'Toronto wants WNBA': First-ever game in Canada shows viability of expansion to Toronto
CBC
At this point, the questions surrounding WNBA expansion focus more on where than when.
On Saturday at Scotiabank Arena, in an exhibition game between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky, Toronto took a Jurassic step toward answering the former.
"It felt really coordinated," Minnesota Lynx head coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve said. "Someone holds up a sign that says 'Toronto wants WNBA,' people go crazy. It just felt like everyone was locked in on what the mission was: it was to make this an incredible environment. And they did that."
The appetite for professional women's basketball in the city was evident in the joyous, diverse crowd that lit up, especially in the second half, over a game whose main significance was its location — the league's first international game since 2011, and first ever in Canada.
The result — the Sky beat the Lynx 82-74 — was secondary.
"I think we're going to look back on this and say this was really meaningful," Reeve said. "And hopefully then Toronto comes in at some point and hopefully it's a model for other cities that want to do the same thing."
WATCH | Sky defeat Lynx in 1st WNBA game in Canada:
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Toronto is on a shortlist of 10 cities the league is looking at for expansion, and that the time to add teams is "getting closer."
It is the only one now with some proof of concept. Tickets for the 19,800-seat arena sold out the day they were made available in March. The Seattle Storm led the WNBA in attendance with an average of 10,631 fans per game last year.
"It does matter when you feel the support because women's sports and women's basketball is a fanbase that you want to make sure, our cities it's rabid and avid I call it," Engelbert said.
The rabidity and avidity were both evident in the leadup to Saturday's game, with Engelbert, players and coaches all saying they've been stopped on the street by fans. League merchandise in the arena was sold out by halftime.
Bridget Carleton, a Lynx forward from Chatham, Ont., addressed the crowd before the game and said it was a "great" environment.
"The support was amazing. Obviously for the WNBA in general, but for me I felt the love from all the fans so that was cool to see. It's not often I get to play in Canada, so that was a cool experience for me," she said.
Her attempt at forcing history was thwarted when she hoisted a shot to become the first player to ever score a WNBA bucket in Canada, only to come up with air.
