The Golden State Valkyries have company. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has signed off on the latest new franchise worth $50 M per The Washington Post, the second of the proposed three (that might become four) expansion teams. Coming to Canada for the first time, their women’s hoops team’s name has been revealed – the Toronto Tempo. And fans can’t stop trolling the name and the logo.

Accidentally revealed on the franchise’s website at first when a drop-down menu briefly showed the name earlier this week, the news has just been confirmed. “Tempo is pace. It’s speed. It’s a heartbeat,” team President Teresa Resch said in a statement.

“And it’s what you feel when you step into the streets of this city, and in the energy of the people who call Canada home. As Canada’s WNBA team, I know the Tempo will set our own pace, move at a championship cadence, and inspire people across this country.”

The third team, the Tempo, is joining Portland’s renewed franchise, the Fire. Both are expected to begin playing in 2026, whereas the Valkyries will debut in 2025. Interestingly, the Portland team went for $125 million, whereas the Tempo and the Valkyries were for $50M, all three bids won by the NBA franchise owners in the same city.

But while there is excitement surrounding new teams, fans really wish Toronto had a better name.

Hoops fans cannot digest Toronto Tempo, ask Cathy Engelbert for a change

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The WNBA’s 13th team seals its logo as “a modern take on a very familiar Canadian color palate.” With a light-blue basketball emblazoned with a T that leaves a trail with exactly six lines, the motion is expected to represent the sport itself.

The Athletic’s Ben Pickman did reveal the thought that went behind their logo, a capital T that looks to be in motion. “Some logo notes via their press release: -Tempo is the same in English/French -forward-leaning motion represents their “desire for progress” -sharp angles/round curves a” nod to the dynamic nature” of team/game -six lines = 5 players on the court and the 6th player: the fans”

But basketball fans couldn’t care less. “Toronto don’t got animals? Like why they named the tempo?” one fan wrote on X. Interestingly, only two current WNBA teams are names after animals, the Lynx and the new Valkyries. Some of the rest, one could argue, are as vague as Tempo – Dream, Sky, Wings, Liberty, Mystics, etc.

But every team has a history and a reason behind their name and it looks like Canada will stick with theirs. Doesn’t stop fans from mocking them though. “Lol Toronto Tempo…what a name,” another said.

A writer for Vendetta VSM added their thoughts, “Toronto Tempo is a horrible name, I’ll be the first to tell you. Could have easily been Toronto Frost or Freeze and that would have been 1000x better.”

Granted, Canada is known for its cold weather, but clearly, that’s not what the franchise is aiming for. It might be a different country in the same continent but at the end of the day, they will be a part of the W. Perhaps it helps that the team colors are going to be blue and red.

A “call for inspiration” had been issued by the franchise execs back in August, across Canada to “share ideas, hopes and suggestions”. They were for everything from the team name to the logo and colors, with the final decision taken by the team and league leadership.

One fan posted a picture of the Indiana Pacers logo side by side with the Tempo, captioning it, “Can I copy your homework?” “Sure. Just don’t make it look too obvious”

The Pacers might sound related to the Tempo in meaning and indeed their forward motion and lines are similar. But where Teresa Resch made the intentions behind the name clear, the Indiana NBA team was actually inspired by the Indy 500 and “the state’s long history of harness racing,” per Brittanica.

While Cathy Engelbert might not have had much to do with the name choosing, fans will certainly put pressure on her to make a change. At this point, it’s unlikely to happen, but it’s not out of the ordinary for sports franchises to change their names. So one day, who knows what might happen?