What goes into an identity?
It’s more than a name, face, or logo. It encapsulates the qualities, beliefs, and personality traits of a person or a group. Specifically for a brand, an identity tries to encapsulate a specific moment while remaining timeless. It is a neighbourhood. A city. A country.
As most Canadians have heard by now, a new chapter in sports history is unfolding. Toronto has been awarded the first WNBA team outside the United States. We’ll start playing in the 2026 season, and we are so proud to bring this incredible league to Canada.
But the journey to tip-off must start by creating an identity for this historic team and moment. And, being the good Canadians that we are, we’re doing things a little differently than the status quo. Instead of keeping the process behind a secretive curtain until a flashy unveiling from a podium, we want to bring you along every step of the way.
“This team will reach beyond the bounds of the court and straight into the core of our communities.”
Since this franchise was announced, we’ve promised that this will be Canada’s team. That commitment starts today with NameYourTeam.ca.
This is a call for inspiration, inviting Canadians to share ideas, hopes, and suggestions for the new team’s identity. It’s an opportunity to shape a legacy, engage with the next generation of sports fans, and make everyone feel like they belong on this team. This team will reach beyond the bounds of the court and straight into the core of our communities.
Help inspire a nation
From now until August 28, Canadians can send feedback through the NameYourTeam.ca website or by texting ‘WNBA’ to 1-833-662-3664. Everyone can share an experience, a memory, or a sense of what they want this team to stand for. You can send us photos. Send us music. And yes, you can send us names.
The idea is that little pieces of inspiration will come from many of those submissions. So it’s not about one person creating the brand — it’s about the entire country helping to shape what this team stands for. We want people to share their feelings about bringing women’s professional basketball to Canada and Toronto.
How this all will work (hopefully)
After the submission window closes, a group of designers and advisors assembled to create the team’s official brand will review everything Canadians share with us. We’ll collect the submissions using a combination of human review and some very cool technology, including a tool that will help identify themes and trends in what Canadians share.
“We aim to create the most inclusive and participatory process in sports history because we know that we’re not just creating a brand — we’re building a community.”
From there, the team will evaluate potential names and brand ideas — including consultation with Canadians such as yourself, design leaders, a community council, team partners, and team and league leadership — to develop a shortlist of options. The shortlist will then undergo a full legal review, including a trademark search. Finally, team and league leadership will select a final name, which we will share with the world — hopefully by the end of 2024.
A journey as important as the destination
We know there is no blueprint for this. We’re trying something new for this journey.
We aim to create the most inclusive and participatory process in sports history because we know that we’re not just creating a brand — we’re building a community.
Throughout this process, we will regularly update you as if you were watching us work through a shop window—kind of like those old bakeries of yesteryears. You will see which ingredients we’re using, and industry experts will explain why and how we’re using them.
Canadians can get updates on the team’s branding journey on this blog and by following @wnba_toronto on both Instagram and TikTok. A more in-depth take on every stage of this process will also be shared through a new podcast being produced, which will launch in mid-August.
This journey won’t be perfect, but creating a new identity and using new spaces to do it never is. So let’s make history together, Canada. The court is yours.
