One of the WNBA’s new expansion franchises, the Toronto Tempo, played host to the Indiana Fever for the first time in franchise history on Tuesday. Due to the massive draw that is Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, the game was moved from Toronto’s normal arena of Coca-Coal Coliseum at Exhibition Place, to the larger-capacity Scotiabank Arena, where the Toronto Raptors play.
Heading into the game, The Toronto Sun’s Matt Simmons wrote about just how big a draw Clark is.
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“There has never been a professional athlete in North American team sports who has changed her league and the business of her sport the way Clark has in three WNBA seasons,” Simmons wrote.
Simmons also wrote about Clark’s impact on television ratings.
“Of the 10 most-watched WNBA games played this season, all 10 include Clark and the Fever. She’s almost her own league, even as her fellow players tend to ignore her, rough her up, or denigrate her play.”
Toronto was well aware of the extra eyes that’d be on the franchise, and used the opportunity to unveil the franchise’s mascots, Dez and Dot, at halftime of the contest.
Together, Dez and Dot offer a new spin on one of the oldest pairings in storytelling: the tortoise and the hare. Instead of slow against fast, they are steady and swift – a reminder that knowing when to change pace can be just as important as the pace itself,” the Tempo shared.
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However, some fans on social media were inexplicably upset with the inclusion of a mascot with a she/they gender.
“I was so ready to be on board with this team. The Metro Gnome. Even a beaver could’ve been cool. Instead we get this woke joke,” one fan posted on X.
“Oh boy trans mascots,” someone else added.
“That thing is disgusting,” another fan wrote.
Ultimately, the WNBA is a league that prides itself on its inclusivity. As much as outside agitators have tried to use it to advance their own personal agendas, it’s clear that those in and around the league are determined to keep it a safe place for everyone.
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