They’ve got their game and treated it with the respect and enthusiasm it deserves, sending a message – loud and clear – that they’re ready for more.
Toronto basketball fans took their message directly to the highest echelons of the WNBA on Saturday, and it was heard.
“It’s very important,” said WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert before the Chicago Sky defeated the Minnesota Lynx 82-74 at Scotiabank Arena, in the WNBA’s first-ever game in Canada. “It doesn’t matter when you feel supported.”
But that’s as far as anyone can go now. And just because there was one memorable game, no one was handing out franchises in the aftermath.
Fans turned out in droves—the league said the game was a sell-out at 19,800—and the economic weight of the corporate sponsors who joined quickly caught Engelbert by surprise. The energy in the arena did not swing from the open aperture to the final bell.
“The environment was great. Obviously a little nerve-wracking, for everyone, just a buildup around the game, said Bridget Carlton of Chatham after shooting 1-for-4 in 12 minutes for the Lynx. “Once we’ve settled in, I think we’ve put on a good show for the fans.”
It was a great day, but there is still a lot of work to be done before Toronto can officially count itself in the league. Engelbert said Toronto is among about 10 cities on the final list of expansion potential, but there is no time frame for adding it to the 12-team league nor a comprehensive list of competitors that Toronto might bid against. The last expansion addition was Atlanta in 2008.
“(There are) about 10 people we’re talking to that we’re doing due diligence on, and we’re doing a lot of analyses,” the commissioner said. “So we’re getting close…
“Toronto scored highest on the list, so it’s definitely on the list and we’ll continue to work on that through this season.”
It’s hard to separate the harsh reality of the business from the good feeling that prevailed in the arena on a Saturday night.
“I thought they were great,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said of the crowd. “It just felt really coordinated. Someone’s holding up a sign—Toronto wants the WNBA—and people are going crazy.”
“It just felt like everyone was so locked into what the mission was. And it was to make this a great environment, and they did.”
Engelbert has to worry about the long-term viability of potential owners, working circuit deals, corporate partners and sponsors—all tough but necessary business issues.
fans? They just want more WNBA games. That feeling permeated the square and large swathes of downtown Toronto this weekend.
“I’ve heard from many Canadians, and fellow Canadians on my team, that the city has been ready for a while, and you can see that,” said Navisa Collier of Minnesota. You feel the noise. We’re on the streets and people are: ‘Oh, you’re here for a WNBA game.’ We are very excited. We’ll be in the game. see you tomorrow.’ You can just see that everyone is ready. we are ready.”
So was the audience. The show began with Carlton addressing the crowd, and striking a chord that the event was a historic celebration of women’s basketball.
“This is a really great day for us,” she said. “I know you Canadians are excited to see us play tonight, and I think it’s time we show them that Canada isn’t just a hockey country, that we’re excited about basketball, too.”
And the continued appreciation is sure to catch the attention of top WNBA officials. It may be enough to give Toronto a leg up when Engelbert visits other potential expansion cities in the coming months.
“I haven’t made it a secret. I’m going to be visiting, this summer, a bunch of different markets that we’re looking forward to.”
“It doesn’t matter when you feel supported. Women’s sports and women’s basketball (have) a fan base that you want to make sure of. In our cities it’s frenzied and thirsty, I call it. These partners show up and these fans show up and it’s really important to make sure it’s not a one-size-fits-all event in a city.” In the long run, are they really going to support a WNBA team in their market?”
Support was high throughout an entertaining pre-season game that was close to the entire road. The teams were greeted on the field with a standing ovation and fired in the same way.
Whatever happens, Saturday will be a special memory.
“I think that’s the epitome of enthusiasm for women’s sports in general,” Reeve said. “It was great to see Canada step up in this way and say, yeah…we’re excited about this, and we think we’re a great place for a WNBA team.
“I think we’ll look back and say that really made sense. Hopefully, at some point, Toronto will come along and hopefully also set a model for other cities that want to do the same.”
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