Why wasn’t someone other than MLSE interested in the opportunity to own a WNBA franchise in Toronto?
hoennking502
Nobody wants to lose money, why do it lol
henry_why416
Where Bill Burr at on this? Lol.
Icy-Lime-9760
50 million expansion fee for a team that will operate at a loss is crazy to me
Raptorsthrowaway1
MLSE are not in the business of losing money (I’m no fan of MLSE, just stating a fact)
If there was such a burgeoning market for a WNBA team in Toronto there would be multiple consortiums lining up to get in on it
lillithfair98
“That decision — which shut Toronto out from the booming women’s sports industry at a time of unprecedented growth — came at a contentious board meeting that split representatives from the three companies that control MLSE, sources told the Star. “It was (Rogers CEO) Tony (Staffieri) and (Rogers chair) Edward (Rogers) against, everyone else for,” said a source familiar with the discussion, who, along with other sources quoted in this story, was granted anonymity to speak frankly about confidential board matters.
The opposition from Rogers and Staffieri came despite an internal MLSE business case, presented to the board, that multiple sources say projected a potential path to profitability for the franchise (after several years of losses) and in the face of passionate support for the idea from some senior figures within the organization. It also flew in the face of external research suggesting the market for professional women’s sports in Canada is massively underserved.”
So… Rogers alone refused to invest in the WNBA despite MLSE having a business case showing a ground floor investment could lead to future profits. All the people saying “MLSE doesn’t want to lose money”…. clearly either you believe they also don’t like to make money by investing in growth potential, or that Bell does not like to make money because they supported it?
OnlyMayoFans
That is a shame, I personally would watch and cheer for a WNBA team in Canada. It would be kind of cool since the season doesn’t overlap with the NBA!
danhoyuen
let’s blame Ed Rogers without knowing the full story.
Kevita24
Ownership “How much money will we make if we start a WNBA team”
Accountant “You won’t make any money…you might even lose some”
Ownership “Ok, well then it makes no sense to bring a team here”
Women who have never watched a single WNBA game:
jjkiller26
Would’ve been a great way to promote the sport to young women in the GTA and Canada, shame they didnt pursue it
Los_Lobos
The absolute audacity of a 50 million expansion fee is unreal. The entire WNBA salary cap is like 70 million USD, even with the conversion rate MLSE would be paying roughly half the entire leagues cap just to set up a team that operates as a charity rather than a profitable business.
The funny thing is that I know if Toronto got a WNBA team, after the novelty wore off there would be no one at those games. In a way, the WNBA saved Toronto from itself.
The Raptors were profitable since day one. In fact, they had some of the strongest league attendance numbers in the early years.
mcmike8
“we know you have a lot of money and you will pay us a ridiculous expansion fee to run a business that loses money or we’ll say you hate women!”
Huge-Split6250
Rogers has no vision for basketball, and he already hates Masai who undoubtedly supported the enterprise and would have vouched for strategic long term value.
For those who claim “it wouldn’t make money”, read the article. The MLSE staff report, prepared by accountants and business executives, laid out a positive business case. Tanenbaum and Bell aren’t running charities, and would not have supported a losing venture.
17 Comments
Why wasn’t someone other than MLSE interested in the opportunity to own a WNBA franchise in Toronto?
Nobody wants to lose money, why do it lol
Where Bill Burr at on this? Lol.
50 million expansion fee for a team that will operate at a loss is crazy to me
MLSE are not in the business of losing money (I’m no fan of MLSE, just stating a fact)
If there was such a burgeoning market for a WNBA team in Toronto there would be multiple consortiums lining up to get in on it
“That decision — which shut Toronto out from the booming women’s sports industry at a time of unprecedented growth — came at a contentious board meeting that split representatives from the three companies that control MLSE, sources told the Star. “It was (Rogers CEO) Tony (Staffieri) and (Rogers chair) Edward (Rogers) against, everyone else for,” said a source familiar with the discussion, who, along with other sources quoted in this story, was granted anonymity to speak frankly about confidential board matters.
The opposition from Rogers and Staffieri came despite an internal MLSE business case, presented to the board, that multiple sources say projected a potential path to profitability for the franchise (after several years of losses) and in the face of passionate support for the idea from some senior figures within the organization. It also flew in the face of external research suggesting the market for professional women’s sports in Canada is massively underserved.”
So… Rogers alone refused to invest in the WNBA despite MLSE having a business case showing a ground floor investment could lead to future profits. All the people saying “MLSE doesn’t want to lose money”…. clearly either you believe they also don’t like to make money by investing in growth potential, or that Bell does not like to make money because they supported it?
That is a shame, I personally would watch and cheer for a WNBA team in Canada. It would be kind of cool since the season doesn’t overlap with the NBA!
let’s blame Ed Rogers without knowing the full story.
Ownership “How much money will we make if we start a WNBA team”
Accountant “You won’t make any money…you might even lose some”
Ownership “Ok, well then it makes no sense to bring a team here”
Women who have never watched a single WNBA game:
Would’ve been a great way to promote the sport to young women in the GTA and Canada, shame they didnt pursue it
The absolute audacity of a 50 million expansion fee is unreal. The entire WNBA salary cap is like 70 million USD, even with the conversion rate MLSE would be paying roughly half the entire leagues cap just to set up a team that operates as a charity rather than a profitable business.
The funny thing is that I know if Toronto got a WNBA team, after the novelty wore off there would be no one at those games. In a way, the WNBA saved Toronto from itself.
Cash is King, not enough women to support WNBA
It comes down to economics. This isn’t a charity.
https://i.redd.it/vhbfnbd28lyb1.gif
The Raptors were profitable since day one. In fact, they had some of the strongest league attendance numbers in the early years.
“we know you have a lot of money and you will pay us a ridiculous expansion fee to run a business that loses money or we’ll say you hate women!”
Rogers has no vision for basketball, and he already hates Masai who undoubtedly supported the enterprise and would have vouched for strategic long term value.
For those who claim “it wouldn’t make money”, read the article. The MLSE staff report, prepared by accountants and business executives, laid out a positive business case. Tanenbaum and Bell aren’t running charities, and would not have supported a losing venture.