Sports create connections between people and serve as a means of fellowship for many. Women were only allowed to play a few sports in the past few centuries.
Since then, women have fought for the ability to play the same rough-and-tumble games as their brothers.
Despite the success of women in all types of sports, female athletes continue to struggle for respect.
Allison McNeill, a retired Canadian National Women’s Basketball Team coach, said when she started as the head coach of the national team, the team didn’t have much support.
“We were ranked 23rd now, we are 4th. We always joke about this: We stayed in dorms at Humber, the University of Fraser Valley,” McNeill said. “Now the women stay in hotels; they get their own rooms.
“I’m happy they get that. I don’t want them to stay in a dorm,” she said.
The women’s national team made significant progress under McNeill and her staff. The team qualified for the 2012 Olympics, marking a historic achievement.
McNeill said despite the doubts of many, they had confidence in themselves and realized they were competent.
“It’s Canada Day in Turkey, and we got the last possible spot. Many people said you must have felt relieved that day, but it wasn’t that. It was more euphoric,” she said. “I was so proud of the players.”
Since then, Canada has continued to produce top-tier talent, yet it remains the sole high-calibre FIBA participant without a professional women’s domestic league.
As the fight for a home league continues, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert discussed the possibility of an expansion to Toronto during a media briefing held in advance of the 2023 pre-season game in Canada.
The WNBA has interest outside of the U.S. as it’s hosting its second preseason game in Canada in May in Edmonton. A sold-out game was hosted by Toronto last year, and the WNBA says television viewership in Canada rose by 32 per cent in 2023 over the previous year.
Two other preseason games were held outside the U.S., one in England and the other in Mexico.
Hope Manglal-Ian Hawks guard playing against the Reedmer Royals on Jan.13 Photo credit: Troy black/Humberhawks
The possibility of having a home team has sparked excitement among players and fans.
Hope Manglal-Ian Hawks guard said it’s time to have a home team, and it’s way overdue.
“It’s bigger than basketball; it’s giving that opportunity to a lot of young girls and creating that next generation of strong female hoopers,” she said.
Manglal-IanShe said having a WNBA team would change her plans and open up her options after college.
“Growing up, I’ve always been very limited in what my basketball career would look like in the future. So, just having that opportunity is big,” she said
Manglal-Ian said having a team within reach and the country is something to take pride in.
“It’s a different story to represent your own country, being from Canada and just hooping where you call home. That’s something way bigger than basketball,” she said.
There are reports that billionaire Larry Tanenbaum, a minority shareholder with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, is pursuing a WNBA team in Toronto. Humber News requested a comment about the reports but received no response.
While some athletes believe there needs to be more involvement from the city.
Angel Muir, a former Humber player, after participating in the first-ever Hoop Queen summer league. Photo credit: Hawi Tulu
Angel Muir, who competed for Hoop Queens and Humber, said women are abandoned in sports.
“I think Canada gets a lot of attention for different communities, but in terms of women’s sports, I feel like sometimes we’re neglected, so now we’re gaining the respect we deserve,” she said.
Muir said after playing college, women’s options are to go overseas or have a slight chance to join the WNBA.
“You can play overseas,” she said. “Different leagues exist, but only some want to go overseas. Some people just want to live in a first-world country and play.
“In this day and age, we shouldn’t always have to go overseas just to make extra earnings,” Muir said.
She said Toronto has much to offer, and she is happy that players could have options in the future.
“We’ve always had a lot of talent in our city, and now we’re just getting recognized for it in terms of diversity and coverage,” Muir said.
Iman Hassan, a sports psychologist, said having a WNBA team in Canada speaks to the demand.
“People want to bring their young daughters or young nieces or granddaughters to watch professional sports by women because we know how valuable exposure is,” she said
Hassan said seeing professional athletes who are women thriving in sports, having fun in sports, and appearing to be confident are all things young girls can look up to.
“Sport is one area where you fail a lot, So if we have young girls who are in sport and they’re constantly failing,” Hassan said. ” there needs to be that reassurance and that support for them to continue,”
McNeill said the only way to grow the game is to have more people watch it and be part of the journey.
“We don’t generally play above the rim. There are a few players, but we generally don’t play above the rim,” She said.” But there’s excellent team play, great athleticism, and great emotion,
“I think those things transcend gender,” McNeill said.