Joy Drop: WNBA game a great gift for women's sports on Mother's Day weekend
CBC Sports' senior contributor Shireen Ahmed on the week's happier moments
Happy Mother's Day weekend to everyone celebrating! My eldest son's birthday is today and although he is travelling through Japan with friends at the moment, I am always emotional about his birthday. He was born just before Mother's Day 23 years ago, the first time I became a Mama.
Well friends, there is so much happening in Canada about sports and women this week. First of all the espnW Summit is Friday and I am participating in a panel discussion. I am excited to represent CBC Sports and be in a fabulous space with amazing women working in the industry. It's the first conference of its kind in Canada and will be a way to connect with sports academics, media and business professionals.
The espnW Summit leads into the first WNBA game in Canada. There is a lot of excitement about this game including the fact that tickets for the lower bowl sold out in less than 20 minutes. There is a great culture of women and girls basketball in Canada but also tremendous room for growth.
This brings me a lot of happiness, friends. People are mobilizing and moving in a way to create spaces for women's sport. This is a fantastic time to invest in and pay attention to women's sport, and women and sport in Canada.
The other thing that brought me happiness is a 12-foot 3D sculpture that weighs 2000 pounds.
This beautiful statue is based on the WNBA logo and is truly a vision to behold. I went with my colleague John to have a look. It was featured at the base of the CN Tower and will be at the game on Saturday. Fans are invited to sign it and show their support.
Another campaign looking to draw attention to gaps in women's sport landscape is Ally Hoop. An NBA mascot earns three times more than the top paid WNBA player. That fact is astounding. So, Ally Hoop (the mascot) was created to draw attention to issues of equal pay. The intention is to increase funding for Fast and Female, an organization that promotes healthy and active living in girls ages 8-14. We know that girls drop out of sports in high numbers by the age of 16, so Fast and Female helps encourage girls and support their participation in sports.
My friend, Gaby Estrada, is the executive director of Fast and Female. She told me why visibility of women in sports is so important for girls in Canada, and pointed to the WNBA exhibition game that is being played in Toronto on Saturday.
"One of the core things of Fast and Female is to highlight role models of all sporting levels, involvement, and backgrounds," she said. "Sometimes it's hard because athletes leave Canada [to play as a career]. But there are pathways for girls to be professional athletes. This weekend, on Canadian soil, you have professional basketball players. And they can see a potential future from athletes, coaches, and officials."
Access to more role models is always a win. Laeticia Amihere is an NCAA champion and was recently drafted to the WNBA. She is also a spokesperson for Ally Hoop.
I spoke to CanWNT's Janine Beckie, an ambassador of the Ally Hoop campaign about having spaces in Canada to celebrate and support women's sport.
"As a Canadian soccer player, for so long it has seemed impossible to play consistently in Canada," she said over a Zoom call.
She pointed out that some of the reasons the women's soccer team was given for lack of matches or competition at home were financial barriers, lack of resources (playing on turf) and even climate. Bottom line is there are no domestic leagues.
"You take our women's basketball team — some of the best athletes in the country — and also knowing that they have to go elsewhere to play professionally," she said. "It's just really sad that Canadian sports fans — as well as the athletes — have been conditioned to realize it's the reality."
Beckie noted that one person spearheaded an idea and now it's a movement becoming the new reality in our backyards. Ally Hoop is not directly connected to the WNBA but the purpose behind it transcends borders and affects all women in sport.
I can't wait for this momentum in women's sports to continue and move ahead.
In honour of the greatest women I know, my Maman, here we are on our favourite beach in the world on Prince Edward Island. I hope you celebrate the moms with all the joys and wins possible.
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