THE STANDARD ANNOUNCES MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NBA AND MLSE TO “ADVANCE THE GAME”
NBA & MLSE Sign On As Founding Partners Of New Non-Profit Dedicated
To Elevating Black Canadian Women In Marketing
TORONTO, October 14, 2021 – Today, the Canadian Black Standard (The Standard) announced a multi-year strategic partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) focused on supporting Black Canadian women in the sports and entertainment industry through professional development content, programming and experiences.
“Sports has always been a global leader in directing social change. We’re thrilled to be partnering with the NBA and MLSE to provide resources and access to world-class expertise to our members,” said The Standard’s Board Chair & Co-Founder, Anastasia Gordon. “The NBA and WNBA have been at the forefront, taking intentional and sustainable action to address Anti-Black racism and employment inequity. Touching all corners of the sports and entertainment landscape in Canada, MLSE’s commitment to inclusion helps strengthen the importance of the national discourse.”
The two-year partnership will tip-off this fall with collaboratively-curated content and programming addressing the needs of Black women in the sports marketing field, with opportunities to connect, learn and engage with industry experts on relevant and timely topics.
“We’re thrilled to partner with The Standard to empower and uplift Black Canadian women and create more opportunities for a new generation of leaders to excel in basketball and beyond,” said Leah MacNab, NBA Canada Managing Director. “The NBA and WNBA are committed to diversity and inclusion at all levels of our leagues, and we look forward to working with The Standard and MLSE to extend our efforts through this new content and programming.”
“We believe MLSE plays an important role in addressing systemic racism and promoting social justice, and we are committed to using the influence of our organization and teams to create meaningful change in and outside of the workplace,” said Shannon Hosford, Chief Marketing Officer, MLSE. “We are proud to be part of a company that is comprised of many individual voices and diverse backgrounds that help tell the stories of our teams, and this partnership with The Standard will help build an even greater community within our four walls and in turn provide support and resources to the talented Canadian Black women in their network.”
Collaborating with The Standard further solidifies MLSE’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion commitments to use their platform and influence to lead in the fight against systemic racism and increasing social injustices. Their multi-year journey focuses on four priority areas: team and performance influence, inclusive culture, community engagement, and partners and suppliers.
It also furthers the NBA family’s commitment to create meaningful change and address issues of injustice through the game of basketball, including through the NBA Foundation, National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, and additional league programs to recruit, develop and retain diverse talent league wide, practice greater economic inclusion and engage in impactful partnerships.
Black women continue to face multiple barriers to entry and employment advancement. The Standard aims to address these needs through an intersectional lens and requires the commitment of companies like the NBA and MLSE to Elevate the Standard, Educate the Community and Accelerate the Industry.
To become a member and receive premier access to information on upcoming programming, events and opportunities visit canadianblackstandard.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
The Standard
Alicia Lashley, The Standard Communications | info@canadianblackstandard.com
NBA
Ashton Lawrence, NBA Communications | ashlawrence@nba.com
MLSE
Charzie Abendanio, Corporate Communications | charzie.abendanio@mlse.com
About the Standard
Set it. Raise it. Be it.
The Standard is Canada’s premier networking and advocacy platform addressing systemic barriers to employment advancement and the inclusion of Canadian Black women in the sector of marketing. Founded in 2020 by a collective of Canadian BIPOC women with decades of global experience in the marketing sector, who saw an immediate need to emphasize an intersectional approach to support those within their industry. The Standard is elevated by our Founding Partners RBC and the NBA, MLSE and Corporate Partners Blake’s and Victory.
Join the community @CanadianBlackStandard on Instagram and LinkedIn.
About The NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women's National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League. The NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) also jointly operate the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2020-21 season featured 107 international players from 41 countries. NBA Digital's assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.9 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.
About MLSE
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), one of the world's premier sports and entertainment companies, owns the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), Toronto Raptors (NBA), Toronto FC (MLS), Toronto Argonauts (CFL), Toronto Marlies (AHL), Raptors 905 (NBA G League), TFC II (USL) and Raptors Uprising Gaming Club, the Toronto Raptors esports franchise in the NBA 2K League. Its charitable arm, MLSE Foundation, focuses on funding initiatives to support youth through sport and recreational programs. In 2017 MLSE Foundation, with support of community and corporate partners, built MLSE LaunchPad, a 42,000-sq. ft. space dedicated to programming that support its four Pillars: Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Ready For School and Ready For Work. MLSE also owns and operates Scotiabank Arena, Canada’s premier sports and entertainment venue hosting more than 200 events each year, two digital channels - Leafs Nation Network and NBA TV Canada and has a partnership with Live Nation - the largest concert promoter in the world. MLSE has also invested in and operates five of Toronto's sports facilities – Coca-Cola Coliseum, BMO Field, BMO Training Grounds at Downsview Park, home of Toronto FC's Academy and the First Team's practice facility, OVO Athletic Centre, the practice facility for the Toronto Raptors, and Ford Performance Centre for Hockey Excellence, the practice facility for the Maple Leafs and Marlies.
