As a sports fan in Toronto in the 21st century, you become accustomed to getting behind even the smallest glimmer of hope (albeit hesitantly). The Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, Raptors, and Toronto FC all have recent histories of severe mediocrity. The CFL’s Argonauts have had some success, but still that doesn’t feel quite the same. Until a few months ago, Toronto was sunk to irrelevance in the world of North American sport. That’s why this Blue Jays division title means so much.
We’ve seen glimpses of the passion in this city recently. The brief Leafs playoff run of 2013, and those of the Raptors in the last couple of years. There are few other cities where tens of thousands of fans would pack the streets to watch their team on a giant TV. But nothing of late has shown how desperate Toronto is for something to cheer for like these 2015 Blue Jays.
We now live in a world where nobody under the age of 25 can remember the back-to-back World Series teams of 92 and 93. Joe Carter’s home run, and Robbie Alomar’s game-winning run in Atlanta are distant memories. Those teams that so captivated the city are just part of history now. Toronto forgot what having a first-place team feels like.
The Blue Jays are unique in that they’re now the only major league team outside of the United States. They’re the only team that plays two anthems before every game. And the only team with the support of an entire, 9000 kilometre-wide country behind them. When the Jays won their championships, the Montreal Expos still existed, so Canada was divided. Now, though, pretty much everyone is behind them. The 50,000 that pack the stadium in Toronto represent the 35 million Canadians cheering them on. You can see it on the Blue Jays’ west-coast road trips, where scores of fans will flock from Vancouver and the prairies to see their team play.
The season that has resulted in so much long-awaited gratification for Toronto started in the offseason of this year. When Alex Anthopoulos emptied his pockets and prospect pool to acquire Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin, Marco Estrada and Devon Travis, Jays fans had every right not to jump on the bandwagon right away. Just two years before, they’d made a similar splash, trading for RA Dickey (coming off his Cy Young season), Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes, as well as signing Melky Cabrera. The Blue Jays finished last in the AL East that year. You see, sports fans in Toronto are accustomed to disappointment nowadays. So it was with a grain of salt that the latest crop of hyped-up new faces were received.
But the Blue Jays started winning. Donaldson was humiliating pitchers. Interest in this team began to grow. Then came July 31st. That day will surely be remembered as one of the most significant in team history. Troy Tulowitzki arrived, dropping jaws across the major leagues. Then came David Price, and, just like that, all of Canada was tuned in.
Attendance shot up, as did TV ratings all over Canada. The Skydome, that concrete monument to ages past on Bremner, quickly became the loudest park in baseball. Even David Price noted that he’s never played in an an atmosphere like it. Something about the imposing bowl structure causes the screams of all 50,000 fans to converge on the pitcher’s mound. When the Dome is full, players really believe that an entire country has their backs.
There’s always going to be grumpy fans expressing their distaste for “bandwagoners”. But you can’t blame many Jays fans for becoming indifferent over the years. Now that the team really has something worth cheering for, fans are flocking back in droves. And besides, why would a fan complain about a few extra dollars for the David Price re-signing fund? Sure, there are the overzealous, who interfere with live balls, but they’re a minority. Most of the people packing the stadium and bars in Toronto really are baseball fans.
When you hear the Dome explode at times like Donaldson’s walkoff home run in the final home game of the regular season, you hear more than excitement. You here 22 years worth of pent-up, frustrated passion being released simultaneously by everyone in the building. The buzz around Toronto, and indeed all of Canada, is growing by the day. When Russell Martin hit a game winning home run against the Yankees last week, TVA announcer Rodger Brulotte said it best: “Le Canada danse!”
That first home ALDS game will be one of the loudest ballgames of all time. There are stories on the internet of people coming from all over the country to participate in the madness. Some don’t even have tickets to the games, just coming to soak up the feeling around the city.
So, Toronto: enjoy this postseason. You deserve it. This team has captured the attention of the whole baseball world. The fanbase has shown how passionate it really is, and how hungry the city has been for a winner. Now that you have one, savour it.
Main Photo:
