OT: What is the 2nd most popular team in the GTA?

[General Zodd]

Raptors are more an age thing than an ethnic thing. I don't know anyone who cares at all about the Raptors.

I'm 48 and love the Raps!

 

[nsleaf]

While I appreciate the sentiment behind what you are saying, I have to disagree. For sure there are brown/black/asian/middle eastern hockey fans... but minorities more generally gravitate towards the Raptors than they do the Leafs in Toronto.

A big part of that is that unfortunately, hockey is still a game for the well off financially. Growing up in an immigrant home, I dreamed for the chance to play hockey, but we simply could not afford it. I had to settle for house league floor hockey. I remained a Leafs fan and extremely passionate about the game, but for many people... when you can't play it, you won't resonate with it as much as games you can play.

This is where I think hockey Canada needs to become better... with billions of dollars in their treasury and a development system that is second to none... why not make the game more accessible for all Canadians by subsidizing it more nationally? Getting kinda OT here but this is a topic I am passionate about... I love seeing diversity in the NHL, but who knows how many Wayne Simmonds and Nazem Kadris are out there right now but will never be discovered because the families simply can't afford it.

Agreed, hockey is expensive to play. That's why soccer is so popular, cheap to play.

 

[ACC1224]

I'm 48 and love the Raps!

I don't know you.

 

[nsleaf]

I don't know you.

Lol, you should expand you horizons. What age makes a Raps fan?

 

[ACC1224]

Lol, you should expand you horizons. What age makes a Raps fan?

No idea, you should probably poll their fans to find out.

 

[Metroid]

Whoever is winning at the moment

 

[nsleaf]

No idea, you should probably poll their fans to find out.

OK, I thought it was you who said it was an age thing.

 

[Stand Witness]

feels like ACC kinda got jumped on for that age comment but for the most part I agree with that. It is definitely more in with the younger crowd than the older crowd, probably more so like that then any other sport in Toronto. I also think the sport appeals to younger people more too though.

As for the OP question, I really wonder if the OP isn't from Toronto or knows nothing about the Toronto sports market because this is an easy answer. Blue Jays and it will always be that way.

Baseball is so American (I know all the origins stuff) yet the Blue Jays are so Canadian somehow. Blue Jays playoff baseball is bigger than everything sports/entertainment but Team Canada hockey and probably Toronto or Montreal hockey.

 

[sxvnert]

The Jays. They've been around since the late 70's and won two consecutive world series in their existence. The Raps (and basketball in general) are now mainstream and will need a championship to come close to being torontos 2nd team.

 

[Noisespektrum]

Jays are #2. They'll never surpass the Leafs. The fact the Leafs have not made the playoffs in a decade and the Jays are super hot and this question is still asked says it all.
As a Jays fan myself, they have a hell of alot of bandwagon fans which the Leafs do not. Leafs fandom seems to be cemented and they generally get huge ratings and sellouts regardless of their record. Jays cannot make that claim. Ive been to my share of 14 thousand attended Jays games the last decade.

Raptors TV ratings are horrible, 2 blocks from Jurassic park there is no buzz at all. not even a discussion

I prefer New York sports fans, they support New York before the sport which is how it should be.

The Leafs vs. Jays Raptors / Argos vs. TFC garbage is pretty pathetic. Toronto needs to grow up.

 

[Craig Button]

anyone who is saying the leafs are #1 right now is kidding themselves. Think about it logically. I go to one of the big three universities in Toronto. It's my fourth year and during those four years I have seen more Jays and Raptors apparel on a daily basis than Leafs. The leafs have faded big time, once they start winning they'll be back on top. But the hype that is surrounding the Raptors and Jays right now is not even fair. The Leafs are currently 3rd and it's not close lol.

This is coming from a huge hockey fan from the GTA

You're partially correct. Leafs are third amongst students. But the GTA isn't full of young "adults".

Leafs winning the lottery was bigger than both the jays and raptors playoffs.

 

[Maestro84]

From a nationwide perspective, the Jays are easily the most popular team across Canada. They're the most recent championship winning franchise in the city and have a strong fanbase all across Canada. I still feel like basketball doesn't have that big of a market in other areas of Canada, which as a result, limits the Raptors popularity to mostly Southern Ontario. Meanwhile, the Leafs are legit the most despised Canadian team in every other big city in Canada besides Toronto.

If we're talking purely the GTA, the Leafs will always have the largest following since Toronto is arguably the capital city of hockey. The jays are extremely popular when they're in contention, in fact the Jays fever in 2015-16 reached a higher hype peak than any Toronto sports moment in recent memory. TFC and the Raptors are catching up though since they've been more successful in recent times. Toronto's overall diversity also plays a large role since most first gen Canadians and/or non-Northwest European Canadians are more likely to be interested in sports like basketball and soccer compared to hockey and American football

I don't watch much NFL but the Buffalo Bills have quite a big following in Southern Ontario due its proximity to Buffalo and Toronto not having an actual NFL team

 

[The CyNick]

TV ratings in the GTA suggest the Raptors are far behind Leafs and Jays. The NFL as a whole is far more popular than the Raptors. If we ever secured an NFL team, the Raps would become a distant 4th.

 

[indigobuffalo]

What a really obscure thread to raise from the dead...

 

[Peiskos]

1. Leafs


2. Raptors
3. Blue Jays
4. TFC

Quite honestly I believe the Raptors and Blue Jays can interchange positions depending on which team is better in the moment, right now the Raptors are 1st place in the entire NBA and have a legitimate shot at going to the final and winning, especially by adding Kawhi Leonard who is one of the top 5 players in the world. When the Blue Jays were slamming balls out of the park and flipping bats in 2015, 2016 it was them in the #2 slot.

TFC firmly in the #4 slot even with a 2017 championship, soccer is still soccer and its far behind the other sports. The only team that remains unchallenged on this list and will remain unchallenged for the foreseeable future is the Leafs.

 

[saffronleaf]

What about the Arqos?

 

[Chris18820]

What about the Arqos?

The Argos? lol They couldnt sell out even if they gave all the tickets away for free. Seriously

 

[HamiltonNHL]

The Raptors are responsible for the shitty ice for the Leafs. I like them less for it. And the NBA is crappy because the Golden State Rep team will win anyway.

Why bother ?

The Raptors missed so many shots in the 4th quarter last night bit was sad.

 

[hyduK]

TV ratings in the GTA suggest the Raptors are far behind Leafs and Jays. The NFL as a whole is far more popular than the Raptors. If we ever secured an NFL team, the Raps would become a distant 4th.

Eh, TV ratings might be a bit misleading with how many people have gotten rid of cable...I don't know anyone in my age range in this city that still bothers with cable. Raps are definitely still in third place but they're becoming increasingly popular with the younger generation (<30ish). Almost all my friends (25-30 range) watch Raps and Leafs pretty equally, and none of us really have cable. Leafs and Jays definitely have the >40 crowd on lock though, and that's the group that gets you TV ratings.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I'm 48 and love the Raps!

I'm older than you and I love the Raps too. For me it's Leafs 1st, Raps 2nd, Marlies 3rd and that's it. I followed the Jays closely for about a decade back in the day but I just can't get into baseball any more.

Eh, TV ratings might be a bit misleading with how many people have gotten rid of cable...I don't know anyone in my age range in this city that still bothers with cable. Raps are definitely still in third place but they're becoming increasingly popular with the younger generation (<30ish). Almost all my friends (25-30 range) watch Raps and Leafs pretty equally, and none of us really have cable. Leafs and Jays definitely have the >40 crowd on lock though, and that's the group that gets you TV ratings.

Excellent point about the TV ratings not being the last word here!

 

[TakeTheBody]

On this board. It has to be the Habs. I'll never understand why everyone is so concerned with them. I'm not from the Toronto area but you guys have a little brother complex.

 

[robertmac43]

2) Jays

3) Raptors

4) TFC




5).....Argos

 

[ACC1224]

On this board. It has to be the Habs. I'll never understand why everyone is so concerned with them. I'm not from the Toronto area but you guys have a little brother complex.

You sure? they are rarely thought of or mentioned any more.

 

[7even]

On this board. It has to be the Habs. I'll never understand why everyone is so concerned with them. I'm not from the Toronto area but you guys have a little brother complex.

I can't even remember the last time I thought about the Habs.

 

[slozo]

I'll say the Blue Jays are the #2 franchise in terms of fan support, and Raps #3 . . . but for #4, I bet you anything it's Habs fans (in the GTA). And I feel like another hockey team, and maybe even the most supported NFL team in the GTA (Bills, I assume) would still beat out TFC.

We're talking real fans, of course. I'd count myself as a "fan" of TFC if they were in the playoffs and I got a ticket . . . but I'm not a real fan (ie don't follow the standings, watch/listen to games regularly, etc).