also did not return but the team's owner started the new Pee Dee IceCats (Florence, SC) team for the 2025-26 season. The two other new teams for 2025-26 are the Indiana Sentinels (Columbus) and Topeka Scarecrows. Also, the Mississippi Seawolves came under new ownership and were renamed the Biloxi Breakers.
National Hockey League: Although the NHL has not set up a formal application process or timetable for expansion and has no pending applications, groups based in Atlanta, Houston, Indianapolis and New Orleans have met with the NHL Board of Governors to express their interest in an expansion team. A fifth group from Austin is also reported to be interested in an expansion team. To be considered, expansion teams would need to pay a $2 billion expansion fee and have a suitable arena and a training facility.
North American 3 Hockey League: The Tier-III junior-level NA3HL announced its 2025-26 season schedule will feature 38 teams aligned in 6 divisions (Central, East, Frontier, Southeast, South and West). Each team will play 47 games from September 25, 2025, through March 8, 2026. The league had 35 teams last season but the Northeast Generals (Attleboro, MA) did not return and new teams called the Bayou State Rougarou (Monroe, LA), Carolina Rage (Greer, SC), Pelham (AL) Prowlers and West Texas Wranglers (Amarillo) were added.
SOCCER
National Women's Soccer League: The Division-I professional NWSL announced its 2026 regular-season schedule will feature 16 teams each playing 30 games from March 13 through November 1, 2026. The league will not play during the month of June due to games of the Men's FIFA World Cup being held in several NWSL markets. The NWSL is currently playing with 14 teams and will add the Boston Legacy FC and a yet-to-be-named Denver team for the 2026 season.
USL League Championship (United Soccer League): The group trying to bring a professional soccer team to Buffalo as part of the Division-II USL Championship has pushed its proposed start back from 2026 to the 2027 season. The group has pulled out of a lease agreement and its plans to build a new 7,600-seat soccer stadium at a previously selected site next to a chemical processing facility. The group is currently considering other locations.
OTHER
Major Series League: Canada's Ontario-based summertime indoor Senior-A MSL is in the final month of its 2025 season that started on May 21. The league features the same seven teams called the Brooklin Lacrosse Club, Cobourg Kodiaks, Peterborough Lakers, Six Nations Chiefs (Hagersville), Brampton Excelsiors, Owen Sound North Stars and Oakville Rock. Each team is playing 18 games through July 31. The MSL champion plays the champion of the British Columbia-based Western Lacrosse Association for the Senior-A championship called the Mann Cup. The MSL serves as an off-season league for players from the National Lacrosse League.
Western Lacrosse Association: The British Columbia-based summertime indoor Senior-A WLA is in the final month of its 2025 season that started on May 21. The league has the same seven teams called the Burnaby Lakers, Coquitlam Adanacs, Langley Thunder, Maple Ridge Burrards, Nanaimo Timbermen, New Westminster Salmonbellies and Victoria Shamrocks. Each team plays an 18-game schedule through July 26. The WLA champion plays the champion of the Ontario-based Major Series Lacrosse in the Senior-A Mann Cup championship. The WLA serves as an off-season league for players from the National Lacrosse League.
Dan Krieger is the creator of the Weekly Sports League & Franchise Report, which has been tracking the changes in the sports world's leagues, teams, and nicknames since April 2007.
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
