While the Vancouver Warriors are usually battling on the floor at Rogers Arena, a few of them watched their first WNBA game courtside.
Warriors’ forward Marcus Klarich, and defenders Owen Grant and Reid Bowering came out to support Canada’s WNBA team.
The Toronto Tempo brought their Cross-Canada Series to Vancouver for two home games at Rogers Arena, giving basketball fans in B.C. the chance to experience WNBA action live during the team’s inaugural season.
For Bowering, Grant, and Klarich, it was a night out supporting another professional team, but there were also plenty of familiar elements to take in from just a few feet away. As part of their conditioning during the NLL season, a group of the Warriors get together and play basketball every week.
Watching the game inspired Klarich for not only his basketball runs in the fall, but because seeing the WNBA game in Vancouver represented growth of women’s sports to uplift the next generation.
“I think it's really cool that everybody gets the opportunity to see the WNBA in Vancouver and what it does,” Klarich said. “The crowd was very good, and I think it inspires the younger generation, all the kids here tonight, all the women or the young girls that are into sport that anybody can do it if you work hard.”
Klarich pointed to the growing number of opportunities for women’s professional sports in the city, from the Vancouver Rise FC’s recent championship success to the arrival of the PWHL and now the WNBA in Vancouver. The Warriors regularly share their love of sport with the next generation through coaching and championing sports initiatives.
“I think it’s only going upwards, and it’s only going to keep inspiring young girls in Vancouver,” he said.
While the trio was there to show their support, it always adds to the fun to be as close to the action as possible.
“I was most excited to just be so close to the court and feel the action at that level. Courtside is such a big deal at NBA games and WNBA games; it was just a really cool experience, so I was just pumped to be that close,” Bowering said.
During one sequence, the ball came flying toward the Warriors players, with one server getting hit in the head while stopping it from reaching Bowering.
“I wanted to get hit with the ball and be part of the action,” he laughed.
Beyond the close calls, Bowering liked being in earshot, hearing the players calling a switch or screens on defence which mirrored many of the communication habits used on the lacrosse floor.
“I always watch for the communication part of things, just how much they're talking, it's kind of interesting. Especially playing defence, how much we have to talk to each other in lacrosse,” Bowering said.
Grant noticed those similarities as well. Growing up in Newmarket, Ontario, he attended Toronto Raptors games, but the Tempo’s inaugural season made this his first WNBA experience.
“It was fun being that close to the action and being able to hear all the communication and hearing the girls talk to the refs,” Grant said. “Basketball is so similar to lacrosse in that sense, with the picks and everything, so that's definitely something you can kind of relate to and see right away.”
The atmosphere at Rogers Arena also stood out to all three players.
“I thought the crowd was really into it,” Grant said. “I thought the crowd really rallied around the Canadian team, which was fun."
The strong turnout was another example of the growing appetite for live sports in Vancouver. Bowering said he wanted to support another professional team coming to the city and has enjoyed seeing the energy around sports continue to build over the summer with FIFA, the Vancouver Whitecaps, B.C. Lions, Vancouver Bandits, and the discussion of an MLB team coming to Vancouver.
“I want to support any sports team that comes to the city, and hopefully we get a WNBA team, NBA or anything else. I love sports, so any live sporting action I'll hop on that opportunity,” Bowering said.
The trio talked about the weekend as a chance to showcase what Vancouver can offer as a city. Grant attended a PWHL game at Rogers Arena before Vancouver got the Goldeneyes and was encouraged to see another women’s pro league receive strong support in the building.
“I think a good opportunity to show off how awesome the city of Vancouver is, and seeing it again now with the WNBA, it was pretty cool to see that it got a lot of support and a lot of publicity as well, which is good for our city.”
For a few Warriors who spend much of the year competing on the same floor, the weekend offered a different game day experience, joining fans and supporting another pro team to help grow the sports community in Vancouver.