Over the weekend, the WNBA hosted its first game in Canada with the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky facing each other at the Scotiabank Arena. The Sky led by Kahleah Copper totaled 18 points en route to a 82-74 victory. More than that, other historic things happened in the game. Bridget Carleton played on her home soil as the only Canadian that saw playing time. The Sky's Courtney Williams scored the first bucket in Canada. The first WNBA 3-pointer in the land of the north was sunk by Lynx's Dana Evans.
However, none of these were more important than the sold-out crowd in the WNBA's first game in Canada. It had the most preseason attendance ever with 19,923 fans in the stadium, as well as the most-watched WNBA preseason game. The business side of things was also going well for the league. The in-arena merchandise was almost sold-out with 98% of them being bought. Internationally, there was a 506% increase in merchandise sales compared to last year's income.
These prove that Canadian fans are more than ready for a WNBA expansion team and are already clamoring for it. In-person attendees brought their energy to make Scotiabank Arena feel alive as seen in viral clips and tweets.
History.
Canada’s first ever WNBA game is in the books & it was a fun one, with Chicago defeating Minnesota.
If it wasn’t clear already, it sure is after this weekend. The interest is there. The support is there. If Toronto doesn’t have a team in the next 5 yrs I’ll be shocked pic.twitter.com/4y7DIiOK5j
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 13, 2023
Final numbers from Canada's first WNBA game:
W/ 19,923 fans, it was the highest attended preseason WNBA game in history
98% of in-arena merch was purchased, and online sales were up 506% compared to last year.
Big numbers. Toronto showed out, and they're ready for a team
— Samson Folk (the coach) (@samfolkk) May 15, 2023
BREAKING NEWS: FIRST WNBA Game held in Canada sets records for attendance, viewership and merchandise sales. We did it!! Now, how much longer do we have to wait for? 🤔 19,923 fans is a record for most watched WNBA preseason game and second most watched WNBA game ever.
— Aneela (@WHoopsBlogger) May 15, 2023
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert confirmed through The Athletic's Richard Deitsch that Toronto is one of the finalists that may get an expansion team. The shortlist of cities includes the Bay Area, Portland, Nashville, Charlotte, Denver, and Austin. If this happens, Canada would now be home to three teams and will join the NBA's Toronto Raptors and G league's Raptors 905.
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