Latest news with #Downtown
CTV News
11 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘Resurgence of WAGs': Sport researchers say spouses of athletes growing in popularity
Connor McDavid (97) pets his dog as he is honoured for his 1000 points along with family members before taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets in Edmonton on Thursday, December 5, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson A new business in a historic downtown Edmonton building is generating some major buzz. Several social media influencers recently walked a red carpet leading into Bar Trove and the Trove Living furniture showroom for a media tour ahead of its June 6 opening. They ate oysters and sipped cocktails as a DJ played music and security guards stood outside. The woman behind the venture, seen at the event clad in a glittery pink dress, is Lauren Kyle McDavid, the wife of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. 'To have this star's wife putting money into our city and investing in our city is really special,' said Quinn Phillips, a spokeswoman for the Edmonton Downtown Business Association and a former sports reporter. 'Everything is kind of buzzing now in downtown.' Kyle McDavid was not immediately available for an interview, but she is one of several modern WAGs — an acronym for wives and girlfriends — making names for themselves. Judy Liao, who teaches sociology of sport and gender studies at the University of Alberta, says the buzz Kyle McDavid's business has been getting online shows how much of an interest people take in the lives of athletes' significant others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sports wives saw their social media followers go up as they began posting more, Liao says. The popular streaming service Netflix has also created shows following the lives of WAGs in recent years. 'The resurgence of WAGs is really because of social media.' Liao says the WAG trend first became popular in the early 2000s. '(Soccer star) David Beckham is a key person to think about in this phenomenon because his wife is Posh Spice,' she says, referring to British singer Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls. 'After they started dating, they officially entered their pop culture celebrity status. Posh Spice was already a celebrity. They became so iconic, recognizable, so visible, it becomes not just about soccer or football anymore.' Demand for more details on their lifestyle went up as tabloid magazines chased them around and gathered details that made the couple prime subjects of media gossip, Liao said. 'It was the modern fairy tale. The story is so enticing,' she said. The era was different from today, she says, as the Beckhams didn't release details about their lifestyle on their own. Fast-forward to 2025, and WAGs are gaining visibility with social media and online content created by the influencers themselves, Liao says. Most of the resurgence has been in the United States, but Canada isn't immune to the trend. Stephanie LaChance, who is married to Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner, is often the subject of headlines. In the United States, pop star Taylor Swift has been labelled the ultimate WAG in news headlines for her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce. Liao says some sport sociologists have been calling Swift the 'Yoko Ono of the NFL' because of how many women she has attracted to the game. Unlike the Beckhams, Liao says modern WAGs can control their narratives and tend to blend social media posts about sports with entries about their lives. 'Social media is a really important place to construct and show people themselves as a person, not just a profession,' she says. Young fans of McDavid who are avid social media users are happy to follow WAGs, she adds. Cheri Bradish, director of the Future of Sport Lab, says Kyle McDavid's fame is an interesting case study. 'Lauren is very active on social media,' Bradish says. 'There were many videos of her wedding, which Vogue covered.' She has also posted about the interior design firm she founded, Kyle & Co Design Studio, and regularly shares photos of the apparel she develops for Sports Club Atelier with Oilers branding. Bradish says Kyle McDavid's ties to the NHL have helped her monetize her work. 'Social media has really created opportunities, and it's not surprising,' Bradish says. 'She's a part of this whole community and whole industry of influencers.' Bradish also saw the WAG resurgence really take off during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'The sports industry, and athletes in particular, needed to figure out ways to speak with fans and consumers,' she says. But Brandish has mixed feelings about how trendy they've become. Some WAGs like Kyle McDavid have used their relationships as leverage, but Brandish says she should also be commended for her personal identity and professional background in interior design and business. 'The bigger picture here, in an authentic way, is that social media has really created opportunities. This interest from consumers in the WAG story is really powerful.' 'The rising of WAGs is one big factor for that.' --Fakiha Baig This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2025.
Globe and Mail
12 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Sport researchers say spouses of athletes growing in popularity
A new business in a historic downtown Edmonton building is generating some major buzz. Several social media influencers recently walked a red carpet leading into Bar Trove and the Trove Living furniture showroom for a media tour ahead of its June 6 opening. They ate oysters and sipped cocktails as a DJ played music and security guards stood outside. The woman behind the venture, seen at the event clad in a glittery pink dress, is Lauren Kyle McDavid, the wife of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. 'To have this star's wife putting money into our city and investing in our city is really special,' said Quinn Phillips, a spokeswoman for the Edmonton Downtown Business Association and a former sports reporter. 'Everything is kind of buzzing now in downtown.' Kyle McDavid was not immediately available for an interview, but she is one of several modern WAGs – an acronym for wives and girlfriends – making names for themselves. Judy Liao, who teaches sociology of sport and gender studies at the University of Alberta, says the buzz Kyle McDavid's business has been getting online shows how much of an interest people take in the lives of athletes' significant others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sports wives saw their social media followers go up as they began posting more, Liao says. The popular streaming service Netflix has also created shows following the lives of WAGs in recent years. 'The resurgence of WAGs is really because of social media.' Liao says the WAG trend first became popular in the early 2000s. '(Soccer star) David Beckham is a key person to think about in this phenomenon because his wife is Posh Spice,' she says, referring to British singer Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls. 'After they started dating, they officially entered their pop culture celebrity status. Posh Spice was already a celebrity. They became so iconic, recognizable, so visible, it becomes not just about soccer or football anymore.' Demand for more details on their lifestyle went up as tabloid magazines chased them around and gathered details that made the couple prime subjects of media gossip, Liao said. 'It was the modern fairy tale. The story is so enticing,' she said. The era was different from today, she says, as the Beckhams didn't release details about their lifestyle on their own. Fast-forward to 2025, and WAGs are gaining visibility with social media and online content created by the influencers themselves, Liao says. Most of the resurgence has been in the United States, but Canada isn't immune to the trend. Stephanie LaChance, who is married to Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner, is often the subject of headlines. In the United States, pop star Taylor Swift has been labelled the ultimate WAG in news headlines for her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce. Liao says some sport sociologists have been calling Swift the 'Yoko Ono of the NFL' because of how many women she has attracted to the game. Unlike the Beckhams, Liao says modern WAGs can control their narratives and tend to blend social media posts about sports with entries about their lives. 'Social media is a really important place to construct and show people themselves as a person, not just a profession,' she says. Young fans of McDavid who are avid social media users are happy to follow WAGs, she adds. Cheri Bradish, director of the Future of Sport Lab, says Kyle McDavid's fame is an interesting case study. 'Lauren is very active on social media,' Bradish says. 'There were many videos of her wedding, which Vogue covered.' She has also posted about the interior design firm she founded, Kyle & Co Design Studio, and regularly shares photos of the apparel she develops for Sports Club Atelier with Oilers branding. Bradish says Kyle McDavid's ties to the NHL have helped her monetize her work. 'Social media has really created opportunities, and it's not surprising,' Bradish says. 'She's a part of this whole community and whole industry of influencers.' Bradish also saw the WAG resurgence really take off during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'The sports industry, and athletes in particular, needed to figure out ways to speak with fans and consumers,' she says. But Brandish has mixed feelings about how trendy they've become. Some WAGs like Kyle McDavid have used their relationships as leverage, but Brandish says she should also be commended for her personal identity and professional background in interior design and business. 'The bigger picture here, in an authentic way, is that social media has really created opportunities. This interest from consumers in the WAG story is really powerful.' 'The rising of WAGs is one big factor for that.'
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Netflix just dropped a chaotic trailer for the next crime thriller from the creators of 'Money Heist' — and it looks like a wild watch
Miss "Money Heist?" Netflix recently dropped a teaser trailer (and release date!) for the creators' next show, "Billionaires' Bunker" — and it looks like a gripping watch. Swapping break-ins for sit-ins, Álex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato's upcoming Spanish crime thriller invites us inside a luxury, "Fallout"-style underground bunker alongside a group of super-rich elites who've locked themselves away in fear of global conflict. Judging by the scenes in this "Billionaires' Bunker" teaser, life within the bunker really goes off the rails. Check it out below: Soundtracked with the incongruously cheery song, "Downtown," the teaser wastes little time before showing that life inside Kimera Underground Park (where they've taken shelter) is going to be anything but easy. Within about 1 minute's worth of footage, we see snapshots of fraught relationships, disagreements, fights, emotional troubles, and an explosive hint that life as we know it (i.e., outside this powderkeg setting) might well be coming to its end. Clearly, tensions between these billionaires (and the staff locked away along with them!) are about to run very high indeed... Can't wait to see what's in store? This first "Billionaires' Bunker" teaser confirms that we'll be stepping inside this exclusive new home in just a few months, as the new series premieres exclusively on Netflix on Friday, September 19. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. If the above chaos wasn't enough to earn "Billionaires' Bunker" a spot on your September watchlist, Netflix has already shared a synopsis for the new series. It reads: "In a luxury bunker designed to endure any imaginable catastrophe, a group of billionaires is forced to coexist after locking themselves in due to the threat of an unprecedented global conflict. Kimera Underground Park becomes a claustrophobic setting for two families marked by a wound from the past. Isolated underground and with no possibility of escape, they unleash personalities uncovering their most unconfessable secrets. But the most unexpected alliances also emerge. An excessive and surprising emotional X-ray of billionaires living in a golden hole." We've also had confirmation of which stars will be taking up residence within the "Billionaires' Bunker." The series stars Miren Ibarguren, Joaquín Furriel, Natalia Verbeke, Carlos Santos, Montse Guallar, Pau Simón, Alicia Falcó, Agustina Bisio, and Álex Villazán, among others. If you want an extra taste of what's in store, Netflix shared a Spanish-language video walking us through the facilities available inside Kimera Underground Park over on the Netflix Spain YouTube channel. Need something to stream while you wait for "Billionaires' Bunker" to hit your screen? Be sure to check out our definitive guide to the best Netflix shows for tons of streaming recommendations to keep you entertained in the meantime.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Residents call for removal of bike lanes along The Esplanade in Toronto
Currently under construction along The Esplanade. A group of residents has come together to say they don't want them. CTV's Allison Hurst reports. A community organization wants the City of Toronto to remove the dedicated bike lanes that are currently being installed along The Esplanade. The Downtown Concerned Citizens Organization (DCCO) held a news conference on Wednesday morning, outlining the 'chaos and harm' they say the bike lanes cause in the city. 'Bike lanes restrict road space, making it tough to drive seniors to important medical and other appointments,' said Sharon Danley, a resident representing three seniors' buildings on the street. '[They] have turned streets into parking lots with residents unable to stop, get their kids to events, and seriously impact emergency services and transit.' The city held a public consultation for the project from October 2019 until March 2021, and reported at the time that, 'overall feedback was largely supportive.' 'We represent 58,000 plus people in the downtown core in three different wards and they've all specifically said they want the bike lanes contained or removed all together,' said DCCO's Dana McKiel. Aly Somani, the owner of nearby Buster's Sea Cove at St. Lawrence Market, said his regular customers are expressing frustration about the bike lanes. 'A lot of [them] are already upset that there's nowhere to stop,' he told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday. 'People bike here in this city probably less than six months in the year and there's a lot of people impacted by these decisions 365 days a year.' Area resident Inge Shardy told CTV News Toronto that she worries about getting around. 'In the winter, the sidewalks are not cleaned, [so] how are we going to get to walk down there to get into a cab or wheel trans,' she said. After passing the controversial Bill 212, the Ontario government was in the process of ripping up bike lanes on Bloor and Yonge streets and University Avenue, however that work has been paused after a judge granted an injunction following a charter challenge. 'We'll be in direct contact with the lawyers for the Province of Ontario to ensure that we remove these bike lanes,' McKiel said. In a statement, city spokesperson Laura McQuillan said the contract to build the bikeway on The Esplanade was awarded in March 2024, adding that, 'Bill 212 allows projects with contracts awarded before the new rules started to continue without restrictions.' 'Because this contract was awarded before the rules took effect, the City can move forward with the Esplanade-Mill Street Connection project as approved by Toronto City Council,' McQuillan said. Cyclist Dennis Rijkhoff says biking on The Esplanade currently is unsafe. 'I bike and my children are learning to bike right now, and I think that being able to do that safely in the city is integral part of living [here],' he told CTV News Toronto after listening to comments by other attendants at the news conference. 'Their concerns are 100 per cent valid. We have to take care of our elderly, they need to be able to live here just as much as me and my sons need to be able to live here in a good way and get around in an efficient and safe manner.' The construction on The Esplanade bike lanes, which includes updates to the city's watermain and sewer system, is scheduled to be finished on June 30.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Fire in Boston sends heavy smoke over downtown
Crews are on the scene of a fire at a building in Downtown Boston Wednesday afternoon. The fire broke out at a building on 128 Milk St. at around 2 p.m., according to the Boston Fire Department. Thick smoke and flames could be seen coming out of the building's roof. WBZ-TV has a crew heading to the scene and will have more information on this story as soon as it develops.
