GuelphStormer
Registered User
Let's also not forget that 75% of MLSE is owned by two media giants that both broadcast Raptors games. Two companies that surely understand the value of content.
19,824 Toronto Raptors
Imagine if Toronto has an NFL team and won 2-3 Super Bowls. How would the NHL compete with that? I could hear the yawns if the Leafs won after that.
One thing that is overlooked when comparing support for the Leafs and Raptors is that no matter how bad the Leafs were for years and years, the fan support was always there. No other market supports their team like Leafs fans even when the team was horrible. The Raptors are at the top of their game right now so it's easy to see why the fans are gung-ho about them. However, if the Raptors were to go into a long period of darkness like the Leafs were at one time, what would the fan support be like then? Would the building still be full? Would the tv ratings stay at current levels?
It's one thing for basketball enthusiasts and those critical of hockey to boast about the Raptors being more valuable than the Leafs based on current events but it should never be underestimated how valuable the Leafs franchise is no matter the performance of the team on the ice. I would certainly question how well the Raptors would be supported if they had to endure an owner like Harold Ballard who only cared about making money but had no regard for the fans or icing a competitive team. I'm a Jets fan 100% but I also admire Leafs fans for how dedicated they are for supporting their team through thick and thin.
Average attendance:
29,066 Toronto Blue Jays
26,628 Toronto FC
19,824 Toronto Raptors
19,276 Toronto Maple Leafs
Conclusion:
The Maple Leafs are the most popular.
I was born and raised in Toronto.Spoken like someone who realy doesn't know the city. We're bandwagoners at heart with a lot of sports. Leafs will ALWAYS be #1 in Toronto. However when teams do well and go deep, the city rallies.
If the raptors go back to sucking they will dip again. Leafs can suck for decades and still be the most valuable NHL franchise and franchise in Canada.
Same with the blue jays. A few years ago it was full hype machine and now that they suck again the city has attached itself to the Raptors bandwagon.
I was born and raised in Toronto.
Let's see what they print a value of thread when the raps are dead last next year. Which could happen because the key guy is heading to California in a few months.
They may get lucky and do a sign and trade or they must have nothing to show for him
Also consider the source. It is the star
Regardless it's pretty obvious that basketball is the bigger sport world wide and holds more value than hockey even in Canada.
I'm pretty sure the Leafs aren't the most valuable NHL franchise either. And the fact that the Blue Jays are that highly regarded in Toronto is pretty amazing.
It shows to me that the younger generations are gravitating to sports played with a ball.
This leads me to believe that Canadians in general and especially Toronto are truly loyal sports nutsThe Leafs are the 2nd most valuable NHL team, the Raptors 11th in the NBA, the Jays 16th per latest forbes.
This leads me to believe that Canadians in general and especially Toronto are truly loyal sports nuts
I think its been more than 2 gens lol
One thing that is overlooked when comparing support for the Leafs and Raptors is that no matter how bad the Leafs were for years and years, the fan support was always there. No other market supports their team like Leafs fans even when the team was horrible. The Raptors are at the top of their game right now so it's easy to see why the fans are gung-ho about them. However, if the Raptors were to go into a long period of darkness like the Leafs were at one time, what would the fan support be like then? Would the building still be full? Would the tv ratings stay at current levels?
Regardless it's pretty obvious that basketball is the bigger sport world wide and holds more value than hockey even in Canada.
?? Canada's lone NBA team might be the most valuable franchise, but no, hockey definitely holds more value in Canada. And really, it's not even close.
Only one professional basketball team in the entire country. One....
Basketball is a world wide sport, and the growth of the Raptors shouldn't surprise anyone. That's why Montreal is at the table now trying to get in. Hockey's growth is still gate driven, with improved marketing, however the lustre of the Canadian franchise wears off a little more each year the Stanley Cup is handed to an American team. Raptors championship changes the face of basketball in Canada, and probably breeds a new generation of basketball players and fans as a consequence.
Whether the NHL is or is not a "gate-driven" league is debatable and might depend on how one defines that term - above/below 50% total revenues?; significant proportion?; minimally required to survive at the franchise level? - Im not aware of a consistent approach.Pet peeve. The NHL isn’t a gate driven league. It’s a media/sponsorship driven like other sports league, just at the local level right now (unlike the NBA which is centrally driven) The difference in values between teams is due to media rights disparities.