Latest news with #TorontoTempo
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New WNBA Franchise Makes Big Announcement on Friday
New WNBA Franchise Makes Big Announcement on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. While the 2025 WNBA season is rolling full speed ahead, one franchise is already building excitement for its 2026 debut. The Toronto Tempo, awarded an expansion team in December 2024, will become the 14th franchise in WNBA history and the first based outside the United States. The team will play its home games at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Advertisement In February, the Tempo named Monica Wright Rogers as their general manager. Now, they've made another major move to strengthen their front office. Ben Pickman of The Athletic reported on Friday: "Eli Horowitz, a longtime Los Angeles Sparks staffer and their current assistant GM, is taking a job at the Toronto Tempo as their AGM and SVP of basketball strategy." Horowitz brings a wealth of experience, having spent seven seasons with the Sparks as assistant general manager and vice president. He will be Toronto's new assistant general manager and senior vice president of basketball strategy. He'll work closely with Wright Rogers to oversee the team's salary cap management, basketball operations, analytics and scouting efforts. Eli Horowitz (left), shown during his time as assistant general manager of the LA Sparks, was named the new assistant GM and senior vice president of basketball strategy for the Toronto Lee-Imagn Images The team released a memo to announce Horowitz's hiring, and Wright Rogers shared her thoughts on bringing him aboard. Advertisement 'I'm thrilled to have Eli on board as we shape the Tempo into a winning WNBA franchise,' Rogers said. 'He brings impeccable credentials to our front office — elite scouting, advanced analytics, innovation around our cap strategy and a winning mindset.' She added: 'Just as important, we share core values around culture and collaboration, and a vision to build something lasting. He's the ideal partner to shape a first-class franchise for our inaugural season and beyond.' During his tenure in Los Angeles, Horowitz played a key role in bringing stars like Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson to the Sparks. Advertisement As Toronto prepares for its inaugural season, it's clear the Tempo is focused on building a strong, forward-thinking foundation from day one. Related: ESPN's Monica McNutt Makes Strong Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Statement Related: Caitlin Clark's Behavior Toward Referee in Fever-Mystics is Turning Heads This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBC
24-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
WNBA's Toronto Tempo will be 'Canada's team,' president says, as 1-year countdown begins
Social Sharing As Toronto Tempo begins the one-year countdown to its inaugural tip off with a weekend of celebrations, the president of Canada's first WNBA franchise said she hopes the team will draw hundreds of thousands of fans from coast to coast. "We have the opportunity to create something really unique and really special for the first team outside of the U.S.," said Teresa Resch. "We're truly going to be Canada's team." Tempo fans gathered in Toronto Saturday to play basketball and attend panels exploring the game's cultural impact in celebration of the one-year mark before the opening game. STACKT Market is hosting an event this weekend near Bathurst and Front Street W. that will allow fans to "interact with the Tempo brand" for the first time, Resch said. The event is running from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Fans can play basketball and check out a merch pop-up store. There will also be three panels a day, touching on subjects that include how food, fashion and art intersect with basketball, Resch said. Speakers will include Monica Rogers, the team's general manager, and Lily Singh, a part-owner and Canadian media star who is also the team's chief hype officer. Resch said 19 people are currently working for the team, which will go up to 50 by tip off — including a full coaching staff and medical team. Players will join the team through the expansion draft, college draft and free agency in the lead-up to next year's season, she said. "Our mission is to win championships and prove that women' s basketball is an incredible business," Resch said. "I think we're well on our way." Women's basketball 'changing the culture' Among those at Saturday's event was Brey Johnson, head coach for Lay-Up, a Toronto charity that provides free basketball programming for children. The U.S. has rallied around women's basketball recently, Johnson said, and she thinks the enthusiasm will spill over north of the border. "Women's basketball right now is having a movement. It's really changing the culture," she said. More girls are getting involved in the sport, and boys who don't play with girls are noticing more and more that "women can ball too," she said. Johnson said she's always wanted to live in a city with a WNBA team. She said she expects the first game will be "very special," with people from all communities in the city coming out to support the team.
Cision Canada
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Cision Canada
TORONTO TEMPO MARKS ONE YEAR TO TIP-OFF WITH IMMERSIVE TEMPO LIVE EVENT
TORONTO, May 16, 2025 /CNW/ - The countdown is on! For the first time ever, the Toronto Tempo is giving fans the chance to come together in person at Tempo LIVE, a can't-miss celebration at STACKT Market on May 24 & 25. The event kicks off a countdown to tip-off - the team is just one year away from making its WNBA debut. Tempo LIVE, presented in partnership with Destination Toronto, will feature a collection of immersive and interactive fan experiences, including: Tempo Fan Camp, presented by founding partner CIBC – the ultimate rally spot where visitors can make their own pennant flags, get Tempo airbrush tattoos, and sign a banner that will hang at future Tempo home court Coca-Cola Coliseum. The Tempo Talks Speaker Series, presented by founding partner Sephora Canada – featuring an array of conversations on the beauty of basketball culture. Scheduled speakers include General Manager of the Toronto Tempo, Monica Wright Rogers, Juno Award-winning artist, Jully Black, VP of Product of October's Very Own (OVO), Michael Kerr, and the newest addition to the Tempo ownership group – Canadian actress, writer and advocate, Lilly Singh. Merchandise pop-up shop featuring Peace Collective, Roots, and Nike. An interactive and inclusive basketball skills course called the "Tempo Drill," where fans can show off their hustle on the court to win a pair of tickets to a future Tempo game. Fans will be able to place a deposit on season tickets and memberships on-site. Deposits can also be made online at "Our fans are at the heart of this team," explains Whitney Bell, Chief Marketing Officer, Tempo Basketball Club. "There's no better way to mark a year to tip-off than by bringing that community together and letting them experience the Tempo brand in person. We can't wait to get a first taste of the passion, energy and excitement that is going to power this team into 2026 and beyond." The team is also marking a year to tip-off with the release of a :60 film centred on the concept of 'tempo' – the heartbeat of competition and the unseen force that drives the game. Set to the rhythm of our city and the pace of the game, the spot captures the unstoppable energy and diversity of a team—and a country—on the rise. Tempo LIVE is taking place on May 24 & 25, 2025, from 11:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M. EST at STACKT Market (28 Bathurst Street, Toronto). Fans can sign up for more information about the event and RSVP to panels at Entry will be subject to capacity. While registering doesn't secure a spot, registrants will be kept close to event details as they unfold. About Toronto Tempo In May 2024, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced its expansion into Canada by awarding Toronto an expansion team, the league's first outside the United States. The new team, owned by Kilmer Sports Ventures, will begin play in the 2026 season as the WNBA's 14th franchise. Sephora Canada and CIBC are the team's first announced founding partners. Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of Kilmer Sports Ventures and a 30-year veteran of building championship-caliber teams, is also Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors and Chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA's Toronto Raptors, NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, MLS' Toronto FC and other professional sports franchises. Under his leadership, the Raptors won their first NBA championship in 2019.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WNBA Toronto Franchise Builds ‘Canada's Team' Amid Tariff Tension
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. Advertisement More from 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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.' Advertisement Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
CTV News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Scarborough's Lilly Singh part-owner, chief ‘hype' officer to Toronto Tempo
Scarborough's very own Lilly Singh is officially joining the ownership ranks of the WNBA's Toronto Tempo, as well as being an official 'hype' officer for the franchise. The actor and former late-night talk show host expressed her love for Toronto and the positive impact team sports has for girls and women as part of the reasons why she wanted to join the ownership group behind the Tempo team. 'I know from experience that in every corner of the world, one thing always rings true: the positive impact that participating in sports and the sports community has on girls and women,' Singh said in a release issued on Tuesday. 'I love women. I love Toronto. Joining the ownership group of the Tempo is an absolute no-brainer. I can't think of anything else I would rather spend my money, time and hype-woman energy on.' On top of being part-owner, Singh is also tasked as being the Tempo's Chief Hype Officer, which the team says is focused on amplifying the excitement for the Tempo both on and off the court. To do that, Singh will be charged with helming in-game rituals, ramping up excitement among fans and celebrating women's basketball as a whole. 'She's been one of the earliest and most vocal supporters of this team, and we're thrilled to have her as part of our ownership group,' Teresa Resch, the club's president, said in a release. 'Her expertise in online community-building and socially-driven storytelling, not to mention her deep passion for this game, this league and this city, will be absolutely invaluable.' Singh is not the only celebrity who has an ownership stake, as 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams announced her part-owner status earlier this year. The Tempo will play their home games at the Coca-Cola Coliseum starting in 2026, but will also host regular-season contests across Canada.
