Toronto Tempo president ‘excited’ for team’s first tip-off after WNBA, players reach agreement in principle

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Toronto Tempo president Teresa Resch heard her phone ring from another room.

Like any of us, Resch was hesitant to check it, perhaps somewhat annoyed by the disturbance to her sleep.

But a thought nagged at her: “Oh, maybe it’s about the CBA,” Resch wondered.

And so she got up and checked. Sure enough, in a group chat with the WNBA’s other team presidents, news was spreading that there was indeed a deal in principle on a collective bargaining agreement.

“So that’s what woke me up today,” Resch recounted to CBC Sports. “And then you go online, you see different reporters who’ve been following the process saying that there’s good news and then you see the public announcement by both the [Players’ Association] and the W confirming that there’s alignment, so awesome to hear that.”

Now, things are about to get real for the Tempo, who have been living in a state of uncertainty ahead of their inaugural season as the WNBA’s first-ever non-American franchise.

Resch was not able to comment on details of the CBA, with a term sheet still to be done followed by ratification by both the players and the league’s board of governors.

However, she said she was confident throughout the process that something would get done.

“There was always an eye on the CBA negotiations as that was impacting our timeline,” she said. “I was always very, very confident there would be a deal — it wasn’t a matter of if there was going to be a deal, it was just a matter of when. And the when became March 18, so glad it was today.”

Her giddiness for the conversation around the Tempo to finally turn to basketball, even over the phone, felt palpable.

And with the deal done just in the nick of time, the May 8 home opener against the Washington Mystics is a go.

“More than anything, we’re really excited. I think that within the marketplace probably was some hesitancy, but we are all systems go. … We welcome everybody to come along on a ride with us and buy your tickets if you haven’t got them yet because they’re gonna go like hotcakes,” she said.

Of course, there is plenty of work to do before tip-off.

The Tempo do not have any players, though the behind-the-scenes team has continued to grow under general manager Monica Wright Rogers and head coach Sandy Brondello.

There will be three avenues by which the Tempo can begin adding players, with reported dates given to teams in late February before the deal was reached.

The expansion draft was set to take place between April 1-6, with existing teams still needing to protect players before Toronto and the Portland Fire make their picks. Free agency would immediately follow, beginning April 7, with more than 80 per cent of the league available to be signed. The college draft is scheduled for April 13.

To call it sprint to the start might be an understatement — but Resch is embracing it.

After all, throughout the Tempo’s history, dating to the announcement of the team’s existence in May 2024, timelines have rarely gone to plan, including an early leak of the nickname itself.

“I always said that it’s the most exhilarating-yet-terrifying thing all at the same time I’ve ever done,” Resch said. “That’s why we’re doing it. That’s why we play this game. If we didn’t like pivots and change in different variables, we wouldn’t be in sports, right?”

In the meantime, the team has worked to build a foundation for when the basketball does indeed begin.

Resch called it a “silver lining” to the uncertainty.

“When you think of a professional sports team, the first thing you think about is the players on the court. And I don’t think that will be any different for the Tempo. But we don’t have that yet. So I think it really, really helped us focus on our brand, focus on what we stood for as an organization first,” she said.

One recent focus has been on game presentation, with jobs like mascot open for applications.

On the business side, founding sponsors like CIBC and Sephora are already in place, but the knowledge that the season will go ahead as planned should increase corporate marketing opportunities.

Elsewhere, the Tempo have homed in on what they stand for as a franchise.

“The Tempo is truly Canada’s team. We stand for an entire nation in a way that no other team in this league specifically does. We’re super competitive. We talk about our two goals being Canada’s team and being a championship team,” Resch said.

Of course, to become a championship team, you need championship players.

And at long last, thanks to a buzzer-beating CBA deal, that critical step in the process will finally arrive.