Tiny striped makeup bags, suspended from baby hot air balloons, floated down from the heavens into a crowd of almost 20,000.
And people lost their minds.
I scrambled for my phone because…how cool is this?!
Arms up everywhere. And a few dozen people walked away one lip balm richer.
Better than catching a fly ball, I’d say.
Well done, Sephora.
Tampax wrapped the arena in its logo. You couldn’t miss it. And the tagline: Protect home court.
Good one, Tampax.
The dancers come out between quarters and at water breaks. This crew…not your average cheer crowd. Baggy sweats, crop tops, shorts, sneakers. The vibe? Here to dance. Smiles that said, “we’re having a blast.” Not the come-hither look we’ve come to expect from courtside dance crews. They made you want to join them, not look like them.
And then there were the mascots, making their official debut. An arctic bunny named Dot and a Muskoka snapping turtle named Dez. Their genders? Who cares.
Every detail about this experience is crafted with purpose.
Right down to the Coors Light “Tall Girl” cans.
The Toronto Tempo played the Indiana Fever in Toronto this week and what a good time it was. The experience was fun, empowering, and self aware. Yes, this is a women’s sport. And holy $%#^ was it ever competitive! A nail biter at the end. All that playfulness around the game never took away from the seriousness of the game itself.
I’m all about the WNBA now, the Tempo, the Fever. Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Kelsey Mitchell and holy hedgehogs, Marina Mabrey, who brought us back from a 10-point deficit to almost making it a one-point game. Within spitting distance of a win against a top-ranked team.
I expected to have a good time that night. I didn’t expect to leave with this much excitement about women and sport. It’s been with me like a pride hangover all week.
I’m a relatively recent professional sports fan. I take for granted that any woman can do anything she wants. Women’s sports haven’t been on my radar.
Have I ever been missing out.
And clearly, I’m not the only one catching on.
Other brands showed up to the party, but hardly worth mentioning. Just logos up on the screen. Nothing that says we’re aware of where we are and who we’re supporting.
They were sitting inside a room where something was happening culturally and emotionally, with 20,000 people experiencing it together. There’s your prime real estate.
The feeling. Not the LED ribbon.
I was already a Tampax customer. Now I’m weirdly proud of that.
Sephora, I still want one of those bags.
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Each week, I share something I’m learning, living, or working out in real time. It’s part storytelling, part reflection. I hope there’s something in it for you too.
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