Oh yeah, Canada!

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Confession: this title was designed to be something of a personality test… or possibly an old lady/young lady, rabbit/duck, vase/two-people-kissing situation. Some will read it as celebratory, more of a “Hell yeah, Canada!” But though I would probably punctuate it differently were this the case, it could also be read as though our country was something you were struggling to remember. Like if you were trying to name the G7 countries, and you were stuck at six, and then it came to you, so you said, “Oh yeah, Canada!”

And as you might have gathered from my drawing attention to it, and thinking about it in the first place, I get both interpretations. Canada’s a funny place that way. There’s a lot to love about it… but it’s also fertile ground for insecurity.

With a week between Tempo games, on a hot-as-balls Canada Day where thinking was about all I had the energy for, I spent some time pondering how being Canadian changes our experience with sports, basketball in particular.

The connection to the Tempo will get clearer soon. But first, I have to talk about the MNBA a little. Because Toronto had big developments this week with two all-time great Raptors. Specifically, Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry. They’re both coming back. And I’ve got feelings.

Let’s start with Kyle. To be clear, the coming back would be for one day so that he can retire as a Raptor. Which he’s long maintained he’d do. And it may not be imminent, because he’s lashed out online at the reporter who broke the story.

Whether or not it’s true, though, one thing we do know is that he loved playing here, and the fans reciprocated. Arguably beyond all reason. I would never argue that, of course; I’m one of those loving fans. But there’s always been a little part of me that wonders if – in addition to all he brought on and off the court – we love him BECAUSE he loves us. Because he was someone who let us know we could be loved.

Which brings us to Kawhi.

It might just be me projecting… but I feel like Kawhi being traded here, winning a championship right away, and then splitting as soon as possible left psychic scars on Toronto and fed into a narrative. An insecure narrative that he’s now given us reason to question.

Because I think at some level, most of us just felt that Toronto or possibly Canada weren’t big enough for him. Or at least that that’s what he thought. Kawhi was a superstar, and he wanted the endorsements, and the exposure, and the celebrity experience he’d get in L.A. What he claimed – that he just wanted to get back to his hometown – always seemed like a justification.

Only now… maybe not.

When the Clippers were in town in January, Kawhi did a youth basketball clinic in Scarborough, and said things like “Toronto is still in my heart” and “My son was born out here, so he’s a Canadian.” And it seems he meant it, because with a lot of franchises to choose from, he apparently wanted to return here. And though there are basketball reasons, well, it seems he likes us. He really likes us.

And to be honest, that surprised me. Because Canada’s status as the neighbour of a giant always looms large, so to speak. Many of us may smugly-if-politely feel that we’re the superior country – our health care is public and our bigotry is implicit – but we also feel overlooked. For better and worse, we expect that our accomplishments need to be massive to be noticed. With the Raptors, we suffered for years with players not wanting to be here and others being denied the accolades they would’ve gotten if they’d played in a major AMERICAN market. C.O.G.

Sorry, that was meant to be “See: O.G.”

And now we get to the Tempo of it all. (Thank you for your patience.) Because Marina Mabrey had an interesting week. First, she was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday. It’s the second time in seven weeks of WNBA play that she’s been so honoured. The others to get two nods thus far are A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart (Stewie!), and Jessica Shepard. So clearly, Chef Mabrey is making an impression and is in distinguished company.

But on Thursday, we found out she wasn’t going to be an All-Star starter. As for those other three players I mentioned? All All-Star starters. Not Mabrey. The best player in the Eastern Conference twice in seven weeks and just tied the record for most points in a game. Didn’t make the cut.

I know that sounded bitter. And it was, a little. Also, maybe a little guilty on behalf of Canada. But there are many mitigating factors we/I have to keep in mind.

First and foremost, the W is stacked. These are the starting guards, in alphabetical order: Paige Bueckers; Caitlin Clark; Olivia Miles; Kelsey Mitchell. These are the starting forwards, also in alphabetical order: Aliyah Boston; Natasha Howard; Jessica Shepard; Breanna Stewart; Gabby Williams; A’ja Wilson. Though there can certainly be debate about whether those ten players are THE MOST worthy, clearly, they’re all worthy.

Hell, given how much fan voting can generally be a glorified exercise in name recognition, I’m impressed with how right this list is. Sure, there are three Fever players and no Dream players, and both those facts are deservedly getting attention online. In some cases, the classification of players and the fact your ballot had to consist of four guards and six forwards skewed things. And perhaps it’s unfair that currently injured players see their support dry up – whither Kelsey Plum and Slim – but there’s a logic to it.

I’m certain when the reserves get announced on Tuesday, Chef Mabrey will be one of them. No doubt whatsoever. Okay, some doubt, but it’s being heavily suppressed, because there has to be SOME justice in the world. Still, to the degree that that little sliver of doubt gets out, it may be responsible for this lingering thought: If the biggest audience, which is to say the American audience, was paying more attention to what she was doing, that could’ve made the difference.

And a deeper dive into the numbers largely bears that out.

In terms of fan voting, Marina finished 23^rd overall. With 223,231 votes. (FYI: Slim finished 39^th, with 144,734. And for context, the top vote-getter, Paige Bueckers, got 1,045,051.) Mabrey’s total was good for twelfth place among guards.

But the WNBA doesn’t just use fan voting to select its All-Star starting lineup. The fans count for fifty percent, a media panel accounts for twenty-five percent, and voting by current WNBA players makes up the remaining twenty-five percent. And here’s how that broke down:

A few things leap out. Like “Damn, Paige!” and “Ouch, Caitlin!” But Marina Mabrey and Rhyne Howard stand out on the list for this reason – the more knowledgeable the voting pool, the better they do. To the fans, they’re twelfth and ninth. To the media, with some degree of expertise and certainly broader exposure than the public at large, they were sixth and fourth. And to the players, with more expertise than anyone – as quasi-media, I feel comfortable admitting this – Marina Mabrey and Rhyne Howard were fourth and second respectively.

In fact, if the players were choosing, the All-Star starting guards would be Paige Bueckers, Rhyne Howard, Olivia Miles… and one of Marina Mabrey and Sonia Citron, who finished tied for fourth. But I’m giving that spot to Chef, because I’M TRYING TO MAKE A POINT HERE, UNIVERSE!

To wit: I’ll also mention that fourth is where Marina sits among the leaders in points per game.

I get that I’m biased. But it’s time to bring up the one Tempo game that’s happened since last I wrote. The one from last Saturday, against the Mercury, where MM had to pull out at the last second with neck spasms. And though the team put up a valiant effort, well, we looked like what you’d expect a typical expansion team to look like. Good, with some standout performances – including Julie Allemand just three boards away from a triple-double – but missing that secret sauce that makes teams win.

As Tempo fans, we’ve chanted “MVP!” for Mabrey. And for the league, yeah, that’s a little ambitious. But in that game, Kahleah Copper had twenty-seven points, showing off that next gear superstars have. Chef has that… and so does Slim, who I absolutely haven’t forgotten, even if a singular focus made more sense here. The point is, they’re next-level… and when it feels like that isn’t getting seen…

That’s why, even with Kyle’s love, Kawhi’s acceptance-plus, and the pleasure Marina seems to take in being here, it still feels like being north of the border comes with a cost. And I think Toronto sports fans love a little harder to make up for the recognition we fear our heroes are missing. So, to the degree that this was a snub, I take comfort in knowing Marina will be compensated in all the adulation we can muster. And while she won’t be an All-Star starter – barring injury – hey, she gets to be our first.

I’m going to keep this preview of the schedule ahead short but scary – though the Washington Mystics are on the bubble currently at 10-9, every team we’re facing in July is over .500. Even with miracles on the Slim and Kiki front, we could have some rough times ahead. Chins up, everyone!

And hey, in order to not end on a downer, my next post will be written in Montreal! Yep, I’m following the Tempo there… and we’re trying to set a WNBA attendance record on Friday, so with any luck, I’ll be able to talk about that too. Bonne chance!