The Toronto Tempo used halftime of Tuesday night’s game against the Indiana Fever to unveil the first mascots in franchise history, including one character identified with she/they pronouns.
The expansion club, competing in its debut season as Canada’s first WNBA franchise, introduced two team ambassadors: Dot, an Arctic hare who uses she/her pronouns, and Dez, a snapping turtle who uses she/they pronouns.
Team officials said the pair is meant to reimagine the familiar tortoise-and-hare story through a Toronto Tempo lens, built around the idea that “knowing when to change pace can be just as important as the pace itself.”
“From the beginning, we wanted our mascots to feel distinctly Tempo – rooted in who we are as a Canadian team,” said Whitney Bell, the Tempo’s chief marketing officer.
“Dez and Dot have completely different personalities, but they’re better together. One knows when to slow things down, the other knows when to turn the energy all the way up.”
The reveal gave the night an added storyline, arriving as the Tempo welcomed Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever to Scotiabank Arena.
The Toronto Tempo debuted their new mascots at halftime of Tuesday’s game against the Indiana Fever, including one character who uses she/they pronouns
The mascot announcement came on the same night the Toronto Tempo hosted Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever at Scotiabank Arena
Cunningham has recently been at the center of intense league-wide debate after expressing her views on biological gender participation in women’s sports during an interview with ESPN.
Cunningham’s stance sparked uproar around the league, drawing both criticism and support alike. Two former NBA stars, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft in an apparent protest.
Freedom, who played in the NBA for 11 seasons and stands at 6ft 10in, announced his plans to declare for the WNBA Draft earlier this month amid the ongoing debate surrounding transgender athlete involvement in sports.
The former hoops star, who allegedly sent a provocative letter to WNBA commissioner, has sparked widespread criticism with his divisive decision.
Meanwhile, since his statement of intent, another former NBA star, White, has followed suit, also declaring for the WNBA Draft.
The 35-year-old, who only played three games in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings, told Fox News Digital that he is now transgender and wants to join the likes of Clark and Cunningham on the court next season.
White later doubled down by posting a picture of himself wearing a wig on social media.
WNBA general managers and presidents met last week as part of an anti-hate task force to discuss the subject of athlete eligibility amid the transgender debate.
The franchise confirmed that Dez, a Snapping Turtle, uses she/they pronouns
The debate over transgender inclusion has rocked the WNBA in recent weeks (Pictured: WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert)
Despite the uproar, the powers-that-be determined that there were no issues with its eligibility criteria, suggesting that no changes would be made.
The league announced following the meeting that it had ruled that there were ‘no immediate eligibility matters affecting’ the WNBA at this time.
WNBA chiefs also took the chance to address the recent storm surrounding the league, hitting out at ‘bad-faith efforts’ to ‘marginalize others.’
‘Today’s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online,’ a spokesman for the league said in a statement, via The New York Post.
‘We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months. We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league.
‘There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.’
