Have the Jays changed the Toronto Sports Fan Psyche?

hyped · Post #1 » by **hyped** » Thu Oct 1, 2015 1:05 am

During the frantic trades during that historic week I couldn't believe the amount of negativity towards the trades??
I visited these boards expecting excitement beyond belief......but it was just the opposite.

The negativity and "fear" of giving up all the young talent was the main narrative.
And this was coming primarily from the older "veteran" posters...... The older ones who have suffered this brutal Toronto scene of failure the last 20yrs. (I am an oldie myself)

It feels like Alex unlocked a curse of sorts......changed the level of expectation that matches what it should be for a city of this size. Just like it was in 92/93.......nobody was too big or impossible to get Winfield, Molitor, Cone, Henderson).

Even if they don't win it all......this run would have been worth it because the expectation has been set hig for everyone.
Rogers LOVES the sold out Games and record TV audiences......and the fans love love cheering a winner.

Enjoy the ride......good times ahead.

LLJ · Post #2 » by **LLJ** » Thu Oct 1, 2015 3:47 pm

Not if they go out meekly in the ALDS. Much of our city's cynicism also stems from Toronto sports teams' playoff performances too.

There's a lot of pressure on these Jays. They've come a long way but they have to go even more. The 2 things on the Jays' side though, is talent (this isn't just some scrubs overachieving) and the fact that of the past 30 years, the Jays are still the best sports team in Toronto in terms of winning actual things. Even with the 22 year playoff drought (sad isn't it). So of the 3 major sports franchises in this city, this is actually the least cursed one. :-?

Raps in 4 · Post #3 » by **Raps in 4** » Fri Oct 2, 2015 3:13 am

The biggest problem I find with Toronto sports fans is our contentment with mediocrity. Look no further than the Raptors board for an example of that.

My mentality has always been championship or bust. But I think the Jays success might get other fans to expect a little bit more from our other franchises. Watching the Raptors and Leafs sputter into the playoffs might not get people as excited anymore. Sure the Jays have only "just" made the playoffs. But they're going in as contenders, and maybe even favourites to win it all, which is a label no Toronto team has held since... the 1993 Jays. Having a more critical fan base is always a good thing because they hold management accountable for failure.

Toronto fans have basically forgotten what it feels like to cheer for a winner. Now that they have the taste in their mouth again, I'm hoping they savour it and demand more.

kayliecee · Post #4 » by **kayliecee** » Fri Oct 2, 2015 10:11 pm

I tend to agree with hyped. My life philosophy is if you never appreciate what you've been given, you won't get more. This past two months has been amazing and I'm not going to go into a depression if we don't win it all. You just have to look at recent threads and you'll see some fans are still finding something to worry or complain about after a run of 40-15, during which we had the best pitching in the league, obviously the best hitting, the best fielding, and the second best base running. To me, that suggests people who will never be happy, never enjoy the ride no matter how good things get. I can't live like that. We all know the playoffs are close to a crapshoot in baseball. The best team in baseball (which I believe we have) could be beaten in ever single playoff round. It doesn't mean they're not the best.