Scotiabank Arena took on a radical new look Saturday.
Yes, the venue that houses the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs has welcomed sellout crowds before. Sure, it has hosted premier sporting events and concerts alike. But never before had it accommodated 19,800 fans to watch the WNBA.
While the moment was historic both because it was the league’s first game in Canada and the number of fans in attendance, the story stretches beyond history. The game and all of its significance was like a distress signal lighting the sky with the message: WNBA Expansion Needed Now.
That is the clear takeaway as the league preps for its 27th season this week.
“There’s no question that we’re ready,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said Saturday. “When commissioner [Cathy] Engelbert thinks it’s the right business decision, obviously, we’re all going to feel really ready for that decision.”
Engelbert’s thoughts on the timing of the league’s expansion and the cities being considered have fluctuated over the last two years. At one point, the list of 100 potential cities was whittled to 10 — though it has ballooned back to 20.
As for timing, Engelbert previously stated a desire to name expansion sites by the end of 2022. But after that deadline passed, Engelbert backtracked with ambiguity, expressing a desire to “bring in two teams over the next few years.”
Roster expansion was the only aspect she was clear on stating ahead of this year’s draft, stressing rosters are the right size. Still, the next round of collective bargaining will include roster-expansion talks.
The league’s current CBA runs through the 2027 season and while Engelbert’s expectations for expansion continue to fluctuate, players are becoming more vocal on the topic.
“Expansion is more than needed,” Sky guard Feyonda Fitzgerald said. “There are too many girls out here who are good and too many players who deserve a spot on a roster, but can’t because there are only 12 spots.”
Fitzgerald is one of the six players signed to a training-camp contract by Sky coach/GM James Wade. Originally selected by the Fever in the second round of the 2017 WNBA draft, Fitzgerald is an all too common example of a player who juggles training camp opportunities hoping for one to stick.
While the outspoken support for expansion from established veterans in the WNBA is important, players such as Fitzgerald offer a unique perspective as the individuals most negatively affected by the league’s stance.
“As a female athlete, we’re already in a male-dominated arena in basketball,” Sky forward Anneli Maley said. “To be able to have more opportunities from more teams would just mean we don’t have to fight to be seen. We’re already sitting here asking people to see us. It would be nice [if there were] more teams, more opportunities, then we could keep taking those steps toward actual equality.”
Engelbert insists she will not add an expansion team just to see it fail, as has happened in the past. The Miami Sol and the Portland Fire both joined the league in 2000 but each folded in 2002. The Atlanta Dream, which joined the league in 2008, was the last successful expansion team.
The problem isn’t with Engelbert’s most commonly used explanation that she wants to establish a thriving business model for the WNBA before expanding. It’s with the lack of clarity in where the league stands in those efforts.
Tickets for the Sky’s 82-74 victory over the Lynx in Toronto sold out in less than 20 minutes. For players who were part of that history and witnessed firsthand what appears to be a market primed for a WNBA team, the waiting makes little sense when the support is so clear.
“[This game selling out] shows if you give these women a platform and an opportunity, there are people that want to see it,” Kahleah Copper told TSN. “The WNBA coming to Canada and the game selling out in 18 minutes goes to show Toronto’s ready for expansion.”
Patience is wearing thin for fans of the WNBA and the athletes that have established it as the premier league for women’s basketball.
As history continues to be made, whether with record-breaking viewership numbers or attendance, Engelbert’s vague explanations for the postponement of expansion will no longer stand.
Engelbert soon must make the historic announcement everyone is expecting.