TORONTO, May 11, 2023 – At the WNBA Canada Game presented by Tangerine – the first WNBA game in Canada – the Chicago Sky and the Minnesota Lynx will play a pre-season game to a sold-out crowd on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, AN. Fans in Canada can watch the WNBA Canada Game presented by Tangerine live on Sportsnet and TSN at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Below is an overview of the game and the WNBA in Canada by the numbers:
WNBA Canada Game presented by Tangerine
1 – The WNBA Canada Game presented by Tangerine will be the first WNBA game in Canada.
3 The game will be the third preseason WNBA game played outside of the United States, following games in Monterrey, Mexico in 2004 (Detroit Shock vs. San Antonio Silver Stars) and Manchester, England in 2011 (Atlanta Dream vs. Great Britain). women’s national team).
3 – The game will be broadcast live on three channels in Canada and the US – in Canada on Sportsnet and TSN and in the US on Bally Sports North – and will be streamed on WNBA League Pass.
4 WNBA Canada Game Partners have created four bespoke WNBA-themed TV commercials to be played on air, social media or in the arena to promote the league in Canada: DoorDash, Tangerine, Mastercard and OLG.
10 – In celebration of the game, 10 retailers and entrepreneurs have created WNBA limited-edition collections: Peace Collective, Makeway; and presented by Mastercard at WNBA Goods: Barbays, Give & Grow, Mood Unkwn, Naked Beauty Bar, Rashelle, Santa Isla, Scents by Fay and Tonic Blooms.
12 – In collaboration with Tangerine, the WNBA created a 12-foot tall, larger-than-life WNBA logo sculpture that will be traveling through downtown Toronto for fans to sign in celebration of the game. Fans can find locations and times at WNBACanadaGame.com.
16 – 16 marketing partners are active around the game: Tangerine Bank, Air Canada, Bell, Canada Goose, Canadian Tire Corporation, DoorDash, Gatorade, Hennessy, Mastercard, Metrolinx, Michelob Ultra, Nike, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), RE /MAX, Sun Life and YouTube.
40 – DoorDash invited 40 women basketball players from two provinces to participate in the game.
100 – Nike will bring together 100 Toronto-area basketball coaches for a pre-game brunch to discuss the future of the game in Canada.
200 – The game will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories around the world on television and social media, including the WNBA League Pass.
360 – Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) will host a 360-degree photo booth for fans on May 13 from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Go Bay Concourse, Union Station (near Scotiabank Arena Galleria) for them to to take photos before the game.
WNBA in Canada
5 – The 2023 WNBA Training Camp rosters featured five Canadians: Kia Nurse (Seattle Storm) of Hamilton, Bridget Carleton of Chatham, ON, Natalie Achonwa of Toronto and Keishana Washington (Lynx) of Pickering, ON, and Laeticia Amihere (Atlanta Dream ) from Mississauga, ON.
5 – The Canada women’s national team is ranked 5th in the world (FIBA rankings, February 2023)
8th – Amihere was drafted 8th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2023 WNBA Draft.
27 – The WNBA will celebrate its 27th season in 2023.
95 – Over the past three years, average regular-season WNBA viewership in Canada has increased by 95%.
282M – In 2022, the WNBA’s social media channels set an engagement record with 282 million video views (+42% YoY) and traffic on WNBA.com nearly doubled in unique visitors (5.4 million, up 99% YoY) and total visits (9.2 million, up 79% YoY) and page views (23.8 million, up 83% YoY).