Former ESPN host Sage Steele is speaking out against the WNBA’s “laughable” new mascot.
The longtime ESPN host took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to rip the new mascot for the Toronto Tempo.
The WNBA franchise unveiled their new nonbinary mascot, Dez, during Tuesday’s matchup against Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever. Dez, who identifies as a butch, uses she/they pronouns and was introduced as a Borealis Blue snapping turtle. The mascot is also a Taurus and, according to the team, has a fondness for soft-shell tacos. They are the second non-binary mascot in the WNBA.
© Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
The mascot was unveiled after Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever spoke out against transgender athletes in women’s sports. Cunningham has made it clear that she believes it’s “common sense” to keep transgender athletes out of women’s sports.
It’s unclear how Cunningham feels about the new mascot.
However, Steele, a longtime ESPN host, has hade her thoughts extremely clear, taking to social media on Sunday morning.
Steele rips Tempo’s new mascot
Steele called the new mascot “laughable.”
“When your mascot is a ‘butch, non-binary Borealis Blue Snapping Turtle who uses she/they pronouns and has a fondness for soft shell tacos’ … you deserve to be laughed at…simply for your desperate attempt to prove how inclusive you are. Laughable,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Tempo, meanwhile, seem to be standing by the mascot, continuing to promote it on social media and during games.
However, it’s clear that people like Steele are not fans of what the WNBA franchise is trying to promote and stand for at the moment.
