Raptors

Thursday September 19, 2024

Rogers' acquisition will cement its dominance over Toronto's sports scene, raising concerns among fans about rising costs and corporate priorities outweighing a focus on delivering championship-winning teams.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday September 19, 2024

Link to animated version.

Rogers’ Acquisition Will Cement Its Control—But What About the Fans?

Rogers Communications’ push to consolidate its control over Toronto’s sports scene has many fans questioning the implications. If this deal goes through, Rogers will control a significant chunk of the city’s sports and entertainment landscape, with wide-ranging impacts that extend far beyond the stadiums. The move raises concerns about whether the company’s priorities lie with building winning teams or simply maximizing profits.

July 12, 2022

Rogers already owns 37.5% of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which gives it partial control over the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), Toronto Raptors (NBA), and Toronto FC (MLS). However, with this acquisition, Rogers is poised to increase its stake, potentially taking more ownership or influencing decisions over these teams and the venues they play in. MLSE alone is a massive conglomerate, responsible for the Leafs, Raptors, and Toronto FC, as well as the operations of Scotiabank Arena, BMO Field, and the OVO Athletic Centre, to name just a few.

Add to that Rogers’ full ownership of the Toronto Blue Jays and their home, the Rogers Centre, and you have a near-monopoly over the city’s professional sports franchises. Rogers’ influence on both the Blue Jays and MLSE effectively grants them a stranglehold over Toronto’s biggest sports markets. This means control over ticket prices, broadcasting rights, and merchandising—further commercializing what many fans already feel is an overly corporate sports scene.

News: Rogers buys BCE’s stake in MLSE for $4.7-billion

November 27, 2013

If the deal is approved, Rogers will join the ranks of the world’s largest sports and entertainment conglomerates. Globally, it will be positioned alongside other corporate giants like Comcast (which owns NBCUniversal, the Philadelphia Flyers, and part of the Philadelphia 76ers), Liberty Media (owner of Formula 1 and the Atlanta Braves), and Madison Square Garden Sports Corp (owners of the New York Knicks and Rangers). Rogers would become one of the most powerful sports owners on the planet, with reach into all major North American sports leagues except the NFL.

May 2, 2023

But what does this mean for fans? Many already feel that ticket prices, parking fees, and concessions are becoming prohibitive. Reader comments from a Toronto Star piece on the city’s sports scene highlight the frustration: “Paid $140 for a mediocre seat at a Jay’s game… with parking and minimal food and drink purchases, we still managed to spend close to a hundred bucks.” With Rogers now poised to gain even more control, fans fear that prices will continue to rise while the on-field product stagnates.

Toronto fans, already paying top dollar to watch teams that rarely deliver championships, worry that Rogers’ acquisition will push sports further into elitist territory. As one commenter put it, “The franchises become ever more elitist cashboxes.” It’s hard to shake the feeling that Rogers sees these teams as vehicles for profit rather than sources of pride for a city that craves a championship legacy.

Analysis: Playoff failures, rising ticket prices, frustrated fans. How did we get here? An inside look at Toronto’s miserable sports scene

March 19, 2021

Rogers’ track record with the Blue Jays is far from reassuring. As one Star reader pointed out, the Blue Jays are seen as a “marketing circus” rather than a serious baseball contender. Despite having one of the top payrolls in Major League Baseball, the Jays remain a middling team, unable to capitalize on their resources and fan support. Similar concerns loom over the Raptors and Leafs, who, despite their market size and wealth, have consistently fallen short of their potential.

This acquisition cements Rogers as one of the most powerful forces in sports. The question now is whether this dominance will be used to deliver championships or simply to maximize profits. Toronto fans, who have been let down time and time again, have every reason to be cynical. Until the focus shifts from corporate gain to winning on the field, the city’s sports scene will remain a frustrating landscape of high costs and low returns. For a city that deserves better, this acquisition feels like more of the same. (AI)

 

Wednesday June 19, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday June 19, 2019

Crowd Contrast

A city that was thirsty to celebrate its first major professional sports title in more than a quarter century erupted in joy Monday, with tens of thousands of fans jammed on to the streets of downtown Toronto for the championship parade.

June 15, 2019

The parade was more than two hours behind schedule as the buses carrying the Raptors were held up by the massive amount of fans on the streets. Just after 2:20 p.m., the national anthem was played at Nathan Phillips Square with the crowd singing O Canada as the wait continued for the Raptors.

It was followed by a flyby from the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Snowbirds demonstration team.

Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard came out last, serenaded with chants of “MVP, MVP, MVP!”

The fans then gave a rousing rendition of Queen’s “We Are The Champions” before the politicians began their speeches.

Mayor John Tory said the city would rename a part of Bremner Blvd. as Raptors Way. Tory also gave the team a key to the city, handing it to Leonard. (Hamilton Spectator) 

Meanwhile, Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Hong Kong on Sunday to voice their opposition to legislation that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China where they could face politically-charged trials.

March 24, 2008

The massive demonstration took place three days before the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s government plans to bring the highly-contentious bill to the full legislature in a bid to win approval by the end of the month.

Police estimated the crowd at 240,000, but organizers said more than one million took part.

The protest was one of the largest in recent Hong Kong history, underscoring fears over China’s broadening footprint in the former British colony. It appeared to be even bigger than a massive pro-democracy demonstration in 2003 against a proposed national security law, according to Associated Press journalists who covered both events.

Late Sunday night, a group of demonstrators broke through barriers at government headquarters, where the march had ended. The crowd briefly pushed its way into the lobby, but police in riot gear used batons and pepper spray to push the protesters outside. Most had dispersed by 1 a.m., but police continued pushing protesters away for kilometres over a period of two to three hours.

There was still a strong police presence on streets throughout downtown Hong Kong as of 3 a.m. Monday. (Hamilton Spectator) 

 

Saturday June 15, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday June 15, 2019

Basketball gets an energy infusion from the Raptors

Today, at basketball courts across Canada, the squeak of sneakers on hardwood and the thump of dribbling balls is a little more energetic thanks to the Toronto Raptors.

June 11, 2019

Twenty-four years ago, when they first took to the court, subject to jeers from around the National Basketball Association due to their purple jerseys and cartoon-like logo, few people held out much hope the Raptors would become the best team in the world. In fact, there was skepticism that NBA basketball would even catch on in hockey-mad Canada.

And in Vancouver, home of the only other Canadian franchise, it didn’t. After a few years of struggling the Grizzlies were moved to Memphis.

But Toronto was different. They played second or even third fiddle to the Maple Leafs and Blue Jays, but the Raps got a claw-hold in Toronto early. They didn’t get a lot of respect from the league or NBA stars largely disinterested in playing in our comparatively frigid climate, but they did draw fans.

They didn’t have a lot of talent overall, but they were able to draw some all-star calibre players like Damon Stoudamire, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh. Sometimes, when the team overall wasn’t much fun to watch, those players were worth the price of admission.

Then, along came Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozen. The team moved up a notch in terms of respect and credibility. But they got stuck, caught between their own limitations and an indomitable force named LeBron James.

Here’s where the Raptors story takes on the characteristics of a Hollywood script. The organization hires as president Masai Ujiri, an elegant, eloquent man from Nigeria with a great basketball mind. He makes a tough decision and trades team and fan favourite DeRozen and gets in exchange from the San Antonio Spurs a puzzle piece by the name of Kawhi Leonard. Painfully soft-spoken, injured for most of the previous year, but recognized as a potentially great player, Leonard was widely seen as a smart but risky acquisition.

Turns out Ujiri wasn’t just smart, he was a genius. The Raptors carefully nursed Leonard back to full health and Thursday night he hoisted the NBA trophy, quite possibly the best basketball player on the planet.

There is a lot to like about this edition of the Raptors, aside from the fact that they are now NBA champions. There’s Ujiri, who leads a nonprofit group called Giants of Africa, which aims to create pathways to success through basketball for African youth. There’s head coach Nick Nurse, an assistant until this season who took over from the popular Dwane Casey and turns out to be a brilliant head coach. There’s Kyle Lowry, blue collar guard saddled with a reputation of underperformance in the playoffs. Not any more. There’s Cameroonian player Pascal Siakam, who didn’t even take up basketball until he was 15. There’s Marc Gasol, who in the off season has worked to help migrants and refugees.

There’s the team’s overall diversity, with players from around the world coming together to adopt Leonard’s steely, unperturbable, never-too-high, never-too-low approach to the game. And they defeated the dynastic Golden State Warriors, led by future Hall of Fame guard Steph Curry, who played in Southern Ontario during his school years while his father, Dell, played for the Raptors.

Professional athletes are not heroes. That honour is reserved for people who dedicate themselves to helping others and not getting paid millions while doing it. But pro athletes can be admirable, collectively and individually. And they can bring welcome joy and fun into the lives of fans, which the Raptors have most certainly done. Thanks for that. (Hamilton Spectator) 

 

Tuesday June 11, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday June 11, 2019

The politics of basketball

The country is roaring for the Raptors as they take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals, and politicians are capitalizing on the buzz.

October 16, 2015

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh both attended previous playoff games, and former U.S. president Barack Obama also made a surprise appearance at a game in Toronto.

Former high-level staff members to two prime ministers say there’s all kinds of political and personal reasons for politicians to try to tap into the Raptors’ crowd.

“It’s young, it’s urban, it’s hip, it’s diverse. And so if you’re Justin Trudeau, you dig being around that because you think that’s on brand for you. If you’re Andrew Scheer, being around that demonstrates ‘see I’m not not those things,'” Scott Reid, director of communications to former prime minister Paul Martin, told The House.

But he also cautioned it’s not just about the politics.

“Let’s not lose sight of the possibility that people are fans and occasionally politicians are also people.”

Aside from potential fan-motivations, Dennis Matthews, who served as head of advertising for former prime minister Stephen Harper, said it’s never a bad thing to be connected to a success.

“Politicians like to be associated with things that are winning,” he said.

When asked whether they thought Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would be making an appearance at a finals game, they both thought it’s a possibility — though it would have to be calculated.

Both men said you don’t want a politician at a deciding game (lest a loss result in the notion they somehow cursed the game), and you don’t want them courtside (or seeming out of touch with Canadians).

The diversity of the team and Toronto has factored in to the political appearances at the games, Reid and Matthews agreed.

The team is situated in an election battleground, and the demographics represent votes to be snapped up.

“I’d be looking at that audience base and I’d be saying ‘hey I want these people to to vote for me,'” Matthews said,

Reid agreed, adding how he’d look at those votes for political strategy.

“How do I get those? Because if I do, I am bringing in new votes into the column and I’m bringing them for me.” (CBC)