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

[LeafSteel]

University students are not representative of the whole GTA.

Yes, but he makes a good point.

His age and my son's age (12 years old) are much less embedded and invested in the Maple Leafs than my generation, and the one before that. Now their friends follow stars as much as they do Teams. If they like Ovi, they cheer for Washington. If they like Tavares, they cheer for NYI etc. Leafs haven't had anything like that since Sundin (hopefully Marner and Matthews can make that connection soon).
My sons are more dedicated Leaf fans than most their age, but they do get teased by their class mates (in Toronto!) when the Leafs are not any good. They did not want to watch any of the Leafs games on TV last year, and they did not clamour to get tickets to see them live. While they don't dislike them, I did hear "Leaf's suck" on more than a few occasions last year, and in the last few years.

Right now, the Jays and Raptor's are much more teams that they are interested in, and their recent success vs. the Leafs recent futility has a direct co-relation. While we love our Leafs, watching them lose and having their friends teams (Pittsburgh, Washington, Tampa) succeed is not much fun, and it makes it a lot easier to tune out the last few years.

Hopefully Marner and Matthews can bring some star power to Toronto, and be as marketable as Donaldson, Bautista, Lowry, and DeRozan. Otherwise, I think the Leaf's place in the hearts of the next generation is only going to decline.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Jays are #2 cause its playoffs..

Raptors are definitely bigger.

No they're not.

The Raptors on their best day, WISH they could have the TV numbers that the Leafs/Jays get.

Anyways inside the GTA, I wouldn't be surprised if the Raptors give both teams a great run, seems to be a lot of diehard basketball fans in the GTA. But on a nationwide scale from the East to West coast, the Jays are number 1 in this country by far. Leafs and Habs are probably 2 and 3, as they both have fans in every province. But yeah, Jays by far nation wide, in the GTA, I'll assume Jays also.

 

[Menzinger]

Yes, but he makes a good point.

His age and my son's age (12 years old) are much less embedded and invested in the Maple Leafs than my generation, and the one before that. Now their friends follow stars as much as they do Teams. If they like Ovi, they cheer for Washington. If they like Tavares, they cheer for NYI etc. Leafs haven't had anything like that since Sundin (hopefully Marner and Matthews can make that connection soon).
My sons are more dedicated Leaf fans than most their age, but they do get teased by their class mates (in Toronto!) when the Leafs are not any good. They did not want to watch any of the Leafs games on TV last year, and they did not clamour to get tickets to see them live. While they don't dislike them, I did hear "Leaf's suck" on more than a few occasions last year, and in the last few years.

Right now, the Jays and Raptor's are much more teams that they are interested in, and their recent success vs. the Leafs recent futility has a direct co-relation. While we love our Leafs, watching them lose and having their friends teams (Pittsburgh, Washington, Tampa) succeed is not much fun, and it makes it a lot easier to tune out the last few years.

Hopefully Marner and Matthews can bring some star power to Toronto, and be as marketable as Donaldson, Bautista, Lowry, and DeRozan. Otherwise, I think the Leaf's place in the hearts of the next generation is only going to decline.

Considering the Leafs have been terrible for the past decade not surprising that the under 20 crowd don't have much affection for them.

But once the current team starts winning games and being led by a group of young stars kids will be drawn back to the team.

 

[pooleboy]

To be honest with all the Habs and sens fans etc in Toronto I wouldn't be surprised if it was the Jay's #1 and Leafs #2

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

No brainer that it's the Jays.

Leafs will always be #1.

Every other Toronto team that is "Canada's Team" is a bandwagon team.

Right now they're good, so that's good for sport in our city. But the fanbase doesn't have the staying power or support through an entire season like the Leafs do.

Leafs are number 2 right now.

 

[TheBigThree]

jays definitely, basketball is too rigged

 

[General Zodd]

Sorry guys but the Leafs were pretty well much non-existent over the summer. Right now a new season has started but they are waaaay behind the Jays in terms of popularity not only here in TO but right across the country. I would put the Leafs 2nd and the Raps third. However the Leafs of course have a much wider fan base then the Raps across Canada. I like the Argos but they are having a terrible season. I don't follow soccer....

 

[TLeafsFan]

Leafs are number 2 right now.

Right now notwithstanding, not over an entire season of play.

 

[Battle Lin]

im a big jays fan, and where were the fans and support and love before this year and last?

leafs and raps got die hard fans and support if the team is elite, great, good, mediocre, bad, or horrible

 

[hoglund]

Sorry guys but the Leafs were pretty well much non-existent over the summer. Right now a new season has started but they are waaaay behind the Jays in terms of popularity not only here in TO but right across the country. I would put the Leafs 2nd and the Raps third. However the Leafs of course have a much wider fan base then the Raps across Canada. I like the Argos but they are having a terrible season. I don't follow soccer....

It's Bluejays season right now, remember in 93 the Leafs won the first 10 games in a row and no one noticed because the Jays were busy winning the world series, but in November until the end of May the Leafs were #1.what ever team is in their season and WINNING is the most popular. Year round the Leafs are #1 because they get support win or lose, but when the Jays were barely a. 500 team tickets were cheap and easy to get.

 

[moon111]

Should include esports teams as well? Interest in regular 'sports' is dying. Of course, sports has gone from being a fun activity to competitive elitist at every level. Ever wonder why people are over-weight? The Playstation doesn't tell them they're not good enough.

 

[nsleaf]

why are people so sure leafs have more fan support than the raptors?

we're talking about just the GTA, and the gta is diverse...i know that white ppl, brown ppl, black ppl, and asians love the raptors

Irrelevant!

 

[Lebanese Leaf]

Raptors for me, but Jays for the public. It goes:

1) Leafs

2) Jays
3) Raptors

4) TFC
5) NFL teams





6) Argos

 

[The Podium]

Leafs


Jays
Raptors







everything else

 

[The Podium]

Sorry guys but the Leafs were pretty well much non-existent over the summer. Right now a new season has started but they are waaaay behind the Jays in terms of popularity not only here in TO but right across the country. I would put the Leafs 2nd and the Raps third. However the Leafs of course have a much wider fan base then the Raps across Canada. I like the Argos but they are having a terrible season. I don't follow soccer....

And as soon as the Jays are no longer a contender the bandwagoners will go on with their day. Im a huge Jays fan, always have been, but if a team is only popular when they're winning they aren't the most popular in the city. Leafs are #1 because win or lose, the ACC is full, bars are filled with people watching the game and they make front page sports news. The Jays and Raptors only ever compete when theyre in the playoffs.

Also the Raptors most certainly have a wider fanbase across the country than the Leafs, and the Jays and Raptors are more celebrated across the country because they are the only team.

 

[Battle Lin]

[/B]
Irrelevant!

the GTA might be the most diverse place in this world

 

[The Podium]

the GTA might be the most diverse place in this world

Ethnicity has nothing to do with fandom. There is a reason CBC is broadcasted in Punjabi, brown people don't only follow the Raptors. My grandparents as immigrants from Italy adopted hockey as their favourite sport, and know many other ethnicities that have done the same.

 

[Battle Lin]

u guys under value how HUGE the raptors are in the GTA...raptors have massive fan support, yet they arent big at all outside of toronto and its surrounding areas, which shows how much love the GTA have for the raptors...jays and leafs have a large amount of fans outside the GTA in ontario and all throughout canada

 

[The Podium]

u guys under value how HUGE the raptors are in the GTA...raptors have massive fan support, yet they arent big at all outside of toronto and its surrounding areas, which shows how much love the GTA have for the raptors...jays and leafs have a large amount of fans outside the GTA in ontario and all throughout canada

Raptors are huge across Canada... More so than the Leafs. I have friends in Vancouver and Calgary who both say that the Raptors and Jays support throughout the playoffs was ubiquitous in both cities. Yes, Raptors are big in the GTA but the Leafs are bigger as are the Jays. It is not a knock on the Raptors at all, hockey is Canada's sport and the Jays have been around for nearly half a century being the most successful of the Toronto franchises over the last 50 years. Not to mention Toronto is highly Americanized and Baseball is significantly more popular than the NBA across the US.

 

[ACC1224]

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

 

[nsleaf]

the GTA might be the most diverse place in this world

True, but it has nothing to do with what teams are the most "popular". It's more about personal preference.

 

[1specter]

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

I think they both play a factor. As a non-white person, I have seen plenty of non-white people in their late 30s and 40+ who are very much so big Raptor fans or prefer basketball. Many younger white people however love the Raptors.

 

[Lebanese Leaf]

Ethnicity has nothing to do with fandom. There is a reason CBC is broadcasted in Punjabi, brown people don't only follow the Raptors. My grandparents as immigrants from Italy adopted hockey as their favourite sport, and know many other ethnicities that have done the same.

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.

 

[Doug Gilmour]

What about the lacrosse team, Toronto Rock?

Depends the season. Would you watch playoff hockey over the Jays if the Leafs were in?

My vote goes Leafs have been replaced by the Jays for numero uno but since it's not an option...Jays.

 

[General Zodd]

Raptors for me, but Jays for the public. It goes:

1) Leafs

2) Jays
3) Raptors

4) TFC
5) NFL teams





6) Argos

My Picks as a TO resident:

1) Jays
2) Raps

3) The NFL team I WISH we had!

4) Leafs (this could change)

5) The OHL team I wish TO had

5) Argooooooooooosssssssssssssssss (Man they suck right now )