They got their game and treated it with the respect and enthusiasm it deserves, and sent a message 鈥 loud and clear 鈥 that they are ready for more.
海角社区官网basketball fans took their message directly to the highest levels of the WNBA on Saturday, and it was heard.
鈥淚t does matter a lot,鈥 WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said before the Chicago Sky beat the Minnesota Lynx 82-74 at Scotiabank Arena, in the first WNBA game ever played in Canada. 鈥淚t does matter when you feel the support.鈥
But that鈥檚 as far as anyone can go right now. And just because there was one memorable game, no one was handing out franchises in the aftermath.
Fans came out in droves 鈥 the league said the game was a sellout at 19,800 鈥 and the economic heft of the corporate sponsors who quickly came on board surprised even Engelbert. The energy in the arena didn鈥檛 waver from opening tip to final buzzer.
鈥淭he environment was great. Obviously a little bit nerve-wracking, I think, for everyone, just the buildup around the game,鈥 Chatham鈥檚 Bridget Carleton said after shooting 1-for-4 in 12 minutes for the Lynx. 鈥淥nce we settled in, I think we put on a good show for the fans.鈥
It was a great day, but much work is still to be done before 海角社区官网can count itself officially in the league. Engelbert did say 海角社区官网is among about 10 cities on a final list of expansion possibilities, but there is neither a time frame to add to the 12-team league nor a comprehensive list of contenders 海角社区官网might be bidding against. The last expansion addition was Atlanta in 2008.
鈥(There are) about 10 that we鈥檙e talking with and doing due diligence on, and we鈥檙e doing a lot of analysis on,鈥 the commissioner said. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e getting closer 鈥
鈥満＝巧缜偻鴖cored very high on the list, so Toronto鈥檚 definitely on the list and we鈥檒l continue to work on that through this season.鈥
It鈥檚 hard to separate the harsh business realities from the overwhelming good feeling in the arena on Saturday evening.
鈥淚 thought they were terrific,鈥 Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said of the crowd. 鈥淚t felt really co-ordinated. Somebody holds up a sign 鈥 海角社区官网wants WNBA 鈥 and people are going crazy.
鈥淚t just felt like everybody was locked in on what the mission was. And it was to make this an incredible environment, and they did that.鈥
Engelbert has to worry about the long-term viability of potential owners, workable arena deals, corporate partners and sponsors 鈥 all the difficult but necessary business issues.
The fans? They just want more WNBA games. That feeling permeated the arena and large swaths of Toronto鈥檚 downtown core this weekend.
鈥淚鈥檝e heard from multiple Canadians, and my fellow Canadians on my team, that the city has been ready for a while and you can see that,鈥 Minnesota鈥檚 Napheesa Collier said. 鈥淵ou feel a buzz. We鈥檙e out on streets and people are: 鈥極h, you鈥檙e here for the WNBA game. We鈥檙e so excited. We鈥檙e going to be at the game. See you tomorrow.鈥 You can just see everyone is ready. We鈥檙e ready.鈥
So was the audience. The show began with Carleton addressing the crowd, striking the chord that the event was a historic celebration of women鈥檚 basketball.
鈥淭his is a really, really awesome day for us,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 know you Canadians are excited to watch us play tonight, and I think it鈥檚 time we showed 鈥檈m Canada鈥檚 not just a hockey country, that we鈥檙e passionate about basketball, too.鈥
And the non-stop appreciation surely caught the attention of top WNBA officials. It might be enough to give 海角社区官网a leg up when Engelbert visits other potential expansion cities in the coming months.
鈥淚鈥檝e not made it a secret. I鈥檓 going to be visiting, this summer, a bunch of different markets that we鈥檙e looking at,鈥 she said.
鈥淚t does matter when you feel the support. Women鈥檚 sports and women鈥檚 basketball (has) a fan base that you want to make sure (of). In our cities it鈥檚 rabid and avid, I call it. These partners show up and these fans show up and it鈥檚 really important to make sure that it wouldn鈥檛 be a one-and-done in a city. You think of the long term. Are they really going to support the WNBA team in their market?鈥
The support was loud throughout an entertaining pre-season game that was close the entire way. The teams were welcomed onto the court by a standing ovation and ushered off in the same manner.
Whatever comes of it, Saturday will be a special memory.
鈥淚 think this is the epitome of the enthusiasm that鈥檚 being shown for women鈥檚 sports in general,鈥 Reeve said. 鈥淚t was awesome to see Canada step up in that way and say: Yeah 鈥 we鈥檙e excited about this, and we think we鈥檙e a great place for a WNBA team.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to look back on this and say this was really meaningful. And hopefully 海角社区官网comes in at some point, and hopefully it鈥檚 also a model for other cities that want to do the same thing.鈥
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