罢丑别听Toronto Raptors鈥�听听will go down as one of the听most important sporting events听in Canadian history. Never before has a Canadian NBA team won the championship, let alone made it to the finals. However, there鈥檚 also Toronto to consider, a diehard sports city where听wins have been few and far between听(, the last major league sports championship in Toronto is either听Toronto FC鈥檚 2017 MLS Cup win听or the听Toronto Blue Jays鈥�听back-to-back听World Series听victories in 1992-93).
It also helps that the Raptors are听Canada鈥檚 only NBA team. As such, the Raptors players who defeated the听Golden State Warriors听Thursday night had not just Toronto, but the support of an entire country behind them.
A lot of the discussion surrounding this unlikely Raptors championship run has focused on big player stories on-and-off the court. You鈥檒l find no shortage of articles discussing how last summer鈥檚 dramatic听听was money well spent. Or how听Kyle Lowry听鈥� a player many, including Raptors faithful, had written off as not being able to get it done 鈥撎齣n Game 6. But one narrative that deserves more attention is how a team as diverse as the city it represents helped shine a light on听Toronto鈥檚 multiculturalism.
Sourced from Sky Sports
A Multicultural Team
Let鈥檚 start with the team itself. Most of the Toronto Raptors players are听African-American. Breakout stars听Pascal Sikam听and听Serge Ibaka听are from听Cameroon and the听Republic of Congo, respectively.听Jeremy Lin鈥檚听parents are from听Taiwan听and he鈥檚 now听the first Asian-American听to win an NBA Championship ring. Raptors President听Masai Ujiri听is an immigrant from听Nigeria. In short, Raptors fans got to cheer for a team that reflects their own diversity. In fact, one of the biggest stories of the playoffs focused on听听born in听India.
While Toronto rapper听听is arguably the most recognizable Raptors fan,听Nav Bhatia听is a very close second. It鈥檚 nearly impossible to watch a Raptors game and not see Bhatia waving a towel from courtside seat A12, cheering his team on. That鈥檚 because Bhatia never misses a game; in fact, he鈥檚 a season ticket holder and has been to听!
A Diverse Fanbase
Today, Bhatia is a successful businessman who owns a number of used car dealerships in Toronto. But when he听moved to Canada听from India in the 1980s, he didn鈥檛 have a job or money. He eventually found work as a car salesman, started selling (a lot) and eventually sold so many cars that he bought the dealership.
After attending his first Raptors game on a whim in 1995, Bhatia听fell in love with basketball. Before long, he was a season ticket holder. 24 years later, one of Toronto鈥檚 most recognizable sports fans is a Sikh man in a turban. In a city where 46 percent of the population are immigrants, Bhatia has become the unofficial face of a fanbase made up of dozens, if not听hundreds of different nationalities.
These NBA playoffs helped听unify Canadians听around a cultural moment 鈥� it鈥檚 estimated听. However, it鈥檚 important to keep in mind that millions of Americans watched the Toronto Raptors take on the Golden State Warriors too. These viewers came for the on-the-court action. But they also got to witness a city made up of millions of diverse people come together as one. In short, the world got to see the best of Canada 鈥� give or take听听鈥� on display.
That鈥檚 an achievement worth celebrating.
Nick Steinberg, ApplyBoard
For more on Toronto, check out our list of听20 things to do in the city this summer!
