Canada’s first WNBA team has a long to-do list before it tips off its inaugural season.
The Toronto Tempo are looking to build their fan base and sign more corporate partners, among other goals. Their arrival in a major sports market next season though comes amid strained relations between the U.S. and Canada. The Trump administration has not only imposed tariffs on goods, but the president has also floated the idea of the country becoming the “51st state,” which has angered many of the U.S’s northern neighbors.
Tempo president Teresa Resch says she and her staff are monitoring the situation, as many Canadians are reconsidering their relationship with the U.S.
“We’re paying very close attention,” Resch said in a phone interview. “Because we’re Canada’s team, there’s a lot of national pride around that.”
The tension between both countries—exacerbated by an ongoing trade war—has extended to sports with Canadian hockey and basketball fans at times booing the U.S. national anthem before games. In baseball, not as many Toronto Blue Jays fans as in years past are making the trip to watch their favorite team face the Mariners in Seattle. It’s part of the overall decline in border crossings between the U.S. and Canada since the tariffs were imposed, dropping 17%, according to U.S. customs and border protection data.
Resch, a former Toronto Raptors executive who has dual citizenship, said that the franchise’s early days haven’t negatively been impacted by the diplomatic spat, at least not yet. The league’s 14th team has already received more than 8,000 season-ticket deposits without formal marketing.
“We feel like sports is an incredible diplomatic tool,” she said. “More than anything, people come to sports to escape some of their worries from a day-to-day… We want super intense Tempo fans and look forward to creating spaces where people can enjoy life.”
Kilmer Sports Ventures, owned by billionaire businessman Larry Tanenbaum, has committed to spend more than $100 million on the expansion team. It has already inked two founding sponsors with Toronto bank CIBC and Sephora Canada. The beauty brand notably announced last year that it did not make large donations to Trump’s presidential campaign after various viral social media posts calling for a boycott alleged that it did.
While the Tempo look to fill other major sponsorship categories over the next year, with commercial rights across the country secured, they’re also looking to drive brand awareness locally. They’re slated to host their first live fan event called Tempo LIVE in downtown Toronto next weekend.
The Tempo, which call tennis icon Serena Williams and media star Lilly Singh limited partners, have received information and best practice notes from the Golden State Valkyries, who begin their inaugural season this week. They’ve also been in communication with leadership at Portland’s new expansion WNBA team. Resch says the franchise will also try to capitalize on fan engagement and other related initiatives that the Blue Jays and Raptors have previously found to be successful.
The team’s new general manager Monica Wright Rogers meanwhile will spend this upcoming season evaluating talent for both the expansion and college draft as well as preparing for a historic free agency period next year. Expanding the league’s presence in Canada, the Tempo are scheduled to begin play at Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum next year and will also host regular season games in Montreal and Vancouver. The WNBA will play its first regular season game outside of the U.S., a matchup between the Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm, in Vancouver in August.
Despite the strained relationship between both countries at the political level, the Tempo are focused on having a smooth launch next year and adding to the W’s current momentum.
“We can really help the league grow,” Resch said. “Exposure and recognition of the league is low [here], and we hope to change that.”