Throughout March, MLSE and the Toronto Raptors will celebrate the contributions women have made to sports, highlighted by an all-female regular-season game broadcast, the team announced Monday.
Women will hold every on-air role for the Raptors March 24 game vs the Denver Nuggets on TSN. Play-by-play will be led by Canadian Meghan McPeak alongside TSN analyst Kia Nurse, of the Canadian national team and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. TSN host and reporter Kayla Grey will handle sideline duties. TSN’s Kate Beirness and Amy Audibert, Raptors 905 analyst, will host the show and provide analysis.
March 24th, 2021, we watch history. #InternationalWomensDay | #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/fhJyT3dqQx
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 8, 2021
“We wanted to highlight the contributions that women make individually – across so many broadcasts – by bringing them all together,” John Wiggins, Raptors vice-president of organizational diversity and inclusion, said. “Yes, we’re making a point. We hope this leads to more recognition of the many roles women play in pro sports.
“And we especially hope that one of the takeaways from this is for girls at home who see Meghan or Amy or Kayla, and think – hey, I could do that. There’s a place for me in sports.”
“We’re proud to work with the Raptors to advance our shared goal: creating opportunities for women in our industry, not just this month, but throughout the year,” said Nathalie Cook, VP, TSN & RDS. “Kate, Kayla, and Kia are gifted broadcasters and valuable contributors to TSN’s fan-favourite Raptors coverage all season long. Along with Amy and Meghan, these uniquely talented women will come together as a tribute to the power of women in sport.”
The broadcasters will participate in virtual events to share their experiences and impart advice in front of young fans and community groups, as well as a virtual panel with students from Ryerson’s Sport Business programs.
Nurse will also participate in a contest asking Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program students in elementary and high school to share their female role models, with the winner receiving a virtual class visit.
