It would be the same for any Canadian city. Hockey is a bigger deal than Baseball. Also, you're forgetting Toronto set the all-time attendance record when the team was a contender. 50 thousand every single game.The Brown Knight wrote:Toronto is a strange city.BurningBeard wrote:If they got out of the 1st round I think we'd have a new national holiday.The Brown Knight wrote:Even if the leaves get in to the playoffs, does anyone really expect them to get out of the first two rounds?
The Raptors in basketball are having a terrific season by their standards, but hardly anyone seems to care. They just seem so damned depressed about their hockey team possibly missing the playoffs.
By contrast - I think if Vancouver had an NBA team or an MLB team and one of those teams was doing really well (while the Canucks were non-playoff bound), then I suspect Vancouverites would be far more receptive.
Even with baseball - I think it's just weird that Torontonians hold guys like Sundin, Gilmour, Wendel Clark, etc., on higher pedastals than guys like Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, etc..........despite the latter having actually won championships for the city.
And Toronto has always had better attendance for the Raptors than Vancouver did for the Grizzlies.