Former Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) broadcaster Sage Steele has criticized the Toronto Tempo over their newly unveiled nonbinary mascot, calling the Canadian team's choice laughable.
The Tempo, playing their inaugural season as Canada's first Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team, introduced two official mascots at halftime of Tuesday night's game against the Indiana Fever at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Steele took to social media platform X to express her disapproval of Dez, a character described by the franchise as a Borealis Blue Snapping Turtle who uses she and they pronouns.
"When your mascot is a 'butch, non-binary Borealis Blue Snapping Turtle who uses she/they pronouns and has a fondness for soft shell tacos'.. you deserve to be laughed at...simply for your desperate attempt to prove how inclusive you are," Steele wrote on X.
In a follow-up remark aimed at the team and league accounts, the former television presenter added: "Laughable @TempoBasketball @WNBA."
Steele spent 16 years as an anchor at ESPN, hosting major studio shows before departing the network in 2023, and has since frequently spoken out on cultural and sports matters on social media.
Mascot Unveiling and Character Details
The mascot reveal divided opinion among fans inside the arena on Tuesday night. Alongside Dez, the team introduced Dot, an Arctic Hare that uses she and her pronouns.
In professional sports, mascots serve as primary visual ambassadors used to entertain spectators during game breaks and lead team community engagement efforts.
In their official description of Dez, the Tempo stated that the character originates from Muskoka, Ontario, and that her name was inspired by decibel as a nod to her love of music and role as the more measured half of the duo.
The team described Dez as calm, clever and always thinking a few steps ahead. The character was framed as a Taurus who spins records in her spare time, with a secret talent for snapping and a particular fondness for soft shell tacos.
According to team officials, the duo provides a modern twist on the classic fable of the tortoise and the hare, emphasizing that knowing when to change pace can be just as important as the pace itself.
Whitney Bell, Chief Marketing Officer for the Tempo, explained the concept behind the figures. "From the beginning, we wanted our mascots to feel distinctly Tempo - rooted in who we are as a Canadian team," Bell said.
"Dez and Dot have completely different personalities, but they're better together. One knows when to slow things down, the other knows when to turn the energy all the way up."
League Controversy and Transgender Debate
The timing of the mascot announcement added a layer of intrigue to the evening, coming on the same night the Tempo hosted visiting player Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever.
Cunningham has recently been at the center of intense debate across the league after expressing her views on biological gender participation in women's sports during an interview with ESPN, where she advocated for protecting young girls in sport.
Her public stance sparked uproar around the WNBA, drawing both sharp criticism and support from fans, players and sports commentators.
Draft Eligibility Claims
The wider ongoing discussion surrounding transgender athlete involvement in sports recently prompted two former National Basketball Association (NBA) players, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, to declare for the WNBA draft in an apparent protest.
Freedom, who played in the NBA for 11 seasons as a center and stands 6 feet 10 inches tall, announced his plans to declare for the draft earlier this month amid the sports debate.
The former NBA player, who allegedly sent a provocative letter to the WNBA commissioner, sparked widespread criticism with his divisive decision.
Meanwhile, another former NBA player, White, followed suit after Freedom's statement of intent, also declaring himself eligible for the WNBA Draft.
