Daniel “Belongs Here” Carrero Mitchell “Via...Rental?” Fox
Production Editors
Grace “Triathlete” Henkel
John “I Am Speed” Vo
Photo Editors
Khadijah “Made It Blurry” Ghauri
Nageen “Oui Oui” Riaz
Saif-Ullah “Full-Time Layout
Editor” Khan
Media Editors
Divine “Bamboozled” Amayo Lucas “Sk8r Boi” Bustinski
Digital Producer
Lily “Pepperettes” Han
Circulation Manager
Sherwin “Undercover” Karimpoor
Design Director
Vanessa “Blurryface” Kauk
General Manager
Liane “Still the Best Bully” McLarty
Editorial Intern
Charlie “Future Managing Editor” Vernis
Contributors
Jonathan “Pineapple Chef” Reynoso
Lama “Clean Draft” Alshami
Eliza “Five Shots” Nwaesei
Pierre-Philipe “On The Ice” Wanya-Tambwe
Eli “Fuck Yo Edits” Silverstone
Victoria “Surprise!” Cha
Gabi “Copy Edit Fanatic” Grande
Eunice “Scriptwriter” Soriano
Maggie “Bold Move” Stemp-Turner
Ava “First Pitch” Whelpley
Evan “Finally Here” Perry
Clara “For The Lore” Vicencio
Oliver “Falcon’s Nest” Ulster
Lazar “Airpod Max” Mihajlovic
Ilyas “Go Away” Hussein
Daniella “In Punta Cana” Lopez
Negin “A Year Ago” Khodayari
TRSS $17,000 short after lack of communication and policy breaches
By Jasmine Makar
The Ted Rogers Student Society (TRSS) at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) is facing a $17,000 debt due to missed deadlines and policy breaches by the president regarding a Canadian student business competition, according to official TRSS meeting minutes.
Final-year business management student and TRSS president Nika Nobari signed a legally binding letter of intent on Sept. 12, 2024, committing the student society to a $17,000 financial agreement in order to allow 27 students to attend the Jeux de Commerce Central (JDCC) business competition hosted by The Canadian Association of Business Schools (CABS).
According to TRSS policy manual section 2.13, “Before any contract is signed, the terms of the agreement must be discussed amongst Student Engagement representatives and the Toronto Metropolitan Legal team to ensure risk mitigation.”
Student Engagement is a branch in TRSS that “connects you with the different supports and resources you have access to as a Ted Rogers School student” as stated on their website.
Nobari signed the Letter of
Intent without consulting with Student Engagement regarding payment for the competition, according to meeting minutes #16, #17 and #18 published on the TRSS website. In addition to Nobari’s signature, the letter was also signed by Executive Director of Student Services and JDCC cocaptains appointed by the TRSS president herself, according to meeting minute #16.
JDCC co-captains are separate from the TRSS board of directors and are redacted from the meeting minutes.
Policy 2.13 additionally states that any student violating the policy to share contracts with student engagement “will be subject to consequences from the Ted Rogers School of Management Administration, as well as could face consequences as determined by the TRSS Board of Directors (BoD).”
On Sept. 19, 2024, Nobari met with members of Student Engagement but did not disclose the letter of intent according to meeting minute #16 on page 15. When the letter was discussed, it was “made to sound more like a Letter of Participation, however, the Letter of Intent has obligations to make payments.”
According to the minutes document, on Oct. 3, 2024, Nobari
mentioned to one of the JDCC co-captains that they needed to present JDCC funding to the BoD for funding. By Nov. 14 to 17, 2024, the first initial payment deadline payment had been missed and CABS initiated communication with Nobari regarding the financial situation according to meeting minute #16.
Section 2.7.4 of the policy manual was also breached as the BoD never approved the money before the letter of intent was signed as stated in the minutes. The section reads, “Non Budgeted Expenses require approval from the Board of Directors prior to any financial commitment.”
In an email statement to The Eyeopener , Nobari emphasized the difficulty of the situation and
her communication throughout.
“My intention was not to withhold information, but to avoid discrediting others while we navigated a complex situation… it was my responsibility to keep the Board informed, and in hindsight, communicating the ambiguity would have been more appropriate than remaining silent,” she said in the statement.
Attention to these policy breaches were brought to the board by some of its executives, including TRSS Executive Vice President Ayden Santiago and School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) director Rose Amabelle Mendoza, as mentioned on page 18 of meeting minute #16.
Read more at theeyeopener.com
Victoria Street safe consumption site closing permanently
By Jonathan Reynoso
As of April 1, Bill 223 is set to permanently close ‘The Works’ safe consumption site (SCS) located at 277 Victoria St.
The closure comes as a result of Bill 233’s Community Care and Recovery Act. The act aims to close SCSs within a 200-metre radius of certain education institutions, child and family centres and other designated premises, as outlined by the bill’s regulations.
The site’s close proximity to Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) has left students like third-year marketing student Apiraam Neethirajah fearing for their safety when walking through Victoria St.
“It feels like a race to get to the
[Victoria] building,” explained Neethirajah.
Despite the common notion of unsafety around the site, many studies support the positive effects it has to offer to stigmatized and vulnerable populations.
Now, individuals who used this site—along with those from four other closed sites—are left to rely on the three SCSs that remain open in Toronto: Street Health (338 Dundas St. E.), Fred Victor (139 Jarvis St.) and Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre (1229 Queen St. W.).
Since opening its first SCS in 2017, Toronto has expanded the program to more than 10 locations across the city. A Lancet Public Health study found that “overdose mortality within 500 metres
of these sites decreased by 67 per cent between 2017 and 2019, saving approximately two lives per 100,000 residents annually.”
“You have individuals that are losing a sense of space or community where they can go and talk to individuals and not use in isolation, which decreases the chance of overdose,” said Arifah Yusuf, a social worker and founder of Lifted by Purpose, a Toronto-based organization supporting racialized youth with addictions.
Second-year business management student Maya Campagnolo shared her observations about safety concerns on campus.
“There’s been a lot of times where I’ve been trying to come to class in the morning, and there’s been fights in front of the building, and security had to come,” she said.
Some experts say SCSs like ‘The Works’ do more than preventing overdoses—they connect people to care. A 2024 Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction report found regular users are more likely to access withdrawal support and health services than those who don’t use these sites.
Additionally, The Ontario Drug Policy Research Network report supports that the site’s removal
will lead to negative impacts on the community, predicting that closure of the five sites—including ‘The Works’—will lead to “increased public drug usage, overdoses, and overdose deaths.”
The lab found that, across all SCS sites slated for closure in Toronto, an estimated 526 of the 561 affected clients would lose access, as they are located more than 500 metres from any remaining open site. That represents a 38 per cent loss in the 1,366 people who use these services monthly.
Among the safety concerns, Campagnolo realizes the value SCSs contributes to the community’s overall well-being.
“I do kind of feel bad that they’re shutting it down because I know it did help a lot of people, and maybe there’s not a lot of resources out for them,” said Campagnolo.
With the removal of the ‘The Works,’ the true impact its absence will have on the TMU community remains unknown. Yusuf stated that closing a site like ‘The Works’ presents a risk to both those who need it and the community’s welfare.
“It’s unsafe for them, but it’s also unsafe for the community as well,” she said.
AVA WHELPLEY/THE EYEOPENER
Students prioritize Canada-first initiatives amidst U.S.-imposed
By Lama Alshami
Following the implementation of tariffs on Canada by the United States (U.S.), some students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) are making changes in the way they shop.
With the 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian products, different levels of Canadian government announced measures to support local economies. For example, Ontario Premier Doug Ford instructed the LCBO to remove American products and the City of Toronto launched a “Love Local” campaign to promote Canadian-made goods and services.
Eown Purkiss, a first-year new media student, said he’s paused his Amazon subscription in light of these tariffs. “You can get everything anywhere, you just have to look a little bit harder,” he said.
“I’m never going to think about the amount of money I spend if I feel better morally about my decision afterwards,” Purkiss added.
Shontelle Allwood, a third-year nutrition and food student, said that while she’s appreciative of the government’s initiatives to pro-
mote domestic products, she thinks they can still do more.
“There’s actually a big difference between ‘Product of Canada’ and ‘Made in Canada,’” said Allwood. “And a lot of ‘Made in Canada’ are up to 49 per cent American produce that was packaged here…it’s confusing for consumers to understand that difference.”
The Competition Bureau of Canada outlined that an item labelled “Product of Canada” must have a threshold of 98 per cent Canadian content, while “Made in Canada” items only need a threshold of 51 per cent.
According to Nicholas Li, an associate professor of economics at TMU, “Consumers don’t ever really see or observe that whole supply chain.”
Li mentioned there are intermediate inputs in international trade, where goods and services used in the production process are imported from another country. A food product could be made in a Canadian plant but the machine making it could be American, he explained.
Ashley Hannah, an American citizen and first-year new media student who has been living in Canada for over a year, said these
promotions—which are a result of the tariffs—influenced her to buy Canadian services.
“Now that I’ve integrated more into Canada [and] now that I see what the U.S. is doing, it’s actually quite embarrassing and very stressful,” said Hannah.
While she intends to buy Canadian—such as switching from Netflix to Crave as a streaming subscription—she acknowledges the transition may be difficult. “I’m not exactly 100 per cent well-versed in which products are
Canadian [and] which ones are American, aside from the common brands,” said Allwood.
“When I go to a store, whether that’s Metro, Sobeys, or any other store, I like that they actually have the stickers on products that say, ‘This is made in Canada,’” explained Hannah.
She is also using the subreddit r/BuyCanadian to find alternatives to American products.
Allwood operates a small business where she curates survival kits for women going through meno-
pause. With tariffs, she stopped including anything American.
She’s also stopped shopping at Walmart and Amazon and cancelled a makeup subscription to FabFitFun, “entirely based on it [being] American.” Although Allwood’s going for a Canada-first approach, she finds herself often purchasing more expensive items to support her country, “If Canadian is not an option, I would get a different country other than the U.S.,” she said.
Read more at theeyeopener.com
EVAN PERRY/THE EYEOPENER
THE STARTING LINE UP
Managing Editors
Daniel Carrero
Mitchell Fox
Editor-in-Chief
Joshua Chang
Writers
Todd Ash-Duah
Jonathan Reynoso
Andjela Jagodic
Hannah Sabaratnam
Adriana Fallico
Victoria Cha
Gabi Grande
Eli Silverstone
Peyton Andino
Sebastian Zucchet
Tristan Forde
Kaden Nanji
Francesco Cautillo
Keiran Gorsky
Brady Locke
Harsh Kumar
Natasha Pinto
Eliza Nwaesei
Story Producers
Khushy Vashisht
Nalyn Tindall
Sarah Grishpul
Layouts
Vanessa Kauk
Visuals
Saif-Ullah Khan
Khadijah Ghauri
Nageen Riaz
Cover Photos
Oliver Ulster
Maggie Stemp-Turner
Daniel Gerson
Matthew Joseph
Photographers
Pierre-Philipe WanyaTambwe
Mohamed Ali
Eunice Soriano
Clara Vicencio
Lazar Mihajlovic
Ava Whelpley
Media
Divine Amayo
Lucas Bustinski
Production Assistants
Ilyas Hussein
Charlie Vernis
I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE
By Daniel Carrero Ramírez
As I write this editorial on the VIA Rail back to Toronto—after working through what was the busiest weekend of my career so far—the lack of sleep and persistent headache I have from editing words in a language that’s not my own takes over my sanity. But I have to keep going, I have this opportunity and can’t let it go to waste.
If you had told me four years ago—when I emigrated from Bogotá, Colombia to Canada—that I would be covering the 2025 university men’s hockey national championship in Ottawa the weekend just before releasing my very own sports special issue, I would’ve answered:
“That’s not meant for me.”
The Canadian Association of Journalists reported that in 2024, less than two per cent of journalists nationwide were Latin Americans, a statistic that hadn’t
changed since I last heard it in my first year of university four years ago.
Since then, that percentage has haunted me, forcing me to work day and night to hopefully find somewhere in sports journalism where I belong.
I thought it was discouraging to hear this in a class—until I witnessed the reality of this statistic myself.
In November 2024, Mitchell Fox—the other half of the sports section—and I were invited to the RTA sport media program’s 10-year anniversary party. At first, I thought we were invited to report on the event, but upon arrival, I realized we were guests.
The Jet Ice Lounge at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) was packed with the biggest names in the sports industry, from my former professor and CBC columnist Shireen Ahmed to TSN soccer reporter Matthew Scianitti. As you might expect, I panicked.
My instinct told me to look for
familiar faces—to look for something I could identify myself with. I got it, I told myself as I approached someone wearing a three-piece suit, seemingly professional.
He looked just like me—he was a Latino just like me. He was probably successful and worked in the industry I have always dreamt of being in.
As I got closer to him, realization flooded my body.
The person I was approaching, the other Latin American in the room, was the bartender.
I was the only Latin American in that room who worked in sports.
My impostor syndrome took over and I told myself: “You are not supposed to be here.”
The drive to beat these statistics is what led to Blurring the Boundaries.
As you flip through these pages, you will find coverage beyond common sports reporting that points to some of the systemic issues in the field, as well as celebrating what’s being done in the industry to make sports better.
From stories like the presence of service dogs at the MAC, whether the women’s teams get the same apparel as the men’s teams do, athletes’ advocacy with signs of systematic protest and much more, this issue will present a new sports perspective, perhaps one we truly need.
Maybe being a sports editor is just my way of blurring boundaries. I know I have to keep going— even if the statistics are not on my side.
It’s been a long year for the sports section—with over 150 articles published—but it has also been a wonderful journey to see so many writers and contributors grow both in their field and as people.
We appreciate all your effort and dedication. Without you, Blurring the Boundaries and everything we’ve done this year wouldn’t be possible.
And as for me, maybe I do belong here.
TO ME, IT’S MORE THAN A GAME
By Mitchell Fox
I have played, watched and written about sports all my life. I grew up idolizing players, teams and eventually, journalists and broadcasters. Yet, over the past few years, I’ve found my love for sports was tested on many occasions.
When the Kyle Beach case came to light in 2021 and the world learned about the Chicago Blackhawks hiding a sexual assault, I was insulted that the game of hockey lacked such integrity.
In 2022, when news broke about the alleged sexual assault of a woman by five members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team, I was stabbed with a distaste for the worst parts of hockey—a toxic culture that I always struggled with when I played.
When I heard the story of Ted Nolan—an Indigenous coach shunned from the NHL—or of Akim Aliu—a Black player who experienced racist offences throughout his career—I picked up more reasons to despise my favourite sport.
I had to reconcile with the fact the sport I love has caused so much harm. There is lots of work to be done in sports to break down discriminatory traditions of racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia and more.
But not everything is doom and gloom. Many athletes, fans, advocates and journalists alike recognize these issues, and more importantly, have put their experiences, passion and care towards improving sport’s social impact.
Players, teams and media organizations alike have stood for change. WNBA players led athletes in a definitive stance during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Travis Dermott used Pride Tape despite the NHL’s ban in 2022. Sportsnet and TSN have featured all-women broadcasts for NBA and NHL games. Celtic FC and their fans have stood in solidarity with Palestine.
Incredible journalists such as TSN’s Rick Westhead and The Athletic’s Katie Strang and Dan Robson have reported on some of sports’ most serious transgres-
sions, informing on the hardest cases to report and the ones many at the heart of sports media wouldn’t touch.
Blurring the Boundaries highlights athletes who take the path less-travelled, various Torontobased organizations who are making sport more inclusive and TMU athletes and teams pushing for equity and compassion.
That is what this special issue is about for me: myself, Daniel and all of our contributors putting our love of the game and of sports reporting into creating a better world.
My sports journalism journey started when I was five years old, reading the sports section of the Toronto Star in the hospital after brain surgery. From there, I wrote game stories while in the stands as a reserve for my minor hockey team, became editor-in-chief (EIC) of my high school’s newspaper and in university, co-EIC at Intermission Sports. I have dedicated much of my life to being a curious writer.
Now, as I look ahead to the rest of my career, I still see myself as that curious, passionate writer—
but I don’t know if that’s necessarily connected to sports.
Holding sports accountable can be tough, but those who do it best— like many of the writers, athletes and advocates in this issue—do it with a passionate desire to change them for the better. That is what I hope to do in my career and this edition is one step of that journey.
In the end, as much as I love sports and everything they have offered me, I hate many things about them. I want them to be better—accessible, inclusive, fun, meaningful and reflective of the best parts of society, all at once.
If I want readers to take one thing away from this issue, it’s that there is a place for everyone and every cause in sports.
This year, our intention was to push the boundary of sports reporting by writing about much more than games or U Sports—to tell people’s stories and portray sports’ role in our world.
There are so many people putting their heart and soul into making sports better for everyone. I want to join them.
Photo by Pierre-Philipe Wanya-Tambwe
Visual by Saif-Ullah Khan
SPORT AS A WINDOW
Q&A: RTA sport media program director Stephen Sheps
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) sociology and RTA sport media professor Stephen Sheps hopes to clear the path and bring justice to the oppressors of the modern sports industry.
Oxford Academic defines the “Modern Sport” as one that “involves political and economic activity at the global level, particularly in the bidding process to host prestigious events.”
After spending the last seven years as a professor at TMU, Sheps became the new program director for the RTA sport media undergraduate program in July 2024.
Sheps’ research focuses on the intersection of sports and sociology as well as analyzing issues in sports governance. His most recent project was a deep investigation into the conduct and structure of international sports governing bodies. With his ongoing research, Sheps and his colleagues in the United Kingdom are hoping to adress the societal need of a fair governing body in the sporting realm.
The Eyeopener sat down with Sheps to discuss the issues in today’s sports
governance, in addition to how he intends to push people’s understanding of sport through his new role with the RTA sport media program.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
What would you say is the biggest issue in sports governance today?
Obviously corruption. When you think about how organizations like FIFA do business, they are technically—and for tax reasons—a nonprofit. It’s not something that we often think about. When we think about FIFA, we think about the incredible sponsorship contracts. We think about the glitz, glamour, size and scope of World Cup events but they bring in so much revenue. Where does it go? And that’s just FIFA. It’s such an incredible thing to think about how impactful these organizations are but how filled with corruption they also are. How do certain nations end up getting these tournaments in the first place? What do they have to pay up front? It’s bananas.
What fix would you suggest for this issue?
The thing that my partner and I talk
about in our paper is this proposal for a new international council for sport governance. Sports have their own legal system, court system and justice system. So they ultimately are able to avoid scrutiny, either from the nation states that they do business in, or organizations like the United Nations. They always find a way to weasel out of oversights. Because of this idea of sport organizations needing autonomy, who watches the watchers? I would love to see greater measures put in place to actually provide enforceable oversight. If there were actual consequences for the actions of these governing bodies, then maybe they would take fewer risks. They would actually prioritize the health and well-being of their athletes and the people that their athletes might be impacting over their own—or overpreserving their own power and maintaining their own profits, especially given that they’re technically not profits.
How has your past work in sociology factored into your career now in sport media?
I teach the courses that focus on the intersection of sport and social issues. As we continue to move forward, the way that we
think about coverage is already changing. The vast majority of sport media students are here to learn production skills. But it’s my role to show the way that sport is often a window into society and that anything that is happening socially, politically or economically in the world can affect sports or the impact that sport has in creating change.
How would you use your experience to help blur the bound-
SERVICE ACES: THE ANIMALS THAT SUPPORT THE BOLD
The stories of two TMU varsity teams’ unsung heroes
Luca, a four-year-old golden retriever and VSD has cemented herself as a staple on the women’s basketball team’s bench.
Student-athletes at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) are often burdened with high-stress environments due to their active lifestyles.
To combat this, two TMU Bold varsity teams welcomed support animals to help their players through their hectic schedule of weekly games, daily practices and classes— one being a visiting service dog (VSD) and the other an emotional support animal (ESA).
Jude Tate, Luca’s handler, said they’ve been with the team for two years. “In 2023, the coaches of the women’s basketball team met Luca to see if we were interested in volunteering for the team,” said Tate. “We were keen to give it a try.”
And try they did. Since that initial encounter, according to Tate, Luca has attended all home games in 2023 and 2024—as well as team practices each week.
But what is Luca’s role on the court? It’s simply being present— nothing more, nothing less. During game-day, Luca is often seen wearing a Bold branded t-shirt, sitting at the players bench and standing with the team when “O Canada” plays before every tip-off at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
The women’s basketball team has accepted Luca with open arms. “The team members welcomed Luca and some of the players [have a] deep affection for [her],” said Tate. “Lots of team members shout when they see her and give her hugs and kisses.”
A 2015 study described the positive effects of the St. John’s Ambulance Therapy Dog Program on university campuses. The study found “[therapy dogs] are being offered on campuses to help address growing concerns of student mental health…[the dogs] un-
aries of what’s possible for the sport media program? Essentially, what are you future goals for this program?
You don’t have to always ask the same kinds of questions, and it’s my job—teaching the sort of critical thinking, sport and social issues courses. To show the different kinds of questions and different ways of seeing the world will allow them to be the change they want to make in the industry once they’re actually out in the field.
equivocally offer love and support to students.” This principle is now being applied in new ways, such as on sports teams.
Tate and Luca continue to show up for their team as integral members.
TMU Bold women’s basketball head coach Carly Clarke believes Luca was exactly what the team needed.
“We had seen and read some things about the use of therapy dogs, both in academic settings and in team settings,” said Clarke. “Luca [was] trained to be able to enter the space, so it just made sense.”
With Luca becoming a regular presence on the team, Clarke associates her with instant boosts of morale for the team.
“She naturally uplifts spirits [and] provides a bit of a reset for our student-athletes in our practice or competitive environment,” said Clarke.
Similarly to Luca, two-yearold bullmastiff and ESA, Bowie, joins the women’s volleyball team alongside her owner and fourthyear libero, Mary Rioflorido.
Rioflorido credits Bowie’s official registration as an ESA as his ticket to the action. “There were some policies where you just can’t bring a reg-
ular dog in,” she said. “Knowing he was an ESA, people were a lot more welcoming to him, to have him in the facility.”
Bowie acts as a lighthouse during emotional storms, providing comfort and safety whenever needed.
“It’s kind of an unspoken thing. Sometimes I don’t want to talk about things, when things go wrong,” said Rioflorido. “So just having him there and just being able to pet him, it’s nice to have his presence.”
Following back-to-back home game losses to Waterloo in February, Bowie was a beacon in the team meeting.
“I had Bowie there just sitting, and he was also listening to the coaches,” said Rioflorido. “Even though we lost, it was a serious conversation. Bowie [was] there.”
Luca and Bowie continue to act as key members of the Bold while providing a sense of calm in their environments. With their natural charm and ability to ground players, both four-legged friends are the irrefutable unsung heroes of their teams.
“He’s a breath of fresh air,” said Rioflorido. “He’s a good dog.”
By Gabi Grande
Photo by Daniel Carrero
Visual by Saif-Ullah Khan
By Francesco Cautillo
Photo by Khadijah Ghauri
TAKING A KNEE
Members of TMU’s Bold women’s basketball team kneel for Black History Month and more
By Tristan Forde
While being one of Canada’s top programs over the last few years, the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s basketball team has shown their tenacity both on and off the court.
The team’s willingness to step up for political and social issues reflects trends in today’s mainstream sports culture.
In 2018, Fox News host Laura Ingraham told LeBron James to “shut up and dribble” when he mentioned the political state of America and how it affected his family. This raised the conversation of whether or not athletes are qualified to speak on the political and societal issues in the world.
In more recent years, it has become more normalized for athletes to publicly share their views on more than just their sport. Examples include Megan Rapinoe pushing for equal pay for women in sports, Billie Jean King advocating for gender equality and social justice and Naomi Osaka speaking out against her experiences with racial discrimination.
Behind all the tears, sweat, physical prowess and excitement that comes with sports, it’s easy to forget that these athletes are members of the same society as everyone else and are affected by the same social and political discourse. Third-year forward Jessica Keripe says if an athlete has an audience, they should use it to get people thinking about the messages behind their actions.
“Whether you have a platform or not, the continued conversation is important to actually getting anything done,” said Keripe.
In the past two years, the Bold women’s basketball team has re-
flected this theme through forms of both protest and empowerment.
In February 2023, the team released a call to action for the Bold’s failure to hold any initiatives for Black History Month that year, as previously reported by The Eyeopener
With the Bold roster featuring several Black-identifying players, athletes such as third-year guard and forward Zoe Idahosa were inspired to speak up. Idahosa said with the reassurance of former Bold teammate, Eve Uwayesu, she built the confidence to use her platform when feeling isolated.
With the support and validation of her teammates, Idahosa and a few others took action by kneeling during the playing of “O Canada” ahead of all their games, in a similar fashion to the movement popularized by former San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick.
The former quarterback chose to kneel during the playing of the national anthem at a 2016 NFL pre-season game to protest against police brutality and the injustices committed against Black people in the United States.
“Two years ago, [TMU Bold] forgot about Black History Month”
This would become a recurring action committed by athletes in an effort to protest these injustices, such as in the WNBA, NBA and NHL bubbles during the COVID-19 pandemic after the murders by police of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Despite playing basketball competitively since the age of 12, Idahosa’s main inspiration for practicing the sport has always been to
support her parents financially. As a first-generation Canadian, she witnessed her mother go through the trials and tribulations of acquiring Canadian citizenship.
When the Bold had failed to acknowledge Black History Month, to her, it overlooked the efforts and progress that many Black athletes made throughout the season.
“Two years ago, [TMU Bold] forgot about Black History Month, and that’s when it started,” said Idahosa. “We kneeled and wore black shirts to protest that they forgot it.”
While the initiative started as a protest against the Bold’s lack of action for Black History Month, fourth-year forward Lauryn Meek said it can also represent more of the systemic issues still present within Canada.
Both Meek and Idahosa pointed out a lack of consideration for Indigenous communities and their needs among other social barriers for various minority groups in the country as issues that should be highlighted as well.
“There are a lot of systems that need to be dismantled that are rooted in racism, for example, the fact that we’re on Indigenous land,” said Idahosa. “Our government has made multiple promises to Indigenous communities and doesn’t make good on any of them.”
Idahosa and her teammates have been using their platform as Black athletes to not submit to conformity and bring light to issues in the country, including those that affect the Black community and others.
“It is a privilege to be on this team and I’m gonna use it as much as I can to support the causes that I support,” said Idahosa.
In her second year on the team in 2023-24, Idahosa said she did not participate as much in the kneeling
as she wanted to avoid it coming off as performative and ensure there was a clear message being sent.
“If you’re going to kneel and protest, try to educate yourself and figure out why you’re really doing it,” said Idahosa.
“We are finding ways to educate ourselves and others, and I’m hoping that continues”
For Keripe, the action of kneeling wasn’t so much about activism but raising awareness and being true to oneself—she said the country has “a lot of things we can improve.”
“I’m not really going to stand for the anthem and stand for the words that are in the anthem. I just don’t think that it’s actually a reality for everyone that lives in Canada,” said Keripe.
In recent times, the Bold have pushed more attempts forward for Black History Month. Such as the Walk of Fame of athletes, the “Bold, Beautiful and Brilliant” tshirts worn during the month of February in 2024 and 2025 and inviting John Carlos for a speech, as previously reported by The Eye.
“I feel like [TMU has] definitely improved, but it’s really like, never enough. I don’t know, I feel like it’s such a hard thing to quantify, what is enough?” said Idahosa.
She pointed to the school’s colonial history and said changing the name, among other actions, has shown improvement but there’s always more they could do.
“It begs the question on whether or not this stuff is performative and how we’re actually impacting these communities,” she said.
In recent years, many social actions have become popular-
ized as a form of performative allyship. For example, during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, people took to Instagram to highlight “Black Out Tuesday,” an online movement where people would post black squares to their feeds and add “BLM” to their profiles to protest against police brutality and systemic racism against Black people.
With so many people reposting the black square, it ended up drowning out information about the Black Lives Matter movement and, as found in a 2022 Social Media and Society study, becoming an example of performative allyship.
“All the things we thought got reformed by our hashtags on social media are still going on,” said Keripe.
Keripe is one of the athletes who joined the initiative to kneel during the anthem. She said, for a brief time, the team had stopped kneeling even though the issues they were addressing before had not been solved.
“Some people may think it’s disrespectful to people in the military and to Canada,” said Meek. “We’re just showing that we still have these certain battles that a lot of minority groups face.”
Having been a part of the Bold for four years now, Meek said she felt isolated during the time that the Bold failed to do any initiatives for Black History Month. But now, she kneels not only for fellow Black people who are faced with injustices but also for every other race.
“We are finding ways to educate ourselves and others, and I’m hoping that continues and it doesn’t just stop at a certain point in time,” said Meek. “There are gonna be more Black individuals, and more Indigenous individuals coming to this school and they need to be recognized.”
Photo by Daniel Carrero
Visual by Saif-Ullah Khan
THE PURSUIT FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN SPORTS APPAREL
TMU Bold’s golden jerseys and ‘Mandem’ shirts spark conversations on men’s and women’s university
athletic teamwear
By Andjela Jagodic
The release of the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team’s alternate golden jerseys on Jan. 3 was glamorously showcased across all the team’s social platforms—the gold shine could not be avoided.
Yet, a glance through the posts shows only men wearing the golden jerseys, ordained with a ‘B’ in the middle of the chest, combined with stripes of blue and white. This raises the question: why aren’t their counterparts, the women’s hockey team, also being showcased in this jersey reveal?
In December 2024, TMU hosted Bold Giving Day—a 24-hour online fundraising event to support the school’s sporting programs including all their varsity, club and competitive teams.
“Our team specifically had a very good turnout on that day,” said fourth-year women’s hockey forward Cailey Davis.
According to the Bold’s website, the women’s hockey team alone raised $18,501 of the approximately $145,000 raised from the event, gaining the most amount of financial support within all programs at the university.
Davis highlighted that each TMU team is given autonomy over their budget and how they want to utilize their funds—including those from the Giving Day, alumni and the athletics department overall— among other fundraising opportunities throughout the year.
The women’s hockey team prioritized their own set of needs and wants over a new jersey, using their newly obtained funds on winter coats for the team, according to Davis. Moreover, the remaining funds will be allocated for potential pre-season games, hiring a mental performance coach, purchasing advanced analytics software and end-of-year team bonding trips, according to a Bold Instagram post.
“We were fortunate enough that we got winter coats this year which are so nice and we all love them so much,” said Davis.
Additionally, the women’s hockey team does have another coloured jersey apart from their home blues and away whites. Every year, the players skate wearing purplecoloured jerseys for their Do It For Daron (DIFD) game, an initiative that helps raise funds for youth mental health awareness.
“Our team chooses to have the purple jerseys for our DIFD game, and that is something that we love to wear every year,” said Davis, adding that the players then auction their jerseys off every year after the game as one way to support the initiative.
Davis believes that the absence of the golden jerseys for the women’s team just comes from a difference in team priorities
rather than a case of gender disparity within sports. “I really think it’s a ‘Choose-to-dowith-your-budget’ kind of thing,” she said.
Nevertheless, the neutral treatment of varsity teams in TMU isn’t a standard across nations.
Historically, in various university leagues such as the National College Athletics Association (NCAA), gender disparities were apparent, especially in funding and resource allocation. A 2022 NCAA Gender Equity Assessment identified significant funding inconsistencies between the men’s and women’s teams.
The financial disparity in the NCAA is not solely an American university sports problem, as Canadian post-secondary leagues such as U Sports have seen gaps in the treatment of women athletes.
A 2020 study within the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics revealed that even though women have been participating in Canadian university sports since the early 20th century, universities often failed to provide them with the same opportunities as their male counterparts.
For example, the University of Toronto (U of T) built a new athletic building, the Hart House, for men in 1919 but took 40 years to build a remotely similar facility for women at the university, according to a 2013 article in The Varsity
“OK when are we getting ours?...everyone thought it was cool”
Women eventually became the majority of the student body at U of T in 1994, yet still received remarkably less sports funding and playing opportunities than the men— alongside poorer facilities, and were not even allowed to enter buildings like Hart House until 1972, The Varsity article details.
For the Bold hockey teams, alternate jerseys are a notable difference.
“Since I’ve been here, the men’s teams kind of always had that third jersey, they used to have the golden ones with the ‘R’ on it, back when we were the [Ryerson] Rams,” said Davis.
In a similar fashion, the men’s basketball team sparked interest in the TMU community after having their own merchandise release before the 2024-25 began. The “Mandem” shirts, popularized by the team, also raised eyebrows for many, continuing the question surrounding gender exclusivity within branding.
Men’s basketball assistant coach Jeremie Kayeye was the driving force behind the creation of the t-shirts, explaining that the intention behind this exclusive apparel was to foster a sense of family and pride for the men’s squad.
“It’s a lingo of a term saying that we are part of one crew, whether you’re a man or a woman, you could be a part of the mandem,” he said. “It’s from the Jamaican cul-
ture, from the Bob [Marley] culture [and] is very influential within the basketball culture as well. So it was something that was just natural.”
Despite the term’s inclusive meaning, the women’s basketball players did not receive the shirts.
Kayeye admitted, “Even girls and women saw it, and they wanted it as well.”
He explained that there are plans to “blow it up” and share it with the rest of the Bold community later down the road, so more people—regardless of gender—have the chance to have a shirt. But the decision was made to keep the new merchandise just within the team and a few select staff members—including certain coaching staff on the women’s basketball team.
Many exclusive apparel drops at TMU like these—which also contribute to positive publicity and visibility for the teams— are primarily seen within the men’s team. The women’s teams, in turn, can feel behind the trend or left out.
Haley Fedick, a fourth-year forward on TMU’s women’s basketball team, reflected on the release of the unique “Mandem” t-shirts.
“Our team was like, ‘Can we get one of those?’ because our coaches would randomly pull up to practice in one of them, and we’d be like, ‘OK, when are we getting ours?’...everyone thought it was cool,” said Fedick. “I think it would be pretty cool if we got something like that too.”
Though lacking the “Mandem” shirts, Fedick mentioned that the women’s basketball team does receive specialty gear, like new tracksuits that were chosen by the players on the team. She noted that head coach Carly Clarke provides a lot of support for
allowing the athletes to have a say in what they want for merchandise.
“[Clarke] does a really good job in that aspect…This year we got Nike Tech tracksuits that were super nice, and it’s exactly what we wanted. The other teams may not get some of that stuff,” said Fedick.
She further believes the apparel athletes receive holds great significance towards team visibility and pride in the university community. Finding herself recognized across campus as a Bold athlete, she constantly wears exclusive merchandise from the team and recognizes that when people see the teams, their interest in attending games increases.
“I think [Bold merchandise] attracts more people to want to come to our games and support us,” said Fedick. “I think it sparks a lot more interest within the university.”
Similar to Davis, Fedick emphasized TMU Athletic’s support for their players and their continued efforts to promote inclusivity within their provided programs.
“In the last few years, [TMU Athletics] really worked on inclusivity and really educating the coaches and the staff that are there,” she said.
Davis also pointed out that TMU has no deliberate favouritism towards the men’s teams. “I really do think they’re making as many strides as possible to make sure that the two teams are kind of being treated the same,” said Davis.
However, she does think there is always room for more from the Bold and university athletics programs overall. “It never hurts to just keep updated and be aware and make sure that everyone’s kind of feeling the same.”
Photos by Mohamed Ali and Eli Silverstone
Visual by Nageen Riaz
BOLD AROUND THE GLOBE
By Keiran Gorsky
Visual by Pierre-Philipe Wanya-Tambwe
With 45 players set to graduate across the eight Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) varsity teams following the end of their respective seasons, the question of what comes after university looms—some may return for a fifth-year with the Bold while others may retire from their sport completely. The rest may take their craft to the next level.
Canadian university athletes are increasingly using the U Sports system as a launching pad for professional careers and TMU Bold alumni are at the centre of this trend.
Stationed on university campuses and in the shadow of bigger leagues such as the National College Athletes Association, some may see U Sports as part of a niche Canadian sporting sphere, taking the country’s young talents and churning them out into Canadian leagues, teams or careers outside of sports. Still, TMU’s record books exemplify another path—from the United States all the way to China, a plethora of Bold products have taken their talents all over the world.
Here’s where you can find Bold—around the globe.
Alexia Rhooms:
Defender Alexia Rhooms started all 20 matches she played over two seasons for the Bold women’s soccer team after time away from the sport due to injuries and school. This past January, she signed with Länk FC Vilaverdense in the Campeonato Nacional Feminino, Portugal’s top tier of women’s soccer. It’s a league that active players on the Canadian women’s national soccer team have passed through, from Cloé Lacasse—who played for SL Benfica— to Olivia Smith who spent time with Sporting CP. Rhooms, a fullback, has played three games for her new club.
Kyle Bollers:
Kyle Bollers only became more dominant throughout his three seasons for the Bold men’s hockey team. His 13 goals during the shortened 2021-22 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) season were good enough to top the league in scoring and net him OUA rookie of the year.
To find where Bollers and other TMU alumni are currently playing abroad, read more at theeyeopener.com
REDSHIRT REDEMPTION
Greg Angelakos’ breakout season defeats the struggles of a redshirt
By
sion—before opening the second quarter with a floater.
“Whenever I get into a game, the first thing I think about is: get it going on defence and that’ll open everything else on offence,” said Angelakos.
have gone through the process of being red-shirted, as the first-ever redshirt was Warren Alfson of the University of Nebraska in 1937.
With just 16 seconds left in the first quarter of an early-season men’s basketball matchup between the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold and the Laurentian Voyageurs on Oct. 26, 2024, the visitors bench at the Ben Avery Gym in Thunder Bay, Ont., began
His mindset paid off. In just 14 minutes, Angelakos put up 11 points, two assists, a rebound, a block and, most importantly, helped push TMU to a win.
Being a redshirt allows studentathletes to participate in team activities without competing in official sports games while preserving a year of eligibility. The term originates from the red jerseys typically worn by these players during practice scrimmages.
Despite not competing in actual games, some redshirts manage to integrate themselves within the team. The Bold men’s basketball redshirts join the regular team for day-to-day practices, participate in strength training and conditioning and play on the scout team—mimicking opponent playing styles to help the main rotation prepare.
“I would be given a specific role at the beginning of the week, like the type of player that I would need to re-enact, if it’s someone who shoots a lot or someone who always goes left,” said Angelakos.
At that moment, guard Greg Angelakos rose from the bench, called upon by head coach David DeAveiro to make a long-awaited first step onto the court in his Ontario University Athletics (OUA) basketball career.
Last season, he was a redshirt— meaning he practiced with the team, learned from the coaching staff and warmed up before games–but never played. Now, with his electrifying energy and lock-down mentality, Angelakos proved he belongs on the court.
Many, like Angelakos, use the year to develop their skills at the university level. Others, like Wilson, must register as a redshirt after transferring from another university within U Sports.
“Last year, I was younger and immature from a basketball sense, so I definitely had to learn a lot of things,” said Angelakos. “I think this year kind of just all came together.”
“I’m here to help us win,” said Angelakos. “I’m going to try to show you guys that every day.”
Though a part of the team on paper, the lack of playing time for redshirts can be mentally straining. They endure the same training and commitment as the rest of the team but aren’t able to see their in-game payoff. While some struggle with motivation, others, like Angelakos, use the experience to fuel their growth.
The first-year disruptor wasted no time making an impact—forcing a miss on his first defensive posses-
“[Angelakos] is the teammate that every group of guys wants… he comes to practice every day with a smile on his face, ready to work hard,” said fourth-year forward Aidan Wilson, who also spent his first season with the Bold as a redshirt in 2022. “He’s…a favourite in the locker room.”
Angelakos and Wilson are among many university athletes to
Varsity teams under U Sports— such as basketball, hockey and soccer—have a five-year eligibility limit, while OUA club sports have no restrictions. Players will use a year of eligibility as soon as they are listed on a game roster, even if they don’t play.
“It can get challenging from a mental standpoint,” he said. “But from a motivational [standpoint]...I’m just thinking about getting better every and providing to coaches that I can be trusted in a game.”
Angelakos credits the TMU coaching staff, as well as veteran players like fourth-year forward
Kaden Nanji
Photo by Khadijah Ghauri
Visual by Saif-Ullah Khan
Aaron Rhooms and alumnus Simon Chamberlain for keeping him motivated.
Over the summer, he spent nearly every morning training with Chamberlain, doing drills to improve his endurance and shooting over and over to work on his finishing touch.
He knew he needed to be stronger, faster and improve on every aspect of the game to have a chance this season.
Chamberlain, who redshirted his first season in U Sports with the Carleton Ravens in 2018, shared lessons from his own experience with Angelakos.
“Talking with him, he’d be like, ‘Look, when I was a redshirt, I’d eat a bunch of cafeteria food and I’d lift as much as I can,” said Angelakos. “‘You know, try to get bigger, try to get stronger and then work out as much as possible.’”
Wilson emphasized the connection the redshirts form by spending games on the bench together and practices on the same squad.
“There’s definitely a bond between the other redshirts, you’re going through the same struggle,” said Wilson.
After a year of improving his strength and basketball IQ, Angelakos returned this season
WHY SPORTS ARE NO LONGER FOR ME
‘I’ll let everyone else have their sports. I’ve always preferred my pages’
By Peyton Andino
Photo by Khadijah Ghauri
I towered over everyone by the time I was 11.
It was isolating to see how short everyone was and how easily I could peer over the tops of their heads. Each boy was shorter, every girl out of sight and whatever conversation I wasn’t a part of happened closer to the ground.
Whether in the stack of books I kept on my desk or the ‘boyish’ way I dressed, there was something about me that made me out of the ordinary. There were pages scattered on my desk of abandoned ideas and ways for me to fit in.
I’ve heard many sermons on forming connections and guides on social complacency, advising me that sports were the best way to get to know others.
Despite this, I spent hours glaring at those playing sports without me, knowingly or unknowingly. I was a resentful kid with books covering most of my face, the words giving me solace as I watched the fun happen around me.
I had already made it to the second round of the tournament. Days were spent on the beach and around the block of my school training for that day. To me, the second round mattered. It was the one step before the cities tournament, one I knew would give me the confidence that would help overcome all of the negative feelings I had towards sports before. The buzz of people grew louder and cheers climbed higher while the sun beat down on me and the air horn went off.
I gained speed with each padded landing of my feet on the grass below me. I was in front. I looked behind to see a horde of girls catching up, and they hunted me down as my Costco Puma socks became soaked with morning dew and sweat.
Beads of sweat poured down from my hairline onto my back and my ears rang louder as my breath picked up. My clothes became uncomfortable and itchy as they all began to pass me by. I was scared of these girls, as their narrowed eyes and harsh gazes judged me in the same manner I assumed everyone had done before.
It did matter to me how I was perceived.
I wasn’t good enough to continue—it was as simple as that. Rejection hit me like a door slamming in my face and I turned away from sports as if I was no longer welcome. How could I be? I was lanky, awkward and unable to be graceful or precise with the movements I once so confidently made.
Sports had shuttered me out and taken my confidence along with it. Everyone told me to try again. Basketball, volleyball—sports that only a girl with my height could fulfill—were thrown at my face as if people wished to rub more salt in my wounds.
Washing that salt out came by realizing what else I had.
There was more to life than sports. There was more to life than the boys club that I had very desperately tried to work my way into throughout the years and the girl groups I wished to find belonging in. The truth was there was no way I could have found affirmation in a group I only connected with for my ego.
determined to make the most of every minute on the court.
His “defence-leading-to-offence” mindset and consistent high effort gained the trust of the coaching staff and teammates.
This season, lead assistant coach, Jeremie Kayeye, gave Angelakos the role of causing as much havoc as possible in the 150 minutes he played throughout the season. His high-energy play included diving for loose balls, racking up steals, navigating defensive rotations and out-rebounding taller opponents.
“He’s a super coachable kid. He’s able to roll with the punches and he excels in any role that the coaches give him,” said Wilson. And he’s just getting started. From entering the team as a redshirt to playing 16 out of 24 games in the regular season, Angelakos continues to embrace the same mindset he had from his redshirt season: constant and consistent improvement.
“You don’t have a lot of expectations,” Angelakos said about being a first-year redshirt. “My motivation comes from continuing to surprise people…and being like: ‘Look, I rested my first year… but I’m here for a reason—to help the team as much as I can…trying to do whatever we need to win.’”
There was laughter, screaming and a key to making lasting relationships through sports that seemed to have skipped me—no matter how many times I was told how mature I was for my age.
When my classmate invited me to join in on a game of kickball, I hesitantly put down my book and stood in line, waiting to be picked.
Even though I was one of the last chosen, it didn’t matter. Someone chose me. I was wanted on a team of my peers and I could make them happy if I properly fulfilled the arbitrary role they gave me.
Suddenly, it didn’t matter how much taller I was or how odd I acted. I could kick, I could throw, I could run. All of these things became parts of my identity faster than I had ever expected them to. For a girl with no coordination, I found some through sports.
No, I can do this.
I picked up speed, swinging my arms in imitation of the other girls around me—how I had watched everyone else do so in the races before mine. Each thump of my shoes shot pain up my tendons and tension struck my lungs.
As I came towards the finish line, I looked back and saw that the only thing behind me was Woodbine Beach, the waters of which I had grown up in.
My legs finally gave out and I paced to a trot before I had even crossed the finish line.
Maybe this was me giving up. Inside my sketchbook lies countless drawings of people in action. Sports, stretches and movements are stagnant at one point of time. I sit and stare as everyone around me finds the joy in the games that I was once so desperate to play.
The difference between me and them was joy.
When I played sports, I sought glory and accomplishment that could only come from the affirmations of others, relying on placement, accolades and reinforcement to keep me on track.
A ribbon of participation was given to the last place winner and it went discarded on the ground.
It filled me with an energy I didn’t realize my once-lethargic self had. This fervour sent electric jolts through my veins every time I waited in those schoolyard lines.
I’ll let everyone else have their sports. I’ve always preferred my pages.
This was it. It was my time to be noticed.
I threw footballs and learned how to tackle, kicked soccer balls and picked up goalkeeping—most importantly, I ran faster than everyone else.
However, a cross-country meet in my final years of elementary school was enough to ruin everything for me.
ON THE AIR AND ON THE RISE
Can U Sports get back to its historical status in Canadian broadcast?
By Todd Ash-Duah
Photo by Khadijah Ghauri Illustration by Nageen Riaz
As bright fluorescent lights lit up Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre on March 11, 2018, thousands packed inside to watch the 2018 U Sports men’s basketball championship final between the Ryerson Rams—now Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold—and Calgary Dinos. With the score tied at 77-77 and 9.5 seconds remaining, Dinos guard Mambi Diawara sprinted across the court to receive a David Kapinga pass, drove to the hoop and finished a slick reverse layup. The Rams had no timeouts left and couldn’t convert on the final possession, giving the Dinos their first W.P. McGree Trophy.
A frenzy ensued in the Maritimes. The champions and their fans flooded the court, while cameras for the TV broadcast crowded their faces in a storybook ending that Diawara and the Dinos will never forget.
With this being the championship game, plenty of eyes were on the court that night as the game aired live on Sportsnet 360, meaning millions across Canada had easy access to see what U Sports is all about: quality play, intense competition and theatreesque drama.
While the essence and quality of U Sports hasn’t gone anywhere, much has changed since that 2018 title game. One year later, after the conclusion of the 2019 national championships, U Sports’ broadcast deal with Sportsnet expired, meaning the league had to find a new broadcasting partner.
After some U Sports national championships in 2020 and the entire 2020-21
season were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, U Sports struck a new broadcast rights deal with CBC Sports in 2021. This resulted in a four-year contract that expires at the end of the 2024-25 season. Although U Sports championship’s viewership numbers reached an all-time high during the 2023-24 season, there has been no news of a potential contract extension between the league and CBC, further putting the future of U Sports broadcasting in question.
Currently, provincial games are broadcast on OUA.tv, CanadaWest.tv and AUS.tv, while championships are broadcast on CBC Sports digital platforms such as CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem and CBC Sports’ YouTube channel. This year, the U Sports men’s and women’s basketball championships were simulcast on SN360, a sample of the league’s potential on national television. However, most games are not available on the air on a Canada-wide level, and the quality of broadcast depends on the school’s facilities, equipment and programs.
Amidst the uncertainty in the future of televised U Sports, the path forward for Canadian university games to get back on the air and become an entertainment product people want to watch live, follow and invest in is up in the air. The question becomes: can U Sports forge itself into a golden ticket once again?
“Everything has advanced so much further than when I was a student-athlete,” says Donnovan Bennett, who played U Sports football as a running back for the Western Mustangs from 2003 to 2007. “The one thing that has
not advanced, but has regressed, has been the exposure on national TV outlets. So for that to be somewhat rectified would be validation to the student-athletes that what they’re doing matters.”
Bennett, who currently works as a feature host, producer and radio host at Sportsnet, sees U Sports as a niche, regional product instead of something that could become a mainstream media juggernaut in the Canadian sports media landscape. He notes that many fans who watch and consume U Sports content mainly support teams near them instead of the entire league, which affects the amount of viewership needed to sustain a national broadcast.
“If you are from London, Ont. and you consider yourself a U Sports football fan…it probably means that you are a fan of the Western Mustangs,” says Bennett. “And your level of engagement with what’s going on with the Saskatchewan Huskies or the Saint Mary’s Huskies is low until potentially those teams face the Western Mustangs in a national semi-final.”
Hamilton Tiger-Cats. These partnerships and events might help the U Sports brand grow by attracting new and younger fans.
“You’re building into a pre-existing storyline of the rivalry [between] the two cities,” says Bennett. “You are going to a place where there’s going to be an audience.”
The idea of a cross-town or regional rivalry is well-established in U Sports. Games where the TMU Bold, U of T Varsity Blues or York Lions play against one another are commonly referred to as the “subway series,”—due to the schools being connected by the Toronto Transit Commission—and this season, TMU and U of T decided to brand their doubleheader basketball matchups as the Metro Hoops Classic.
Joel Darling, a TMU alumnus who currently works as the executive producer of NHL Special Events at Sportsnet, says U Sports needs to show it belongs to professional teams and the big leagues in sports broadcasting.
“When you look at university games and how many people are attending, the numbers aren’t that big,” he says. “So, in direct line with that, the money is not going to be spent in the same way based on the fact that the interest is not the same.”
Darling believes achieving such national recognition ultimately comes down to the technology and resources U Sports has to grow its product and get back on the air.
He says, “If you’re trying to mount a broadcast that looks good, sounds good, has commentators, many cameras, replayability…it’s going to cost some money.”
“THERE’S ONLY SO MANY HOURS IN A GIVEN HIGHLIGHT SHOW OR IN A GIVEN DAY”
Canadian university sports leagues, such as U Sports, have struggled to carve out a spot in a crowded Canadian sports media landscape, Bennett adds, especially with the recent rise of professional women’s sports in Canada.
“With the success of [Professional Women’s Hockey League] in year two, with the [Northern Super League] coming this spring and with the Toronto Tempo coming in May of 2026, there’s lots to cover,” says Bennett. “There’s only so many hours in a given highlight show or in a given day.”
Bennett’s potential solution to this dilemma includes U Sports partnering with any of Canada’s professional sports leagues to have university and professional teams based in the same city host a double-header rivalry event. The University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues and Hamilton’s McMaster Marauders, for example, could play an afternoon football game ahead of a matchup between the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and
The cost of technological equipment has significantly decreased over the years, Darling says—adding that U Sports and other Canadian university leagues should make their product less expensive to produce to help their growth. This could make it more likely for major sports broadcasting networks such as TSN and Sportsnet to collaborate and work together again.
“That’s the key,” says Darling. “Anything [U Sports] can do to help make it cheaper or easier is important.”
U Sports is sometimes seen as the Canadian equivalent of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which has increased in popularity alongside the announcement of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals for athletes in 2021 as well as the overall commercialization of collegiate sports in the United States (U.S.).
However, because U Sports isn’t a multi-billion dollar industry— and doesn’t have an equivalent of NIL deals—like the NCAA, Darling recognizes the league hasn’t been able to generate as much revenue and, therefore, not as much national acclaim in Canada.
Throughout the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) season, many TMU student from the RTA School of Media, consisting of sport media and media production programs, volunteer and work to broadcast games for TMU’s Bold Broadcast Group in collaboration with the university’s athletic department. The school’s access to state-of-the-art broadcasting equipment and technology has allowed the school to produce high-level broadcasts from the Mattamy Athletic Centre akin to professional broadcasts on major Canadian networks such as Sportsnet, TSN and CBC.
However, Ryan Sykes, a contract lecturer and technical producer for RTA’s Bold Live broadcasts, acknowledges not all universities have the same access to produce high-quality broadcasts as TMU.
“I think the biggest challenge for U Sports is the fact that not every school that participates in it has a media arm or media school that has the facilities and infrastructure that we have,” he says. “So the playing field is not necessarily level.”
Sykes says he would love to see U Sports partner up with other schools to help improve the quality of national broadcasting, which could help its athletes garner more deserved exposure and recognition.
“To show off not only the athletes—because there are tremendous athletes in all of the sports that we cover—but also our ability to tell stories and let students drive what storytelling in these live event productions is going to look like moving forward,” he says.
With the NCAA’s announcement of eligibility rule changes in November 2024, highlighting and showcasing U Sports athletes on a larger scale is becoming a topic of interest in 2025. This update allows players who have played in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) to enroll and play in the NCAA. While this rule change could lead to young Canadian hockey players heading down south to play in the U.S., it could also lead to young American hockey players from leagues such as the United States Hockey League move up to Canada as a result of increased competition for spots in the NCAA.
“A lot of the players who are U Sports athletes come from pro or semipro leagues,” he says. “So the quality of play is really high.”
On the U Sports website, a small blurb reads, “The brand is one title, instantly recognizable and identical in both French and English, with one goal; To give our studentathletes and national championships the visibility, appreciation and reward they deserve.”
However, with games not being broadcasted as frequently as in the past, U Sports athletes haven’t received the esteem the league strives to give them.
Kelcey Wright Johnson played U Sports basketball for the thenRyerson Rams from 2009 to 2013 and now works as an NBA reporter. To her, the opportunity for Canadian university athletes to be spotlighted regularly nationally—the way she did when she played—would serve as an outstanding accomplishment while also benefiting the next generation of sports fans and athletes in the country.
“It would feel great,” said Wright Johnson. “Being recognized in your home country would be so good.”
“I think it would mean that [U Sports athletes are] able to relate to younger athletes a little bit better,” says Gordon. “I think it would humanize the athletes a little bit more and provide the opportunity for younger people, and frankly anyone in the world, to learn about their struggles because that’s how people connect.”
As the 2024-25 U Sports season wraps up, it’s unclear whether or not the league will return to live television networks consistently in the near future, especially since Sportsnet’s TV broadcast rights
In Bennett’s eyes, CBC is the “most optimal” home for U Sports coverage because of its accessibility for most Canadians and its history of covering high-level amateur sports such as the Olympics.
“Our tax money goes towards it,” says Bennett. “So they should be trusted to tell stories at that level.”
“I THINK IT WOULD HUMANIZE THE ATHLETES A LITTLE BIT MORE”
Julie Gordon is a former beach and indoor volleyball player for the Canadian national team, who just completed her first season as the lead assistant coach for the TMU women’s volleyball team. Having also been a U Sports athlete and played in nationally and internationally televised games, Gordon recognizes what it means for young athletes to have national exposure.
deal with the NHL is set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season.
“I think it’s all going to depend on what happens with the NHL national rights in Canada,” says Sykes. “Obviously, with the popularity of the NHL in Canada, once the dust kind of settles on what the future is of that, I think that’ll really determine a path for U Sports.”
According to a CBC research report in April 2024, linear TV viewing has declined by 41 per cent over the past decade. With the realization that Canadians are not necessarily going to consume traditional broadcasts, Bennett believes it would be wise for U Sports to continue to dive into the online sports streaming sector.
“I think if we’re being diligent and prudent, that energy and focus should be looking forward to what’s ahead and skating where the puck is going, not where it is, Gretzky-style,” says Bennett. “I think in terms of building this out over time, it could be a real spark play.”
Gordon echoes this sentiment, adding, “CBC does a good job of making things fairly accessible”
for U Sports fans by broadcasting games on platforms and streaming services such as YouTube and the CBC Gem app.
A potential issue that could arise if companies like Sportsnet partnered up with U Sports, Wright Johnson says, is that it could strip away opportunities for students to showcase their reporting and broadcasting skills. While there are talented up-and-coming broadcasters and technical staff working for Bold Broadcast Group and other teams across the country, she says major networks would likely prefer to have their own on-air talent crew.
She says, “I think there’s good and bad to both because I think that experience is so important for the student journalists.”
Before the start of the 2025 U Sports women’s and men’s basketball national championships, the host University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds received an acknowledgement from
NBA Hall of Famer centre Shaquille O’Neal and the rest of the “Inside The NBA” crew. O’Neal and his colleague Charles Barkley, a fellow NBA Hall of Famer, attempt to mimic bird squawks in reference to UBC’s team name in a viral social media clip.
The diesel-sized shoutout showed Canadian university sports’ potential as a league and commodity. Having felt the pressure of a national audience as a player and broadcaster, Bennett says the opportunity for studentathletes to be spotlighted more widely would help them in future scenarios in life. And he believes it’s possible—with efforts to collaborate among schools and make their product less expensive, U Sports could get back on the air consistently and help their athletes showcase their unique talents on the biggest stage.
“One of the best things about playing in those national TV games was you knew it was a stage,” said Bennett. “It hit different when you’re playing one of those big national TV games.”
TORONTO: THE CITY OF SPORT
Hijabi Ballers, Lay-Up and HOOPQUEENS work towards sports inclusivity
By Jonathan Reynoso
In the summer of 2018, coming off of an injury, Yasmin Said was left questioning her place and her future within sports. After returning from a soccer tournament in Egypt, Said met Amreen Kadwa, founder of the Toronto-based not-for-profit Hijabi Ballers and became involved in their work, which allowed her to find a piece of herself that she felt she was missing.
“When I got involved with Hijabi Ballers, it put into perspective the idea of community that can arise and being able to find your people,” explained Said. “I think it’s important because the more I meet women in sports and women who are interested in athletics, the more I start to see the privilege that lies within myself…It opened my eyes to how that community is there if you are willing to find it.”
Hijabi Ballers is a space “to create positive sport experiences for Muslim girls and women by eliminating systemic barriers to their participation,” according to their website.
Toronto is a city rich with sports history, where the culture and diversity within each of the six boroughs seep into the foundation of its sports. Nevertheless, because many spaces and sports are not inclusive or accessible to those from marginalized or underprivileged communities, people continue to feel like outliers.
Reports in 2023 from Statistics Canada show that “Nearly one in five people report experiencing or witnessing unfair treatment, racism or discrimination in sports in the previous five years.”
To combat this, organizations like Hijabi Ballers, Lay-Up and HOOPQUEENS are working to make Toronto a city where people of all ages, genders, cultures and religions have a space in sports where they can feel seen, feel heard and find their belonging. For many like Said, this is a relatable pursuit.
“I still felt like sports in general, for me, had at times felt really isolating,” explained Said, who was previously the public relations
officer and a co-lead of the Black Muslim Female Athletes Fundraiser for Hijabi Ballers.
For some, the first step to welcoming a community is creating a safe and affordable space. Lay-Up is a basketball charity whose mission is to make sports more accessible to youth in Toronto.
“That community is there if you are willing to find it”
The city’s vast size might make finding that community challenging, but for Lay-Up, making the effort to engage the broader basketball-loving community helps to reduce financial and social barriers for kids and create inclusive spaces where everyone can feel a sense of belonging.
“Whether it’s playing on a basketball team or at a community level, some of the most diverse neighbourhoods in the city are also neighbourhoods where there are a lot of barriers to access,” said Chris Penrose, executive director of Lay-Up.
The challenge of lacking inclusivity and accessibility to suitable programs in sports is one women and girls—especially women of colour—have been trying to tackle for years. Girls have 1.3 million fewer high school sports opportunities than boys, according to the Women’s Sport Foundation. Limited school programs, high costs and a lack of nearby facilities make it even harder for girls to participate.
For HOOPQUEENS, the first professional women’s basketball league in Canada, the key to solving this imbalance is funding for women’s programs, better facilities and an intentional focus on uplifting female athletes.
Nakissa Koomalsingh, founder and CEO of HOOPQUEENS, said organizations, brands and policymakers must actively create pathways for women to succeed through sponsorship, mentorship or leadership opportunities in the sports industry.
“Ultimately, inclusivity means breaking down financial, social and systemic barriers so that talent
and passion, not gender or background, determine success,” said Koomalsingh in an email statement to The Eyeopener.
She said HOOPQUEENS’ goal is to create a sustainable ecosystem for women’s basketball.
“We’re creating a space where women and girls can be a part of the sport in a new way. Here, they can develop their skills, find the support they need and be part of an ecosystem that’s intentionally built for them,” said Koomalsingh. “Basketball has historically been a space where women haven’t always had the same opportunities, so our programs are designed to change that.”
For some in sports, feeling represented in a workspace is transferable to watching and playing sports—organizations like LayUp relay this by “always wanting to create experiences.”
An article by Michel Ruiz Fuentes titled “The Importance of Representation in the Workspace” highlights the importance of the connection between youth of colour and adults, who benefit from
enjoying their favourite team, the Toronto Raptors, his thensix-year-old son asked him, “How come everyone who talks about basketball doesn’t look like who plays basketball?”
Whether on the court or off of it, a sense of belonging can mean a lot to diverse athletes in Toronto and their communities.
“When you’re walking into a space you’re not really familiar with, it’s better to have that reassurance, that the idea of representation is so important,” explained Said. “It translates into community because when you see yourself being represented, you’re able to find that community and hold onto it.”
Including diverse faces also drives educational advancement in these spaces. To Said, it is important for young athletes to “see it to believe it,” ensuring that men, women, boys and girls—along with those around them—stay well-informed about the spaces created for them. This is why organizations like Lay-Up orient the space to make their members feel as comfortable as possible.
that one of the barriers for the older girls is sports bras or there are Muslim girls who want to play competitively wearing a hijab. These are where we are creating these points of access,” said Penrose.
Lay-Up has built a relationship with the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) basketball community by employing students from the school as content creators, having course-based collaborations to support the organization’s work and attending TMU varsity basketball games. They were recently featured courtside and recognized for their continued efforts within the Toronto basketball community.
Organizations like Lay-Up and Hijabi Ballers not only open up the sports to those often counted out but commit to bringing in fresh opinions and viewpoints in their pursuit to improve diversity within sports in Toronto.
“If you don’t have outside perspectives, you’re not going to be able to understand the gaps in a more holistic way,” explained Said. “I think people sometimes forget that, especially with sports, it can be very political. It could be very governance-based.”
With efforts to create more access, educate and promote more representation in the sports spaces, each of these organizations makes strides to continue diversifying Toronto’s sports ecosystem.
With no clear end in sight, their goal—individually and collectively—is to maintain and grow the communities that have been created out of what makes Toronto the diverse city it is.
“We also learn along the way
relationships with others who share their experiences and can offer understanding and support.
“I want to see more women pursuing basketball professionally, as well as being involved in different areas of the game,“ said Koomalsingh. “I want to be part of making that happen, not just for the athletes, but for future generations too.”
Penrose has seen firsthand why representation matters. While sitting in front of the TV
Photos by Khadijah Ghauri
Visual By Saif-Ullah Khan
TMU BOLD WOMEN’S HOCKEY: A CULTURE OF OPENNESS
The team’s Do it for Daron initiative reflects a mental health commitment on and o the ice
By Hannah Sabaratnam
Content warning; This story contains mentions of suicide and mental health-related subject matter.
In their purple-themed outfits, the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s hockey team arrived early at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Feb. 1 to set up the rink for their Do it For Daron (DIFD) fundraising game. They hung purple and white ribbons on the glass along with a sign that read, “Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.”
The initiative—presented as the theme for the Bold’s home game against the Nipissing Lakers—aims to raise money for mental health and is inspired by Daron Richardson, a young teen who died by suicide in 2010. Created by her parents, DIFD aims to raise awareness and educate about mental health.
The planning started back during the team’s training camp over the summer, with returning players educating the newer members of the squad about the event. Each year, the Bold get in contact with the opposing team and other areas of the school—such as the Athletics and Recreation department— for promotion. The rest of the organizing includes selecting prizes, planning in-arena intermission activities and preparing other fundraising opportunities.
“Asking for help is not a sign of weakness”
One event that took place outside of the MAC this season was a bar night hosted by the team at The Fifth Social Club, where proceeds from tickets sold to attend the game were dedicated to DIFD.
Master of nursing student and forward Mia Morano had a lead role in organizing this year’s event. Inspired by the players who were on the team before her, Morano wanted to join in on planning the theme game and make it a unique staple for the women’s hockey team.
“Since my first year, I always looked up to the older girls that were running it and I always knew that was something I wanted to be a part of,” said Morano. “Everyone helped out, everyone had their own roles… the whole team made it happen.”
Starting in 2011, the DIFD initiative has been a staple for the Bold. At the time, some of Richardson’s friends had been recruited to the team as players and had the idea to start the event. Since then, it’s been a player-driven initiative.
“I would say it’s 95 per cent players and five per cent staff,” said head coach Lisa Haley. Haley is proud of her team for how they have organized the event and kept it going after so many years. Though the original players who started the event have since graduated, the Bold continues to carry on its legacy.
“It’s been very special to see the effort that goes into the Do it For Daron fundraising game by our team,” said Haley. “It’s just real-
ly awesome and I’m very pleased to see that it continues year after year.”
To Andrea Nwabuike, a counsellor for TMU Athletics, sports can have both positive and negative effects on athletes. The pressure to perform and the expectation to be strong-minded individuals can take a toll, and for many, the stigma surrounding mental health can be hard to overcome.
“Physical activity is a great aid to our mental and emotional health but sport can also open the door to a host of stressors,” said Nwabuike in an email to The Eyeopener. “The sports world has emphasized a form of resilience and strength that makes little space for these concerns and their impact on athlete mental health.”
To her, the DIFD effort combined with the team’s commitment to open discussion reflects the need to hear stories about those who have struggled with mental health as well as those who have thrived through support.
“Good mental health is a community effort, something we create and sustain together,” Nwabuike said. “This generative way of talking about mental health shifts us from conversation to action.
In a study published in journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise , the authors conducted a survey on members of the 2020 Canadian Olympic team regarding their mental health. The study concluded that over 40 per cent of athletes “met the cutoff criteria for one or more mental disorders,” including anxiety, depression and eating disorders. The survey showed the presence of these illnesses came from a variety of factors such as stress, workload and self-esteem.
On the Bold squad, both Morano and Haley described the team culture to be notably open to the discussion of mental health. They feel like their locker room is a safe place where players can seek support without judgment. Both also acknowledge the importance of mental health, especially as a young person and player.
“It’s such an important topic for their demographic. That age group, 18 to 25 are most vulnerable to mental illness,” said Haley.
“Good mental health is a community e ort, something we create and sustain together”
and I think that’s really driven by the older girls on the team.”
As one of the veteran players on the team this year, Morano made it a goal to be the person younger players can go to for support and a listening ear. Having had that support system from other players in the past, she realized how useful it is to be a helping hand.
“That age group, 18 to 25 are most vulnerable to mental illness”
“I found it really beneficial when I was a younger girl, seeing the older girls and having that,” she said. “[I am] trying to keep the culture and keep the conversation going.”
Keeping the conversation going is an important part of easing the stigma surrounding mental health. In Nwabuike’s opinion, society has begun to acknowledge mental health and people are becoming aware of what can hinder their mental well-being. But she feels the conversation in our society should be taken further.
“Mental health stigma is slowly changing and we are recognizing more than ever before that it is OK to not be OK…but we need to start talking about what it looks like to be well,” said Nwabuike.
She also added that if never feeling stressed or being happy all of the time defined good mental health, it’d be “impossible” to achieve.
“I define positive mental health as having access to the tools, support and resources needed to cope with life’s challenges,” said Nwabuike.
Alongside counselling, the team has another resource available to them in mental performance coach Margaret Jennings. Her job centers around the on-ice performance of players and while she more often has meetings with the entire team, players can also set individual appointments if they want to.
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, “Young people aged 15-24 are more likely to experience mental illness and/or substance use disorders than any other age group.”
From year to year, the team has been able to sustain a culture of openness and empathy through its older players. Throughout her six years at TMU, Morano has felt the impact left behind by players who came before her.
“I think that when I came in it was OK to be a younger player and not know what you wanted to do,” said Morano. “Sometimes you would miss home, and it would be OK to be like, ‘Hey I’m not having a good day today’
“I find that at times I could get overwhelmed and I find that her teaching us intentions has really helped me set my intentions for the day,” said Morano. “The positive affirmations have really helped me with confidence…and staying grounded at times.”
Initiatives such as DIFD help illustrate the impact and role the community plays in working to spread mental health awareness. To Nwabuike, community is an integral part of continuing the on-going efforts to support mental health.
“Events like DIFD are spaces where all of these stories and voices can be heard so that we can move forward with compassion towards each other and towards ourselves,” she said.
“The positive a rmations have really helped me with the confidence...and staying grounded”
Overall, Morano is pleased with how the DIFD event went, and not only because they upset the division-leading Lakers 4-1 in their special purple jerseys. She said the afternoon was “overwhelming” but “in a very good way.”
“I felt that day was rewarding in a way to see it all come together and to go smoothly,” said Morano.
Part of Jennings’ instruction includes setting intentions and positive affirmations. But these strategies do not have to stay strictly on the ice. Morano said she has benefited from using the techniques learned from Jennings outside of hockey.
Photo by Daniel Carrero
Visual by Saif-Ullah Khan
TMU’S EAST ASIAN HOCKEY PLAYERS CHANGE THE GAME
Liam Ross, Kayla Kondo and Kalysta Song represent a new wave in TMU Bold hockey
obvious” and instead took notice of his peers’ intentions, which he said were all welcoming.
Throughout his time playing hockey, Liam Ross has been no stranger to experiencing discrimination on the ice.
“There have been instances where I have felt different, whether I’ve been called slurs or whatnot,” said Ross, a third-year defender on the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team.
East Asian hockey players have historically been subjected to discrimination that makes it harder for them to feel included in the world of sports. In 2022, a diversity and inclusion report found that 83.6 per cent of employees across the NHL and its teams were white. Racist comments and abuse towards players of colour—including Asian players, like NHL’s Matt Dumba, who has described facing discriminatory instances in the past—are not uncommon on the ice.
Ross has endured his share of this treatment from opponents.
“Early on, there were definitely challenges where players on different teams would see me as different and call me names,” remembered Ross.
Ross is half-Chinese and was introduced to hockey at a young age by his dad, where he “fell in love with playing.” While going through youth and junior hockey, he didn’t perceive people’s differences as something “glaringly
“Every team I played for, I’ve felt very included. No one on my team has ever treated me differently. I’m very happy to say everyone…has always been very supportive,” said Ross.
Similarly, first-year Bold defender Kalysta Song never took notice of her race while playing until she was older.
“[Underrepresentation] wasn’t something that I was made aware of or felt ashamed of because I was always surrounded by people who accepted me,” said Song in an email statement. “But as I grew older, I definitely started to notice that I was always one of the only people of colour on the teams that I played on.”
Song—who is half-Korean and a quarter Japanese—and secondyear forward Kayla Kondo— who is half-Japanese—are two East Asian players currently on the TMU Bold women’s hockey team. Both are described by their head coach Lisa Haley as great leaders in representing diversity.
“[Song] and [Kondo] on our team feel a sense of responsibility…to be that role model and I think they embrace it very well,” said Haley. “I hope we can continue to foster that type of mentality within our sport.”
Song takes this responsibility to heart. “I always try to put my best foot forward. Since there aren’t as many East Asian players in women’s hockey, I want to set a positive example and show that we
from diverse backgrounds, beliefs and identity.”
Establishing a welcoming team dynamic has allowed players like Song to feel enriched by the diversity on the Bold women’s squad.
“In most instances, everyone just realizes that they are there for the same reason: to play hockey and to have fun,” said Song. “Regardless of our backgrounds, we share a common goal, which helps create a strong sense of unity. At the same time, having players from different identities and experiences makes the team dynamic even stronger.”
In December 2024, Kevin He became the first Chinese-born hockey player to sign an entry-level contract with the NHL, while at a Canadian youth level seven out of 16 players on the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s Don Mills Flyers U16 team are East Asian, according to the Toronto Star
Before joining TMU, Ross was invited to play for the Kunlun Red Star, a team in the Kontinental Hockey League based in Beijing, China.
“It was a great experience. Most of the team was either born in China or of Chinese heritage, so that was something that was definitely different from previous teams I played for, and it was something special, seeing how diverse hockey has become,” Ross recalled.
belong in the sport just as much as anyone else,” she said.
According to Haley, when it comes to women’s hockey, it is more common and welcomed to see players of varying identities—such as race and ethnicity—compared to men’s hockey. In the professional realm, many BIPOC women have been seen as role models—such as Sarah Nurse with the Toronto Sceptres or Fatima Al Ali representing the United Arab Emirates—who break stereotypes and represent different diverse groups.
“I’m not saying that [discrimination] doesn’t exist in the female hockey world but I do think it’s much less prevalent,” noted Haley. “Discriminatory… scenarios just don’t exist at the
With the lack of representation in hockey, some see the few Asian players in the sport as role models, one being Nick Suzuki who plays for the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL.
“Suzuki has been a pretty big inspiration to me. Seeing him succeed as a player of Asian heritage in a predominantly-white sport has been really motivating,” said Song. “His journey reminds me that representation in hockey is growing and it pushes me to keep striving for my own goals.”
Asian women have started to be recognized in professional hockey as well. In 2024, Akane Shiga became the PWHL’s only Japanese player. In 2021, Ye Eun Park, who played for the Bold between 2018
“I think hockey in general is too dominated by Caucasians, whether it’s male or female. But I think that the diversity within our sport is growing…and I hope it continues to do so,” said Haley.
Diversity in hockey has taken strides in recent years with the 2024 NHL draft sparking conversations about how the sport is becoming multicultural. With this positive change, TMU Bold athletes can be seen as representatives of a brighter, more inclusive future in hockey for young East Asian athletes.
“We are all human and race shouldn’t create a barrier between us”
“We’re very proud of the diversity that exists within our program already and I think for…young female East Asian [athletes] that are looking to pursue hockey, if you can see someone that you can relate to, then obviously that pathway is just a little bit easier,” said Haley.
To Haley, Song and Ross, the growing visibility of race amongst teams is revealing a shift in the sport’s inequity.
“I think [more representation] just shows a change for the better where hockey has become open to everyone and everyone’s welcome to come and play and no one’s treated differently because of their heritage, background or their ethnicity,” said Ross.
Song strives for more than just representation in the sport and acknowledges that the shift in hockey’s status quo will open up the floor for everyone, without having to face the same struggles as their predecessors.
“I would just tell [young Asian athletes] to chase their dreams. At the end of the day, we are all human and race shouldn’t create a barrier between us,” said Song. “Hockey is for everyone, and if you love the sport, you de-
same level on the female side. I think that, as a whole, our sport is much more accepting of people and 2020, went on to represent the South Korean national team and continues to do so.
serve to be a part of it.”
By Victoria Cha
Photos by Mohamed Ali and Oliver Ulster
Visuals by Saif-Ullah Khan
WOMEN’S SPORTS IN TORONTO: MORE THAN AN OPPORTUNITY TO STRIVE FOR
From
the court to the boardroom, women are redefining the narrative of breaking barriers
By Adriana Fallico
The competitive fire inside Julianna Price was first lit by her love for soccer.
Though she’s played the game since elementary school—even playing on an all-boys team for four years—many of her memories associated with soccer are associated with feeling unwelcome.
“I got a lot of comments from other boys on other teams saying, ‘Shouldn’t you be in the kitchen, why are you here?’” said Price. “At 12 to 13 years old, boys are already saying that.”
As if that animosity wasn’t enough, it wasn’t just the boys on the field she had to deal with.
“Parents on the other teams would ask ‘Why is there a girl here?’ and tell the referee that there should not be a girl playing,” said Price. “Do you not realize that you are talking about a young girl
Despite the antagonizing jabs, Price wanted to prove that she had a place in soccer.
“The boys were skeptical and would say ‘You are not going to be a good addition to the team and you won’t be as good as us because you are a girl,’” said Price. “I remember being like ‘So shut up and watch me.’”
Following her high school graduation, she went on to play for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks soccer team as a defender for two years, but due to a “horrible coaching and environment,” she decided to part ways with the team.
“It was rough,” said Price. “It was competitive in a bad way—girls trying to tear each other down… which is horrible.”
She explained, “Soccer would make me anxious and it would give me way too much stress.”
After leaving the Golden Hawks, Price began to explore her interests outside of soccer. Hungry to continue her education,
ence student at the University of Toronto in September 2024.
Although Price always knew she didn’t want to be a professional soccer player, she continued to play at university because of her unwavering love for the game.
“I wanted to do it as long as I could do it, but in the right environment,” she said.
Price’s upbringing in sports is one many female athletes can relate to—a journey of being beaten down by the masculine culture of sports, ones that little girls dream of playing professionally.
league women’s sports—including the WNBA, which has been in existence since 1996—directing the focus surrounding the teams and athletes from one’s gender to the game itself.
Canadian legal system, she chose to complete a pre-law degree with a business specialization.
When she entered her first criminal justice course at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), she immediately knew that path was not for her.
Back at the drawing board yet again, she began to panic about the uncertainty of what her career would look like. Sandhra ultimately let herself go with the flow to see where her education as a global business student would take her.
Despite the tribulations many women face, women’s sports are consistently categorized in media coverage as inspiring and aspiring. The recognition of the trailblazing work and play of female athletes in a male-dominated space is valuable for the next generation of athletes. However, restricting discourse around women’s sports to this distinction of breaking through and finding opportunity can belittle the status of women’s sports to simply
who just wants to play a game?” she enrolled as a master’s of scibreaking down sexist barriers.
“Although that excitement and feeling of being grateful still exists in our buildings in a big way, we now see a lot more around on-ice play, the competition, physicality, the standings,” said Hefford. “As athletes, you want to be looked at as an athlete in your sport solely, so I think there certainly has been a shift in the way people watch us now.”
“I remember being like ‘So shut up and watch me’”
The emergence surrounding women’s sports has been influential even to the women who are not aiming to begin a professional athletic career.
A few months later, Sandhra was watching a Toronto Maple Leafs game in her living room when she came across a TikTok posted by Sports Girls Club, a multi-media platform that “works to bring inclusivity to the sports industry.”
The video montage highlighted women who work in the sports industry with media credentials. It was the text overlayed on the video that read, “Women can work in sports too,” which instantly drew her attention.
column, writer
In a Trinitonian Elise Hester questioned why view-
ership for women’s sports is so low and and came to the conclusion that people viewed women’s sports as a
“lesser version of their male counter-
parts” due to patriarchal standards set against women. She also states that women’s sports may never be viewed
Price cannot play soccer in the same competitive capacity she used to due to injuries, but still has aspirations to contribute to a women’s league.
For now, her focus lies on making a different dream come true: opening her own pediatric occupational therapy clinic. It’s the prospect of working in professional women’s sports on the sidelines that makes Price’s eyes twinkle.
At the time, Sandhra was surprised, yet intrigued by the idea of women working in sports-related industries, as she had thought women could only be athletes.
Sandhra could only explain the feeling of following that account as “finding my spark again.”
“To this day, I can’t find that TikTok anywhere,” she said, smiling.
Sexism towards women’s sports
as equal to men’s in her lifetime. has been intertwined with expectations surrounding women outWilde’s research article
side the field. According to Kristin Women in Sport: Gender Stereotypes in the
Past and Present, “female athletes have a subordinate po-
sition in the sports world” which can be blamed on “the patriarchal nature of
both society and sport.”
This is a sentiment that Jayna Hefford, executive vice
According to United Nations (UN) Women, seven out of 10 people now consistently watch women’s sports, showing how the continuous success of women’s sports is making its presence known. The mounting uptake of women’s sports provides the opportunity for women like Price to work in sports across a multitude of different sports sectors.
From that moment forward, she had her heart set on working in sports and eventually got an internship with Sports Girls Club as a digital content creator, making graphics for their Instagram.
According to a 2022 analysis by the Sport Information Resource Centre, less than 10 per cent of Canadian sports news outlets’ coverage that year highlighted women’s sports, displaying a disparity in coverage between the men’s and women’s teams.
Simran Sandhra was the kid who never got tired of running around a field. She frequently switched between playing house league and rep soccer for a few years, telling friends and family that she would someday be a professional player.
ey operations of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)
president of hockagrees with. league is still highlighting its milein women’s profes-
While the stones as a behemoth sional sports during its second season, team management is now looking to focus attention on the play on the ice. This shift can be seen in many major
“People would laugh at me and say ‘No, get realistic, you are not going to be an athlete, you are not that good and it isn’t realistic for girls to do that,’” she said.
This criticism was part of why she gave up playing. By the time Sandhra was in grade 11, she began to hear her teachers comment that it was time to pick a career.
She flip-flopped between university programs and career options frequently, switching from computer scientist to homicide detective to FBI agent. With a passion for criminal justice and the
Sandhra has since been elevated throughout Sports Girls Club leadership and now serves as their senior media director of content, overseeing the platform’s digital presence and directing new interns.
Describing her career in sport media as a “full-circle moment,” making bounds from when she was ridiculed out of playing soccer, Sandhra now found the answer to the question of what she wants to do with her career.
“Working with women that had the same goals that I have— which is to be a force in this industry and make our names heard and [get] our foot in the door,” she said.
Read more at theeyeopener.com
Photo by Khadijah Ghauri
Visual by Saif-Ullah Khan
SCORING IN FASHIONABLE STYLE
TMU athletes’ shoes take their fits to the next level
By Eli Silverstone
In 2016, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) partnered with Nike to supply its sports teams with apparel. This included uniforms and equipment for the varsity teams while also being available to club and recreational teams based on their budgets, as previously reported by The Eyeopener
Since then, Nike has provided the men’s and women’s basketball teams with shoes that consist of TMU’s primary blue and white colours. But this doesn’t mean every player has to wear them.
Athletes can add some flavour to their on-court appearance through shoes that help them stand out from the rest of their teammates and opponents, displaying confidence and individuality that showcases some swag instead of seeking attention.
Second-year guard Michael Kayembe of the men’s basketball team encapsulates this.
“Look good, feel good, play good,” said Kayembe. “If I don’t like how they look, I’m not going to wear them.”
In a pre-season interview, Kayembe was identified by his teammates—first-year guards Landon Wright and Maxime Louis-Jean, as well as fourth-year forward Elijah Roye—for having the best shoe game on the roster. His creativity, unabashed style and depth of collection earned him this unofficial title.
“Going into the season I wanted the Sabrina 2’s so I got some Nike ID ones in black with gold accents. Those are custom so no one else is really going to have that,” said Kayembe, who be-
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lieves he’s worn about 10 to 12 different pairs of kicks during his two years at TMU.
But none of those shoes were brighter than a pair of “Green Gecko” Puma Lamelo Ball MB.01’s he wore a fair bit throughout his rookie season.
“I just felt like they stood out, they were loud and that’s what I was going for,” said Kayembe.
Professional athletes such as WNBA player Sabrina Ionescu—the namesake of the Sabrina 2’s—and LaMelo Ball—internet personality and player for the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA— often use their own shoe and clothing deals with companies such as Nike and Puma.
While the pros have plenty of sponsorships to help them take their style to the court, that doesn’t mean U Sports athletes can’t flaunt in their own way.
“They were loud and that’s what I was going for”
Taking a step out of the ordinary and into a flashy pair of kicks was a trend this season, and one not limited just to basketball.
First-year outside hitter Rayanna Amos-Ross Fisher of the women’s volleyball team has received many compliments for her shoe game during her rookie year with the Bold. Similar to Kayembe, AmosRoss Fisher has been rocking Ball’s Puma line, in her case, a hard-tomiss pair of iridescent purple and blue MB.04’s.
“I’ve always liked bright-coloured shoes…I still like when
people play with white knee pads and white shoes, but that’s just not what I like to play in,” she said.
Because basketball and volleyball involve some similar physical movements, the shoes are transferable. As a result, volleyball players such as Amos-Ross Fisher have chosen to wear basketball shoes on the court not only because of their in-game characteristics but also because they tend to have better style options. Nike does not provide the volleyball team with volleyball shoes, nor the same basketball shoes the basketball teams get.
“I would say 60 per cent [of volleyball players] wear basketball shoes,” said Amos-Ross Fisher. Still, if you asked her if she’d play in the hypothetical Nike shoes, she “probably wouldn’t want to wear them anyways,” choosing to stick with louder colours.
When fifth-year forward Callie Wright announced she was returning to Canada after spending four years in the National College Athletes Association, she not only brought wisdom and experience but also some style to the TMU women’s basketball team.
In an Instagram post announcing her commitment to the Bold—standing beside her brother Landon, who plays for the men’s basketball team—Callie wore the Kay Yow Nike Kobe 6 shoes she was provided back in her freshman year at Memphis University.
Currently, the cheapest available pair of the Kay Yow Think Pink Kobe 6 on StockX—an online marketplace and clothing reseller—
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goes for about $4,800. The head coach of the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team, former NBA player Penny Hardaway, has his own shoe line with Nike and was able to hook both the Tigers’ men’s and women’s squads up with the shoes.
“Nike sponsored teams with shoes for the breast cancer [awareness] game. The [following] year, we got the pink Kyrie’s which I wore this year,” said Callie.
Callie stuck with those pink Kyrie 7s all season, going with a shoe she felt comfortable in but also one that had some flair to it.
“I view every game as the same. Don’t get too up, don’t get too
down. If I switch up my routine, it would throw me off so same shoes, everything’s consistent,” she said. “I just like how these are different, they’re pink and they stand out.”
To be able to rock bright shoes, you have to match them with both confidence in yourself and in your game. These three Bold athletes represent that confidence while bringing self-expression and style to the Mattamy Athletic Centre court every day.
“Most importantly, I can’t really wear a shoe that’s heavy,” said Amos-Ross Fisher. “And then for sure, style. I can’t wear an ugly shoe, I would cry.”
TMU men’s basketball guard Michael Kayembe with his Nike Sabrina 2’s (PHOTO: KHADIJAH GHAURI, GRAPHIC: SAIFULLAH KHAN/THE EYEOPENER)
