The Raptors Have Lost Toronto

[Ramed Nazored]

They also just set a ratings record this past September. Games have been sold out at the ACC for YEARS, even when the team was awful. They were sold out right up until the COVID stoppage.

You literally made this up because representing this team in a negative light, no matter what the circumstance or context, gets you off. You’re not from here, don’t live here, and definitely haven’t experienced Jurassic Park, like I and many others on the board have, or attended live games every season since 95, like I and many others on this board have, or the been front and center at our championship parade. You don’t know anything about this team or it’s surrounding fandom. But why would you? You’re not a fan.

Next time you make another troll thread, at least take a moment to look into the data.

Hope the gambling’s going well. With your attention to detail, chances are, it’s not.

It’s a miracle you haven’t been banned. Really baffles the mind.

[rocky_da_best]

You had me in the first half but then inexplicably decided to mention TFC as if they are at all relevant in the discussion. A TFC team no less that has just lost their winningest manager and boasts a team who's most pivotal player is over the hill and on his last legs (Michael Bradley).

Pozuelo literally just won the MLS mvp. Bradley hasn't been their key player since before Giovinco was in town.

Do you watch football consistently? Would love a few opinions on this but Bradley is the team's lynchpin from the times I've seen TFC play. Giovinco/Pozuelo are interchangeable and while those guys may get the goals/assists and accolades, the midfield crumbles when Bradley isn't playing well. And in football in particular, goals will only get you so far when your defence/midfield is ****. If TFC was such a great prospect to coach I doubt Greg Vanney would have left especially considering how much he said he loves Toronto. I guess the case can be made that coaching the team he played for in LA was too much to turn down.

[Danny1616]

Here is some real research for Winnie the Pooh.

1) MILLENIALS

Thanks to the culture of the NBA in relation to other major North American sports leagues, basketball is becoming more and more popular with millennials.

In the recent Canada Project survey of more than 1,500 Canadians, 11 per cent of millennial respondents said basketball would be the sport they’d want their child to excel in, while just 19 per cent said hockey. When the question was “Which sport do you watch with your parents?”, millennials were seven times more likely to answer basketball than baby boomers.

Those types of findings are echoed elsewhere.

A recent report by Solutions Research Group, a Toronto-based consumer research firm, found basketball to be the second-most popular sport to follow among Canadian millennials, behind hockey. The firm’s 2014 Canadian Youth Sports Report found that basketball has the second-highest participation among kids aged 3 and 17, behind soccer and (notably) ahead of hockey. Basketball also leads hockey among immigrant children, coming in second behind soccer.

2) IMMIGRATION

Much of this is due to the rise in immigration — currently 20 per cent of Canadians are foreign born.

In 1977, the Citizenship Act was changed — making it easier for foreigners to naturalize and have rights as Canadian citizens. In 1978, Canada’s Immigration Act outlined a new policy making eligibility for immigrants transparent and eliminating discrimination from the process.

The legacy of the immigration reform is that more than two million foreigners settled in Canada between 1996 and 2006. Now more than one million immigrants move to Canada every four years and basketball trails only soccer in popularity among first-generation Canadian children, according to a 2014 study by Solutions Research Group.

Many first-generation Canadians are second-generation Raptors fans who don’t know a Canadian existence without the Raptors.

MacKenzie said the trendlines continue to point up, not only in Canada but around the world. The NBA has offices in 13 markets worldwide, including Beijing, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Manila, Mexico City, Mumbai, New York/New Jersey, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Taipei and Toronto.

NBA Canada's role is to grow the game across the country, and MacKenzie sees evidence of its success from the number of players jumping to the NBA.

"The great news for us is that the pipeline of players coming into the NBA continues to grow," MacKenzie said. "There could be as many as seven Canadians drafted in the first two rounds, which for us would be a record. Canada continues to produce top-level talent. We can see a day within the next few years when there are more than 20 Canadians in the league. It's pretty exciting."

The GTA is now one of the world’s top producers of NBA and elite basketball talent. On average, there are usually a couple of kids from the GTA who are selected in every NBA draft, which is more than most cities around the world. This dense talent pool is a result of world-class training for high performing athletes, which was non-existent in Canada only a short time ago.

The Canadian National Basketball Program, which launched its Junior Academy Program less than a decade ago, was the first formal nationwide training program with the goal of guiding high-potential young athletes to a career in the NBA. Before this, young basketball talent looking for professional-level training would need to travel internationally, an opportunity that is out of reach for many young families.

Since then, the GTA has seen a massive increase in corporate investment support into youth training programs. Included in that are the Royal Crown Academic School and its Nike Basketball Program. Athletes in our program, who were scouted from across Canada, have access to a state-of-the-art health and nutrition program, world renowned sports therapists, as well as top tier education and boarding.

[M3tro]

Good.

Maybe I can finally stretch out my legs on the wagon again.

[AbC?]

Interesting take that i don't agree with at all

OP got ratio'd on RealGM lmao

[Anticon]

They Jays didn't make the playoffs for over 20 years but when they came back the fan support was amazing.

The Raptors tanking for a year or two isn't going to make a dent. If it goes longer, it could be an issue, but there's something different now.

And it's great the Leafs have some hype. They're been disappointing for as long as the Knicks so I wish them well.

[Johnny Bball]

I appreciate that everyone on a basketball forum enjoys basketball, but this is a larger ethnographic observation. With the NHL back and Spring Training not that far off I'd expect the TV ratings and overall social engagement for the Raptors to significantly drop.

The new jersey drop was a failure. You're already seeing sales on the jerseys. There needs to be a significant rethink around the organization.

And you developed this large ethnographic observation in the middle of a pandemic with all those new basketball fans you meet every day did you? As far away in Canada as you can get from Toronto did you?

[Pooh_Jeter]

You had me in the first half but then inexplicably decided to mention TFC as if they are at all relevant in the discussion. A TFC team no less that has just lost their winningest manager and boasts a team who's most pivotal player is over the hill and on his last legs (Michael Bradley).

Pozuelo literally just won the MLS mvp. Bradley hasn't been their key player since before Giovinco was in town.

Do you watch football consistently? Would love a few opinions on this but Bradley is the team's lynchpin from the times I've seen TFC play. Giovinco/Pozuelo are interchangeable and while those guys may get the goals/assists and accolades, the midfield crumbles when Bradley isn't playing well. And in football in particular, goals will only get you so far when your defence/midfield is ****. If TFC was such a great prospect to coach I doubt Greg Vanney would have left especially considering how much he said he loves Toronto. I guess the case can be made that coaching the team he played for in LA was too much to turn down.

I do. The thing is you can't be a successful team with an obvious weakness and being unable to defend or hold possession is going to be an issue.

Bradley hasn't been a significant difference maker for years. As a holding midfielder he is important to the team, but he isnt even noticeably better than some of the kids on the team at this point.

Giovinco was legitimately one of the greatest MLS players of all time. His production was absolutely ridiculous. Pozuelo is a different player, but just as prolific. The thing with him is that he is an outstanding playmaker and creator to go along with being a gifted goal scorer.

Bradley is a glorified role player, those other two are stars.

[Pooh_Jeter]

Its unfortunate that instead of respectfully disagreeing with someone's opinion you have people denigrating where I live and that I didn't come from a rich family who brought me to Raptors games regularly. Trying to use where my immigrant parents chose to raise me as some sort of negative is uncalled for. I've actually seen the Raptors live multiple times when they have come out West.

[Boardbreaker]

Its unfortunate that instead of respectfully disagreeing with someone's opinion you have people denigrating where I live and that I didn't come from a rich family who brought me to Raptors games regularly. Trying to use where my immigrant parents chose to raise me as some sort of negative is uncalled for. I've actually seen the Raptors live multiple times when they have come out West.

Because you’re stating that the team lost the city that you don’t even live in based on your own observations when people that actually live in the city are telling you you’re wrong.

[Steven1562]

Difference between the Raptors and those other Toronto teams. The Raptors have actually won it all. Those other teams are all potential but haven't won ****. Leafs can't make it out of the 1st round or play-in round and the Blue Jays made the playoffs in a covid season then got swept. Raptors are still the only team in the city to actually win something and they will win again because Masai is too smart as a GM. Give him a top 5 pick plus cap space and let him go to work. I have no doubt in my mind Masai can build us into a contender again because he's done it before.

[GordanFreeman]

How's this man not on everyone's ignore list?

[Basketball_Jones]

Its unfortunate that instead of respectfully disagreeing with someone's opinion you have people denigrating where I live and that I didn't come from a rich family who brought me to Raptors games regularly. Trying to use where my immigrant parents chose to raise me as some sort of negative is uncalled for. I've actually seen the Raptors live multiple times when they have come out West.

Hey man I actually love Vancouver and hope to move there in the next 5 years. Hockey town or not it’s a more preferable lifestyle and scenery then Toronto for me

[Pooh_Jeter]

Its unfortunate that instead of respectfully disagreeing with someone's opinion you have people denigrating where I live and that I didn't come from a rich family who brought me to Raptors games regularly. Trying to use where my immigrant parents chose to raise me as some sort of negative is uncalled for. I've actually seen the Raptors live multiple times when they have come out West.

Because you’re stating that the team lost the city that you don’t even live in based on your own observations when people that actually live in the city are telling you you’re wrong.

I have friends and family who live in the GTA area. Ive been there plenty of times. Also, im not just relying on anecdotal trends. I actually did a minor in university on media and communication studies. Having a holistic understanding of media trends specifically regarding sports is where I'm inferring my conclusion about the Raptors potential place in the sporting landscape.

Let's be real a bunch of basketball fans on a basketball message board are certainly not going to be without their biases.

[bluerap23]

Yeah it’s more exciting than Blue Jays headlines of ‘being interested’ in players like Springer, Lindor and Kris Bryant while ending up that their biggest move is to extend Shapiro by 5 more years.

But the Jays were the runner up for Lindor, some Korean dude and some Japanese dude.

OP is whack. Raptors have not lost Toronto. Leafs suck, Jays suck, Argos suck.
Raptors will be very competitive next year and I will watch every second of it.

[Pooh_Jeter]

Its unfortunate that instead of respectfully disagreeing with someone's opinion you have people denigrating where I live and that I didn't come from a rich family who brought me to Raptors games regularly. Trying to use where my immigrant parents chose to raise me as some sort of negative is uncalled for. I've actually seen the Raptors live multiple times when they have come out West.

Hey man I actually love Vancouver and hope to move there in the next 5 years. Hockey town or not it’s a more preferable lifestyle and scenery then Toronto for me

Its definitely a beautiful city, you will love it.

Vancouver is a hockey town, but by default really. There is a huge appetite for other sports. You see it with the NBA when it comes here and how Jays fans invade Seattle.

[Inevitable]

Its unfortunate that instead of respectfully disagreeing with someone's opinion you have people denigrating where I live and that I didn't come from a rich family who brought me to Raptors games regularly. Trying to use where my immigrant parents chose to raise me as some sort of negative is uncalled for. I've actually seen the Raptors live multiple times when they have come out West.

Because you’re stating that the team lost the city that you don’t even live in based on your own observations when people that actually live in the city are telling you you’re wrong.

I have friends and family who live in the GTA area. Ive been there plenty of times. Also, im not just relying on anecdotal trends. I actually did a minor in university on media and communication studies.Having a holistic understanding of media trends specifically regarding sports is where I'm inferring my conclusion about the Raptors potential place in the sporting landscape.

Let's be real a bunch of basketball fans on a basketball message board are certainly not going to be without their biases.

Since when is DeVry a university

[Ramed Nazored]

How's this man not on everyone's ignore list?

Morbid curiosity.

[WaltFrazier]

Yeah it’s more exciting than Blue Jays headlines of ‘being interested’ in players like Springer, Lindor and Kris Bryant while ending up that their biggest move is to extend Shapiro by 5 more years.

This. Yeah every day Jeff Blair is pumping the Jays being in the discussion for all these moves but they never get anyone.

[Young_Buc]

Yes and the Grizzlies have lost Vancouver.

Not from there, but I can just tell.