#likemysport has no boundaries
Go Raptors go , look it’s great that they won and winning in the best league in the world, but just like all the other sports that are really big here in North America, go Raptors go is the only chant they have lol that’s it , go Raptors go haha!
After the 2017 MLS Cup, I remember how crazy the entire area of Liberty Village was. Lots of celebrating, high fiving, and all around happy feelings. But when I returned to my downtown hotel around midnight, it was just another Saturday night in Toronto. You wouldn't have thought one of the city's teams had won a championship with how quiet the streets were.
So I'm not surprised at how easily TFC is overlooked when compared to the other major league teams here. To some, TFC and MLS are considered minor league compared the other soccer leagues around the world. Even among hardcore soccer fans here.
TORONTO FC, 2017 MLS CHAMPIONS!!! (Still the greatest in league history!)
It makes me sad for Canada when we buy in to this “Big Four Sports” narrative/bullshit.
Ice Hockey (NHL) - 7 Professional teams
Baseball (MLB) - 1 Professional team
Basketball (NBA) - 1 Professional team
Football (NFL) - 0 Professional teams
Thats it...second biggest country in the world, 35 million plus people, 16 cities with > 300k. The fact that the population accepts being voyeurs on the US sports orgy rather than participates itself is beyond me. Even the Raptors - where are the Canadians? We are renting glory. We aren’t participants...we watch another country’s sport on TV. Accepting a metro area of 5 Million should only have 1 hockey team for its most beloved sport - is just pathetic.
CPL - drawing 3,000 people in Toronto...because “its not bigtime” is just sad. It says something truly bad about Canada’s love of sports to me. A 16 team CPL with live games across the country will do more for big time development of sport than any of these so called Big 4 sports.
It takes a long time to build the minor league infrastructure that allows an individual sport to develop.
Yes, we have youth clubs.
We don't have this
62 Junior C level clubs across Ontario
C level - this is the 4th division of Junior hockey in this country
http://pjhl_site.wttstats.pointstrea...seasonid=18456
The demand for people to play & watch soccer in small towns across this country isn't anywhere close to what it is for hockey - nor is it close to what it is for football in Europe.
This is going to take decades to build out. When every 5K-10K size town in Canada has a team from May through August, then soccer will have arrived as a part of the consciousness of this country.
Last edited by OgtheDim; 06-17-2019 at 09:04 AM.
It's interesting watching about 5 minutes of the Raptors victory parade on TSN. Very reminiscent of the TFC victory parade with the cup and team on top of the busses, only the crowds are even larger.
We shouldn't get discouraged about the "big four" narrative. Germany's traditional sport was gymnastics, way bigger than football. It took decades for the Bundesliga to get to where it is now. It will probably happen here too with soccer in Canada. I may not be around to see it but there are those around today who probably will.
Last edited by Oldtimer; 06-17-2019 at 09:27 AM.
Oh yes you are so right brother, In terms of pro sports a sport like hockey which is a religion here in Canada we only have one NHL team in a city the size of Toronto is pathetic ,there should be like at least 4 never mind just 1! How many pro teams does London in the UK have just in the EPL alone never mind the lower divisions. How many stadiums with 20 or more thousand are in London England? At least 10 or more, how many in Toronto 20 thousand or more , like 3 . I love this city and country but when it comes to sports there are so many things that just puzzle me in this city and country.
Can anyone explain how NBA is a World Cup when it’s only played in the USA and one town in Canada ?
Are Man City world champions too ?
So did you enjoy watching the parade? It was really quite spectacular to see the city and beyond come it in the numbers they did yesterday. I think even us TFC diehards will admit we can only dream of such a receptions for our Reds. A post I read yesterday by a fellow TFC supporter really said it well. The 2017 parade was for us where yesterday was for everyone.
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
This is a simple thing...MLS is far from being the best league in the sport, NBA is by far the greatest basketball league. Nothing more than that, stop comparing its apples and oranges.
Also TFC does not gather all football fans like raptors does. How many people snub MLS overall even though they love football? More than half?
LOL, it's just semantics. THE NBA is by far the best club league in the world where you cannot say that about the Premier League, La Liga, etc.. There's no way, say, CSKA Moscow, the EuroLeague Champs could beat the Raptors or Warriors over 7 games; the talent level is too great. Plus...they're Americans, that's what they say about their Bowling Champions
This argument is much ado about nothing, I agree, but I do sympathize with those who get irritated. It's the hypocrisy of it all, isn't it? A poster earlier mentioned Derringer...I remember him singing a VERY different tune when TFC were making their Cup runs and ratings were through the roof. Same with Simmons, McCown, etc.
My beef is why is this issue even raised. The Raptors have won their first NBA Championship. What does it matter when the Jays won a World Series or the Leafs a Cup, or, my favourite, the <insert imaginary team here> a Super Bowl?
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
Guys
2 million people were at the Parade.
I don't care
How many of them follow every game?
It's what we do
It's how much we should care
To listen to Sports radio repeat the mantra of Best Fans in NBA is hilarious.
I'm glad they're having fun but come on
"We've waited 20 odd years..."
Sure they all have
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
This thread is the equivalent of kids happily playing at the park until that one kid rolls up in his brand new Power Wheels.
I've at least been to a few Raptors Games but don't pretend to be a big fan or know the game that well. Some of these "Superfans" have just discovered that professional basketball exists, which is hilarious. That's OK. Bandwagons are broad and it's nice for the teams to have a good crowd out.
Professional soccer in Canada is a little more niche, but there were bandwagoners for TFC's run too.
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
Wolfpack attracted Liberty Village hipsters and Rugby folk looking for something remotely professional. Wolfpack are also the only rugby ticket in town.
MLS was low tier entertainment, but it was the only thing around at the time. Plus it had the promise of becoming much bigger and it has actually converted on that.
CPL missed the boat on being there on the ground level for football in this city. You can blame CSA for that. They have failed this country for decades. They are losers and most sports fans know this - maybe not that the CSA are losers, but that Canadian Produced soccer are losers. People are not convinced anything they produce can be of any value. How many CPL's have come and gone and done squat.
CPL Fans think the league will just waltz onto the scene and be accepted by hundreds of thousands - t's not going to happen. and IMO - it's actually counterproductive to the league becoming successful.
They will need to prove themselves over the next 10-15 years and show actual growth before they can garner support similar to other sports in the country.