Anatomy of the rise of the WNBA in Canada: it's not just a market, it's a clash of cultures
In the arena of basketball promotion, the birth of Canada's first WNBA team has brought owners and sports leagues far more than just an expanded market of local fans; it's a reach across the country and even overseas.
As Toronto's NBA team, the Toronto Raptors, and MLB team, the Toronto Blue Jays, have demonstrated, these teams have become the league's sole representatives in the country.The Raptors' championship win in 2019 not only ignited Canadians' fervor for hockey, but also stirred up a frenzy for basketball. The Raptors' slogan We the North became a symbol of pride for Canadian basketball fans.
However, the upcoming Toronto WNBA team faces a more favorable environment than the Raptors: the Raptors' success has led to more Canadians falling in love with basketball and the NBA, and the new team may need to think more about how to better serve the Canadian women's sports market.
Women's sport in Canada is on the rise.
On April 20, the PWHL Montreal game was played at the Bell Centre. Over 21,000 spectators were on hand, setting a new record for a women's professional hockey game - keeping in mind that the PWHL has only been around for a short time and this was only their inaugural season.
Not only hockey, but other women's sports are receiving unprecedented attention in Canada.
In September 2023, the Canadian Women's National Soccer Team played Jamaica in front of a sold-out crowd, attracting 29,212 spectators, a record crowd for a Canadian national team in Ontario.
In May 2023, Toronto's Scotiabank Arena hosted a WNBA preseason game between the Minnesota Bobcats and the Chicago Sky. The game drew 19,923 live attendees and set several ratings records, while memorabilia sales increased 508% year-over-year.
The preseason fireworks are just a snapshot of the WNBA's popularity in Canada. in 2023, the WNBA's national average viewership increased 32% year-over-year.
Canadians' passion for basketball had ignited, but the women's basketball market was still in the highly visible and preliminary stages of development. Larry Tanenbaum saw this market potential and this was the birth of the first WNBA team in Canadian history.
dispute over naming
There are actually some interesting tidbits about the naming of this new WNBA team.
In the past, WNBA teams were usually named after local NBA teams. For example, the Phoenix Suns' corresponding WNBA team is the Phoenix Mercury, and the Minnesota Timberwolves' counterpart is the Minnesota Bobcats. However, according to the BBC, the brand new WNBA team will break that tradition and remain separate from the Raptors.
The independent naming is not only aimed at encouraging independence in women's sports and eliminating gender injustice in sports, but also because the new team will not share a home court with the Raptors.
But perhaps the deeper reason has to do with the business twists and turns behind building the team.
Take off the maple leaf.
Tanenbaum's Kilmer Sports Ventures is the owner of the new team and will invest $115 million in the team, according to the BBC. Tanenbaum has played a key role in the NBA's connection to Canadian sports.
In 1991, Tanenbaum began working to bring an NBA franchise to Toronto; in 1998, he acquired the Toronto Raptors basketball team and the Air Canada Centre, the predecessor to Scotiabank Arena, becoming a major expression of Canadian sports investor identity.
Tanenbaum, who owns 25% of MLSE, also has the company as the most important expression of his status as a Canadian sports investor. Currently owning the NBA Raptors, NHL Maple Leafs, and CFL Argo, MLSE is valued at $8 billion, making it a major player in the sports sector.
However, Tanenbaum did not agree with MLSE on a new team. He finds the trend of popularity in women's basketball encouraging, but this view is not recognized by MLSE.
Eventually, Tanenbaum reduced his MLSE holdings, sold a 5% stake to OMERS, an Ontario pension organization, for $400 million, and relied on his own Kilmer Sports Group to bring the WNBA newcomer to Canada.
The conceptual differences between Tanenbaum and MLSE can also help us understand the naming fiasco mentioned above - since we chose MLSE, and MLSE Inc. doesn't rely on the holder's Maple Leaf totem of Canadian sports, it's clearly inappropriate to give this new WNBA team a name that corresponds to the Raptors.
Whether or not we break away from MLSE and carry on the Raptors' totem in the team name, women's sports today is, indeed, good business.
