KAITLYN’S SPORT STORIES RECAP: MARCH 11

In this 15th edition, we learn more about PWHL’s new sponsorship with Molson Canadian and details of their first initiative, See My Name. We also learn more about the confirmed WNBA Canada pre-season exhibition game taking place in Edmonton, Alberta, this spring and a new expansion team bid for a WNBA Toronto team. Lastly, we learn how the semi-final Concacaf W Gold Cup match highlighted an existing problem in women’s soccer regarding player safety and playing conditions on the field.

The stories of the week show young girls in sport and physical activity that:

1. Strategic sponsorships unique to women’s sports are important because they help achieve more equity. What was a common problem for women athletes with their hair covering their names has allowed for an opportunity to ensure exposure and recognition are prioritized through a simple adjustment to players’ jerseys.
2. Bringing another exhibition WNBA basketball game to another city in Canada is a great step forward in terms of exposure and opportunities for Canadian fans and the Canadian market to engage with the league.
3. Lack of player safety and unfit playing conditions show that progress is still very much needed in women’s soccer. Leagues must prioritize equal playing conditions for men’s and women’s games.
4. The opportunity for another expansion team bid could have an immeasurable impact on the potential future of women’s basketball in Canada for fans, organizations, those who work in the sports industry, and women athletes.

PWHL and Molson Canadian team up for See My Name campaign

Photo from Molson Canadian

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has signed a new multi-year sponsor, Canadian brewing company Molson Canadian. To celebrate International Women’s Day (March 8), the See My Name pilot project was announced. The campaign highlighted how, with women’s hockey jerseys and players’ hair, their last names can tend to be covered during play. Molson’s solution to this women’s hockey inconvenience was to adjust where the last names and sponsor names are placed. The players’ last names were moved to the bottom of the jersey to be more visible, and Molson Canadian moved their logo to the top of the jersey, being okay with the concept that the hair may cover their logo.

The adjusted game jerseys were made for the PWHL Toronto vs Montréal game hosted on International Women’s Day in front of a sold-out crowd of 2,554 fans at Mattamy Centre. Molson Canadian also had a t-shirt activation/promotion during the March 8th game. Fans could receive a free t-shirt with their last names printed on the bottom of the back of the shirt to replicate the name placement of the players’ jerseys. Click here to read more about the new PWHL sponsorship with Molson Canadian.

WNBA Canada Game to be hosted in Edmonton, Alberta

Photo from CFWE FM Radio

For the second consecutive year, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is bringing another pre-season exhibition basketball game to Canada, this time at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. The Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm will compete against each other on May 5, 2024. From the Los Angeles Sparks, Canadian professional basketball player and Canadian women’s national basketball team member Kia Nurse will participate in the game. On the Seattle Storm side, head coach Noelle Quinn has been with Canada basketball as the lead assistant coach to head coach Víctor Lapeńa for the women’s national team since 2022. Quinn still currently holds her position with Canada Basketball.

The game will take place around one year after the first WNBA Canada game, hosted in Toronto on May 13, 2023. That game brought in a sold-out crowd, filling Scotiabank Arena. Tickets for the 2024 game will go on general sale on March 20. Pre-sale access sign-up is currently open here.

Canada vs. USA match brings attention to unsafe playing conditions in women’s soccer

Photo from Canada Soccer

The Concacaf W Gold Cup soccer match between Team Canada and USA, unfortunately, resulted in a 2-2 loss for Canada after a relentless fight until the end of the game. The match in San Diego, California, highlighted a more extensive problem for women’s soccer. With continuous torrential downpours on the pitch that evening, players struggled to run and move the ball.

Many fans watching the game shared their frustrations online that the match wasn’t safe to play. Among sentiments shared online, the most common themes included:

• Concacaf was not prioritizing protecting the players safety.
• Preventing the opportunity for a quality soccer match to take place because of the weather conditions.
• Both coaches stated the match was unplayable.
• Players were voicing their frustrations after the game.
• Officials were not doing their part to protect the players during the game.
• The double standard is that the soccer match would have been postponed if it was a men’s game.
• The epidemic of ACL injuries is higher for women athletes, which makes the unsafe conditions on the field even more risky for the women.

New Toronto WNBA expansion team bid led by Canadian businessman Larry Tanenbaum 

Photo from LANCE MCMILLAN/TORONTO STAR

Canada’s hopes for a potential WNBA team are looking brighter. Canadian sports journalist Shireen Ahmed of CBC Sports broke the news that a new expansion team bid is in the works, hoping to bring the WNBA to Toronto/Canada. The expansion bid is being led by Canadian businessman and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) chairman and minority owner Larry Tanenbaum. He wants to lead the bid without involvement from MLSE, who were involved in a previous WNBA bid that did not work out in 2023. Tanenbaum would lead the ownership group with the help of his holding company, Kilmer Group. The WNBA is looking to add another expansion team in the next few years, making for 14 teams as part of the WNBA. While the bid is still in the works with limited information, it’s reported that Coca-Cola Coliseum is being considered as a venue. Should the bid be successful, there are also talks about building a practice facility for the team. 

Kaitlyn’s Sport Stories Recap are written by Kaitlyn Lehbert, a passionate and driven sport advocate for girls and women. Kaitlyn holds her Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Brock University. Learn more about Kaitlyn by clicking here!

Have a sport story you want to share? Contact info@fastandfemale.com and it may get featured in Kaitlyn’s next feature.