Toronto Raptors

Tell Americans that a Canadian invented basketball and they just look at you blankly.

Injuries: Let's hope nothing like that ever happens again to taint a sports championship.

 

Basketball in Canada: Every school gym built in the last 100+ years has had a basketball court in it, so it's about freakin' time that people start using them.

 

Cross-border leagues: Just too weird. I'll never be comfortable with that.

Welllll......the NHL has been around for 100 years, long predating you and (even) me, and virtually all or the vast majority of us in this country grew up on Hockey Night in Canada, so it can't be that hard....

This is my point. We take it for granted, in major and minor leagues. And yet I've seen it probably hundreds of times in the past few days, some bozo saying it isn't right that a Canadian time is playing in a US league, blah blah blah.

I mean, even the Raptors themselves have been playing for 25 frickin' years, for crying out loud. I'm supposed to believe many people in the US are only just now realizing it? Even many sports media people?

As I've noted many times, on the one hand the US leagues and their media partners are claiming the time may be right for expansion to places like London or Mexico City, but on the other hand they can't hide their discomfort with the exotic eccentricities of Toronto, Vancouver... even Seattle. Heck, for all intents and purposes Montreal has been relegated to outer space. But Europe or Mexico City, yeah, that should be no problem.

Canadians started learning about basketball in the late 1990s:

 

Daily Colonist
December 21, 1918

Varsity is Sending Strong Contingent

Rugby, Hockey and Basketball Games Between Students and Local Teams Will be Followed by Dance

The sporting feature of today is the invasion from Vancouver of the B.C. University students, who are bringing no less than four teams to engage in competition with local representatives.

In the evening two basketball games will be played... the University ladies will play a combined team of the V.I.A.A. and Foundation Club ladies, and this game will be followed by one between the University men's team and the Y.M.C.A. seniors.

https://www.reviewjo...ration-1687886/

somebody shot up the celebration.

somebody shot up the celebration.

What a lovely city Toronto has become.

Remember when the biggest scourge facing that town were raccoons?

What a lovely city Toronto has become.

Remember when the biggest scourge facing that town were raccoons?

diversity is our strength!

Who are the suspects and who are the victims? Do we even know what caused this?

Who are the suspects and who are the victims? Do we even know what caused this?

Tory also commended the millions of people who celebrated "our beloved Raptors" peacefully. 

 

Saunders appealed to witnesses to come forward to help police with the investigations. Police estimate that more than one million people lined the parade route and attended the rally.

 

Saunders said police wanted to keep the day "celebratory," despite the violence. 

 

"In this particular case, because of the quick apprehensions and the fact we were able to control the situation to the best of our abilities in a short period of time, the event was able to go on," he said. 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...oting-1.5178886

full marks for them just carrying on after 4 people shot.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 18 June 2019 - 03:45 AM.

Who are the suspects and who are the victims? Do we even know what caused this?

They are black and gang members. Because Toronto doesn't have any of those you won't see it reported. 

They are black and gang members. Because Toronto doesn't have any of those you won't see it reported.

diversity is our strength!

Kawhi.

One year deal or go to the Lakers?

http://www.msn.com/e...0f?ocid=DELLDHP

Edited by Wayne, 03 July 2019 - 06:11 PM.