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When did Quebec join the Union, Mikey? :)

Lousy Raptors, dragging down the others....

On which, I'd like to report that I went and saw my first ever Raptors game on the weekend, and loved it. Lots of fast action, bright colours, etc. I felt like I was at the circus. Plenty of fun, and recommended if you can get good seats (I was in row 10 or something).

Basketball : Baseball :: Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream : a $200 bottle of Burgundy

an apt analogy, andrew...unfortunately, we know what (most) kids would rather have, which leaves a rapidly aging demographic in attendance at Jays games.

Andrew glad you had a good time. I've been to one raptor game for the last 4 yrs (cept last year) and i've always had excelent seats. The last game I went to I had seats that were bout 10-15 rows back behind one of the baskets against the Miami Heat. Unfortunately the Raptors lost.

It seems to me that they've actually gotten more into the circus like atmosphere last year than in previous years but I think that's more due to team's lack of performance the last couple years. The music at the ACC has become louder and almost non-stop and there are some more distractions. However the good thing is the Raptors haven't dropped so low as to get into gimmicky stuff which is a good thing.

As for the Blue Jays, i've been to a couple games but because of my eyesight even if I have good seats i'd probably need my binoculars which would be a pretty strange occurance at the ballpark. At least it would get me on tv LOL! I actually find going to the games a lot better than watching it on tv as it seems to go by faster live tho that could just be me.

Looking at that list, it just seems beyond bizarre that Los Angeles, arguably the first or second-biggest media market in North America, has no NFL team, but they've got two NBA teams, two MLB teams, and two NHL teams. I mean, Buffalo has an NFL team, for crying out loud. I certainly can't see Toronto ever getting an NFL team before Los Angeles.

I concur with the positive Raptors vibes - it's really a big-time production, and it kinda puts what the Jays do to shame. Of course, the product on the field is what matters, but we live in the era of short attention spans, and kids need something more than a couple of mascots running around like they're hopped up on goofballs.

I'd much rather watch a basketball game on TV for the reason that it IS a circus. I'm paying a price to see a sport. That is the entertainment. Not some moron blowing up a balloon he eventually sits inside (that's what happened when I went to a Raptor's game a few years ago). From a 19 year old, The Blue Jays do it right (though the amount of ad space sold is getting worriesome at Skydome...Are we going to have Pizza Pizza sponsoring the turf in center field next season?).

Didn't Los Angeles have two NFL teams at one point? I think the Raiders played there before Oakland.
Oakland, BTW, was 4-12 this year so that wouldn't have helped LA anyway. What was the other former NFL team in Lalaland?

That would be the Rams.

The Raiders played in Oakland, then LA, then back to Oakland.

I honestly don't think too many people in LA really care. USC and UCLA, as well as top-quality high school football, are really big deals there.

As a 17 year old Jays fan, I can say that although I am a devoted Jays fan and have been since '91 or so, most of my sport loving peers have very little knowledge or interest surrounding this great game. Most would recognize Delgado and have heard about Roy Halladay. A select few realize the importance of OBP and many remember the glory years with fondness. Who do these Toronto sports fans support? The Leafs, Tie Domi and all. The reason for this is that the Blue and White have fifty some odd points and are easy to root for. The Jays, although currently unremarkable, will get a huge resurgence in youth attendance and interest when they start to win again. Unfortunately, the boost will live only as long as the Jays win and the Leafs and Raptors lose. This unfortunate phenomenon exists because there is only so much youth interest in Toronto sports, most of it provided by those unreliable cash sources known as fair-weather friends.

Same here Ben. 16 yrs old, fan since '93, for obvious reasons. In my entire high school I can only name a few kids who follow the Jays. Most everyone thinks the game is too slow and boring.
Ironically, these people watch the Leafs and as we all know (those of us in hockey cities) hockey is getting more and more boring.
It's a shame when the GTA pays more attention to the Blue and White than the Blue or White (depending on the source) Jays.

I'm 17, and go to high school in Cape Breton. I'm one of two avid follower of the Jays, though two graduated just last year. It's unfortunate, but I have found those I know that like the game, love the game (though, for the most part, are real 'triple crown' guys. All they know of OBP and such is what they mention during a game).

When I was in high school (oh so long ago) there were very few who knew anything about baseball. Some knew whether the Jays were doing well or not; perhaps 1 or 2 others in my grade (out of about 350 kids) followed the other teams (i.e. were true baseball fans) as well as the Jays.

I don't think that's going to change much. It's too cold to play baseball a lot of the time in Ontario, and if people don't play the game as kids, they won't be fans as teenagers.

On the other hand, about 8 million people live within easy driving distance of Skydome.

I'll echo the above sentiments. There were a reasonable (small, but somewhat noticable) number of fair-weather baseball fans at my high school, and about five serious fans, of whom one or two (the second guy reads some of it, but is much more into football or basketball) are aware of stats, say, like OPS or BB and K ratios, as opposed to just relying on RBIs or HRS. At university, I get even more of the "baseball sucks, it's so boring, I don't how know you can like" stuff than I got at high school, and I've only found one guy who seems knowledgable about the sport.

Most teenagers seem to be fair-weather fans who might go to the occasional game if they are presented with the opportunity, but they won't seek it out as something to do. On-field success will likely change that somewhat, as maybe the Jays will be seen as having more enterntainment value if they are percieved in the media as a "good team." However, I'm not convinced teenagers will ever be a real sizable part of the team's market, like they would be for the Raptors. I think the best course of action is to continue with advertisements like they had this year. Clever ones that could appeal to teenagers but that will also appeal to the older generations. I think you should probably do the same thing with regards to in-game entertainment/SkyDome attractions, etc... I know this sounds very general and utopian, but I think it'd be a mistake to turn the Jays into a circus like the Raptors. You'd drive away loyal older fans and I prefer a Jays game the way they are.