The Toronto WNBA Expansion franchise was forced to rush their name launch after a leak on the league’s site exposed the team’s name over a month early.
It’s certainly been a week in the WNBA… between the Golden State Valkyries expansion draft happening Friday, plus some inter-league trade request news, the last thing anyone thought to happen would be an info leak. Well, that happened.
On Tuesday night, a fan was surfing the WNBA’s team directory — probably looking for expansion draft info — when they saw an option for the “Toronto Tempo.” Curious, they posted a picture online… and you can guess what happened from there.
Theories on whether this was a placeholder spot or the real name, opinions, insults, everything flew around. By Wednesday morning the team’s prospective logo also leaked.
The thing is, none of this was supposed to happen until January.
A bigger launch, likely including city-wide activations and a real media tour, was set for mid-January. Yet, with everything out on the table, the franchise’s front office decided to launch Thursday morning instead.
The heartbeat of competition is Tempo— the unseen force that shapes the game.
Introducing your Toronto Tempo, the WNBA’s first international expansion team. #TorontoTempo pic.twitter.com/eCNT4AYkuG
— Toronto Tempo (@TempoBasketball) December 5, 2024
So now it’s official, the Toronto WNBA team will be called the Toronto Tempo.
With an icy blue and plum colorway, the Tempo’s identity “was inspired by the rhythm of our city, our country, and the game of basketball. In play and in life, it’s not just about how fast you move, but how you control the pulse of the world around you.” per the team’s press release.
Toronto Tempo, WNBA
Another details about the name “Tempo” include that it reads the same in French and English.
The Toronto Tempo will enter the WNBA in the 2026 season, and play at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
As you all know, I (Chelsea) was very vocal about what I wanted for a team name and identity for the Toronto franchise. I’ll get to my thoughts, BUT I just wanted to take a bit of space here for a more important thought. Whatever you think about the name, colour, logo — ultimately the way this all shook out was just downright disappointing.
Toronto deserves better, especially after we fought so hard for this team to begin with. To have maybe the most important drop of the expansion process leaked by the league, forcing a rushed drop, it’s not what anyone deserves. The team, the creatives, the fans, the city. I’m sure there were a lot of exciting ideas on how we would celebrate the launch in the new year, and all of that had to be scrapped.
Nothing we can do now, but it’s just a little disappointing how it all happened. It will be fine, but we just deserved better.
Now, let’s talk about the actual name and identity itself.
First the name, the Toronto Tempo. Going back to my very long unattainable list of wants and dislikes, the only big one this name does wrong is that it’s a singular entity. Other than that… I like it. It’s grown on me in the few days since the leak, and it will likely only grow on me more.
I love me some alliteration. The fact that we have a double alliteration here on the first and last letter of each name feels good on the tongue. It’s easy to understand and not hard to say. It’s also not a cheesy Canadian name, not a weather nod, and not overwhelmingly “Toronto” — I think it’s smart.
What people hating on it SO much need to understand is that naming a franchise is HARD in 2024. Everything is taken, everything has trademarks. Huskies was not available, many things people suggested were not available. It’s HARD to pick something everyone is going to like.
Moving on to, in my opinion, the best part — the colourway. I’ve been vocal about my desire for purple for this team. It’s a subtle nod to the Raptors, and purple is a great colour. Not too feminine or masculine, and not used in sports as much as other colours.
When the Golden State Valkyries claimed the lavender/violet and neon-ish purple scheme, I was a little disappointed for Toronto. Yet, they were able to still get purple in there by using a plum shade, and pairing it with an icy blue.
Both colours are kind of faded, which people have criticisms about, but in my opinion is great. You want colours that fans are gonna want to wear, and personally I stray away from wearing sports merch sometimes because it’s just too… loud. These colours look great together and will look great on streetwear and on the court.
Lastly, there’s the logo and graphics. Now, these were likely a little rushed given all the leaks, keep in mind. While the actual logo is leaning into a modern simplicity theme, the idea is that it’s kinda 80s. My only real tripe with it is that is shares too many similarities to other logos, like New Balance or the Indiana Pacers. Fortunately, a logo is something that can be updated with time, so who knows.
Overall, I do think a lot of people are overreacting at the news a little bit. The saddest part for me is how it all happened. We were robbed of a full, hyped, exciting drop. As someone with skin in the game as a fan of this league, and someone who has been vocal about my desire for this team, I honestly just wish it had happened properly.
People are going to have opinions no matter what, but overall the name, colours, and identity is unique to the league and to sports.
What do you think about the Toronto Tempo?
Toronto Tempo, WNBA