On Facebook
On Flipboard
Will 'Canada's team' approach work for Toronto WNBA expansion team?
The next steps in WNBA expansion are headed toward Toronto — but they aren't stopping there.
As announced by the league on Thursday, the WNBA's 14th franchise will begin play in 2026, following the addition of the Golden State Valkyries in 2025.
The timing for the move couldn't be better, with the arrival of Caitlin Clark and a class of much-heralded rookies igniting a surge of interest in women's basketball.
The ownership group for the team, which doesn't have a name just yet, is also rock solid. It's led by Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of the organization that owns Toronto's NBA, NHL, MLS and CFL teams.
Toronto's franchise will technically be based in the Coca-Cola Coliseum, which is the arena where the AHL's Toronto Marlies play. But it will also be able to play occasional games at the larger Scotiabank Arena, and in a unique twist, will also play some games in other cities like Montreal and Vancouver.
The NBA's Raptors and MLB's Blue Jays are de facto rooting interests for the whole country by their status as the lone Canadian representatives in their respective pro sports. The WNBA is trying something different: a franchise that is billed as "Canada's team" by design from Day 1.
"This isn't just Toronto's team," newly minted team president Teresa Resch said to the Associated Press. "This is Canada's team. ... We're gonna play across Canada in different markets. We look forward to doing that in a way that no other professional sports team in Canada has ever done."
If fans in Montreal and Vancouver find themselves attached to the WNBA team, they'll be able to find comfort in a plan that appears guaranteed to avoid their previous pro sports heartbreak.
It's not hard to find Montreal residents who never got over the Expos heading to Washington. Vancouver was home to the NBA's Grizzlies from 1995 to 2001 before they packed up and moved to their current home in Memphis.
The WNBA can use these barnstorming dates as a test to see if future expansion teams could flourish elsewhere in Canada. On the flip side, it will need to handle messaging to Toronto fans carefully to reinforce the idea that there's no lack of faith in that market, as well as pricing season tickets properly to reflect that fewer than 18 home games will be played there each season.
It's also fair to ask if the WNBA is moving too quickly to embrace an international market when the newly explosive demand for women's basketball in the U.S. probably isn't satisfied.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has mentioned cities like Philadelphia, Denver, Nashville and Portland as potential expansion candidates, and there is a large, historic market for the league in Houston that also has no team.
The Toronto franchise comes at the expense of one of those places, even if the league would never frame it that way.
That said, the time for both expansion and experimentation is right now while the WNBA is dealing from a position of newfound strength.
If its newest team plants deep roots in Toronto while also endearing itself to fans across Canada, it will be the kind of win-win that would be hard to achieve anywhere else.
More must-reads:
- NBA stars from the Jordan era you may have forgotten
- Mets' playoff chances in jeopardy after latest tough loss
- The 'Most points in NBA postseason history' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
TODAY'S BEST
Yankees Announce Paul Goldschmidt News After Loss to Twins
The New York Yankees won their first series of August in a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins from Monday to Wednesday, but they're still in trouble. They're only one game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final AL Wild Card spot with six weeks left in the regular season. The Yankees beat the Twins 6-2 on Monday and 9-1 on Tuesday before losing 4-1 on Wednesday, but Tuesday's victory came at a price. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt left early and didn't play on Wednesday, a night in which New York especially needed his bat. The Yankees released an update on Goldschmidt after Wednesday night's game, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. The 37-year-old has a low-grade knee sprain with inflammation. He's slashing .276/.331/.422 with 10 homers and 40 RBI over 112 games. Fellow first baseman Ben Rice went 1-for-4 in Goldshmidt's stead on Wednesday. The 26-year-old is slashing .233/.326/.456 with 17 homers and 38 RBI over 101 contests. Paul Goldschmidt comments on injury Goldschmidt said that he hopes he can avoid the IL with a "short-term" absence, via Hoch. While Rice is a high-upside player in his second year, the seven-time All-Star is still a more dependable contact hitter at this point. Goldschmidt is third on the squad with 110 hits, although his younger counterpart's OPS is 30 points higher. The Yankees need the veteran back as soon as possible to help them maintain their Wild Card spot. His presence allows Rice to play catcher, which is optimal given Austin Wells's struggles. The 26-year-old is slashing just .206/.264/.408 with 15 homers and 56 RBI over 94 games. Up next for New York is a road series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Goldschmidt's former team.
Tennessee's groundbreaking Adidas deal a game-changer for college sports in NIL era
Jonathan Kuminga Posts Two-Word Message Amid Warriors Trade Drama
The Golden State Warriors have had their free agency headlines dominated by one individual name, Jonathan Kuminga. For what feels like an eternity, the Warriors have been stuck in a standstill with Kuminga. The 22-year-old forward believes he's capable of being a max contract player, but the Warriors don't seem to have maximizing him in their current timeline - that much was evident after the team traded for Jimmy Butler. It's clear that Kuminga does not want to be a member of the Golden State Warriors any longer. Every day, a new headline emerges coming from either side of the camp, but no resolution has been found. As the headlines have been growing, Kuminga gave a simple message on social media. "And at the buzzer, the Golden State Warriors will say, 'Alright, well, we can't afford to lose him for nothing, and Malik Monk and a protected pick, that's much better than nothing. So let's go ahead, do the deal, and be done with it.' " While the Bulls and Bucks have trade interest, it seems like the package that they want from the Golden State Warriors may not work financially. Does Kuminga Staying With the Warriors Make Sense? Realistically, Jonathan Kuminga staying with the Golden State Warriors does not make sense. He does not want to play for the team, and the team did not play him consistently after acquiring Jimmy Butler. Even during the playoffs, he was only really used as an emergency scenario. For a team as serious about winning as the Warriors, it does not make sense to keep a younger player who could potentially disrupt the chemistry. At the same time, it makes sense for the team to want to get the maximum value out of Kuminga and not trade him hastily.
Another Cowboys star could hold out amid Micah Parsons' contract drama
The Dallas Cowboys need to figure out what to do with Micah Parsons because whatever they're doing right now isn't working. Team owner Jerry Jones said he was willing to "stir the pot" when asked about Parsons' contract stalemate and trade request. Given Parsons' character, that may have rubbed him the wrong way. However, that's not the only contract situation they need to address. While everybody's focused on the Penn State product, CB DaRon Bland is also waiting for an extension of his own. More importantly, he recently said that he hoped it would get done before the Cowboys open the season on Sept. 4. "I do, but I'm not here to talk about it really too much," Bland told the team's website. "But yea, hopefully." Jerry and Stephen Jones aren't that fond of players setting deadlines for contract negotiations, and they've shown that they're willing to wait until the very last second to get a deal done, relationships be damned. Bland has been an instrumental piece of the Cowboys secondary, especially with fellow CB Trevon Diggs struggling with injuries. When asked about his goal for next season, he opened up about his desire to dominate opposite Diggs. "Always hopeful for both of us to be healthy first of all, and for both of us to show out on the field together. Can't wait until it happens," Bland said. Still, given the way the Cowboys have treated their stars and have dealt with contract situations, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see Bland also go to desperate measures to get what he's earned.
Max Johnson reacts to Bill Belichick going to transfer portal for new QB
North Carolina's Bill Belichick has found himself in a very interesting situation as he gears up for his first season as a college football head coach. On one hand, he has what every new coach covets: An experienced quarterback with an NFL pedigree. That would be Max Johnson, the son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson. Johnson missed a majority of the 2024 season after suffering a broken femur in the season opener, but he's healthy heading into this 2025 season and has 22 starts under his belt between stops at LSU and Texas A M. One would think Johnson would be UNC's clear starter, but he is coming off a catastrophic injury and only just recently got back to full-strength. On the other hand, one of Belichick's first moves at UNC was going into the transfer portal to bring in redshirt sophomore Gio Lopez from South Alabama to compete for the starting job. That's a move that could have easily rattled Johnson, but in an in-depth look at his recovery from that terrible femur injury by Andrea Adelson of ESPN, the sixth-year quarterback explained that he understood why Belichick did what he did. "I get it. You have to go in the portal," Johnson says. "I didn't know if I was going to be ready. They didn't know. They asked me those questions. I'm telling them I'm going to be ready, because I know myself. But it's tough from their point of view because it's like, 'OK, we've got to make a business decision.'" Belichick made a business decision and it's worth noting that while Johnson is saying the right things about the introduction of Lopez into the equation, he's also walking the walk. "I transfer in, we're both competing for the spot, and people paint this narrative like they must not like each other. Me and Max are actually great friends," Lopez explained. A starter has not yet been named by Belichick, but one gets the sense that if Johnson gets the call, he'll be ready to pick right back off where he left off with no reservations. And as Lopez tells it, if he ends up winning the starting gig, UNC can expect to have a more than supportive backup in Johnson. "He's been super helpful with the offense. There's no second agenda with him, where he's trying to throw me off. He's been great," Lopez said.
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
