[DwightShrute]

Just sayin'


Fri Jun 17 01:20pm EDT
The Centre of the Universe is also the Armpit of Professional Sports

By Andrew Mckay

You know how you're having a stupid sports argument and the other guy is totally outwitting you and making you look foolish, so you say something ridiculously juvenile like "your city sucks"? Good news: if you're talking about Toronto, you're right!

According to ESPN, Toronto is the worst city for pro sports in North America in the realm of the Big Four (baseball, basketball, football and hockey).

In its ninth version of the Ultimate Standings (which essentially measure what fans get back from their teams versus what they give), Toronto's three major franchises combined to bring Hogtown to the worst-average score of any city with more than one pro sports team.
(Sacramento is technically the worst, but it only has one team, and they're probably moving somewhere else next year anyway, and this is a Canada blog, so let's bash Toronto some more.)

The lowlights (or highlights, if you're a RoC Toronto-hater):
• the Maple Leafs are the worst team in the National Hockey League in the ranking, and third-worst overall
• the Maple Leafs are last overall for bang for your buck and affordability
• only the Cincinnati Bengals (fan relations, effort and likeability of players, title contention) finished last in more categories than the Leafs
• the Raptors are the third-worst organization in the NBA
• the stadium experience at a Raptors game is apparently 19 spots better than that of a Leafs game - even though they play in the same building
• the Leafs' ownership is 8 spots better than the Raptors (both teams have the same owner in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment)
• the Blue Jays' home experience at the Rogers Centre is ranked as the fourth-worst in baseball, behind only Florida, Tampa and Oakland
• if you're a Toronto sports fan, your best chance at experiencing any sort of title comes via time machine; your best odds, apparently, come from having been alive and a Jays fan in 1993
• the Raptors are 4th-worst in the NBA for title hopes; and the Maple Leafs are ahead of only Winnipeg/Atlanta, Columbus and Florida on the winning scale. (Surprisingly, the Ottawa Senators are rated at #66 - firmly in the middle of the pack - to win a title any time soon)
Before you get too wrapped up in Schadenfreude, Canada's other cities don't fare much better:
• the best feature in all of Canadian professional sports is apparently the ownership group of the Vancouver Canucks
• the best stadium experience is at a Montreal Canadiens game, but the fans are still getting ripped off, since the Canadiens are way down in the Bang for your Buck category;
• the Toronto Raptors' coaching rating is one spot better than the Ottawa Senators, which must be horribly insulting to newly-hired Sens coach Paul McLean, since the Raptors don't even have a coach
• the highlight of being an Oilers fan, according to ESPN, is that there's a good chance you've seen your team win a title (even if it was over 20 years ago).
That last category is likely to draw the most criticism; the ranking basically credits teams for ever having won, and the more recently, the better. Which is why the Vancouver Canucks finished 21 spots behind the Montreal Canadiens, despite the Canucks' having been 60 minutes away from a championship 48 hours ago.
The best franchise in sports, it seems, is the Green Bay Packers; they ranked in the top 10 in six of eight categories. The Tampa Bay Lightning surprised as the top NHL team, thanks to a combination of affordability and on-ice success.
If you're looking for some solace or an excuse to dispel the rankings with a wave of the hand and a hearty "Shut up! My Leafs are awesome! ESPN is dummyheads!", here's one: the Phoenix Coyotes were the most highly-rated team in Arizona - ahead of the perenially-adequate Suns, or the Super-bowl-playing Cardinals. The Coyotes. Who will probably end up in the same place as Sacramento next year. The Coyotes actually finished 28th overall in the rankings, begging the question: should teams without fans be eligible for fan-focused surveys?
No word on whether Vancouver and Montreal will lobby to have "rioting" included as a category to raise their profile for next year's survey.


http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/top/blog/...?urn=top-wp133

[Brock Landers]

Good thread!

[AribaAriba]

Vancouver is an embarrassment of Canada and only have one choice of pro sports to root for, o ya they should be happy having a new mls team as well, whats that team again?

[BigSpoon]

Did we really need a poll by ESPN to tell us this?

Myself and everyone that lives here already knew. Not a shocker.

[beermankirk]

Toronto is ass, plus they have 10 months of winter, and 2 months of mosquitos... Ont-terrible...

[pickemtowinem]

TORONTO is THE GREATEST SPORTS CITY in CANADA.
HANDS DOWN.

What other city in Canada (and quite a few in the USA) can lay claim to having the 4 biggest sports in their respective cities.
So this article was made simply to attract attention. HA! lazy fugh's with nothing better to do.

When you are the best, people hate you, and that's all this is. People hating one of the best cities for all reasons' in this world. We got it all, and all people outside the city hate us. That's fine....we embrace the hate.

We got NHL, NBA, MLB, MLS. What you got van-city? What you got Montreal? Where will the first Canadian NFL team be? that's right, the good ol' T-Dot.

Say what you want, but when you are the best, people hate...so continue to hate...and we will continue to enjoy our MAJOR sports teams...in OUR city....not having to travel hours and hours away, not having to hop on planes to get there....

haters suck donkey nutz.
We got Cups, we got MLB Championships, heck, we even get a NFL game a year....

whats the rest of Canada and even a bunch of USA cities got? Bus tickets and plane trips.

Suck on that for a while.

[DwightShrute]

What you got van-city? What you got Montreal?

good teams

just sayin'

[mtneer1212]

Their sports teams may not be much, but they are well-supported, and you will not find a better Canadian city anywhere, in my opinion. It is one of my top places to visit. Plus the three things they like the most are hockey, horses, and beer. How can you argue with that?

[jjgold]

I do not like Toronto and every guy I know in Montreal cannot stand Toronto

I cannot even mention word there

[Capybara]

Thanks for the read, Dwight, funny and interesting article.

Well, Toronto does have the Sundowner -- I've fallen in love many a visit to that place, and had private dances like you simply DO NOT get in the States.

But actually, I'm not sure if that's technically in Toronto.

[20Four7]

The Sundowner is in Niagara Falls not Toronto

[pickemtowinem]

good teams

just sayin'

Good teams that choke under pressure? Vancity was a great example of the Choke artist they have become known for.
Montreal- ha! The only good thing about montreal are the women and the strip clubs...and the fact that you can wager at 18.

the french arrogance and ignorance suck.
van city has more immigrants than Toronto, and ONE professional team? try gain.

choke choke choke.

at least we dont expect the leafs to do well. (but they will in 2012- Gary Bettman said so)

But dont' take my word for it....
I hit the Mavs, Bruins for champ futures.....

here's one for 2012 season you might want to keep a keen eye on.
(there is a reason ESPN reports Toronto as being dull and having no success in sports- think about it- they had an entire article on the Bruins and how they are always choking prior to last season's start, they had a write up on why mark Cuban would never beat the Stern and the NBA before this NBA season had started, and now this.....)
Pretty simple for me:

Date placed:
Jun 17, 2011 11:33a Single #2167XXXXX (Placed by Web)
Hockey - Futures (Game) Moneyline
Odds to win the 2012 Stanley Cup
All wagers have action.
(1027) Toronto Maple Leafs 60/1 Fri@11:00p
Competitor: (1000) Anaheim Ducks
Risk CA$ 100 to win CA$ 6000


Did anyone notice the leafs odds of winning the cup dropped from 125 to 1 to 60 to 1 in just 5 weeks? hmmm......all this while there was no news of the leafs doing anything with their roster, no signings or trades announced.....??!??!??! No lights being flashed?

leafs will win the cup in 2012. Watch and see.

I thank ESPN for this article, and hope that we get a plethora of these going forward.....

GO TORONTO GO!

[DwightShrute]

pickemtowinem

I have nothing against Toronto. Just bustin' some balls.
Go Blue Jays!


and btw .... Of course the Leafs are also part of the Flyers Bryzgalov Dominos situation as well. If they can't get Stamkos many feel the Leafs will turn to trying to get Jeff Carter.

Brian Burke is the man.

[raggman]

=======Ont-terrible...

lmao funny stuff

[Capybara]

The Sundowner is in Niagara Falls not Toronto

Yeah, that's right. MAN, I love that friggin' place.

[pickemtowinem]

pickemtowinem

I have nothing against Toronto. Just bustin' some balls.
Go Blue Jays!

Please, continue to bust balls.... I hear that's a past time in Vancity....balls balls and more balls....
we thrive on the hate from the rest of the country......



so bring it!
lol

[phillybadboy]

dwightshrute how's the beet farm?

[BRAVES1985]

espn???? are you a fukin clown or what get a source that actually knows a thing or 2 about canada you fuk

[pickemtowinem]

The Sundowner is in Niagara Falls not Toronto

This is a good strip club, but the best is in Montreal called supersexx. On la rue de' st. catherine'. Bomb diggity!

In Ontario, I'd say the best is Whiskey a go-go. 8 outta 10 is the requirement for the ladies to be employed....my god....
great place.

[DwightShrute]

dwightshrute how's the beet farm?

all good !

[Congruency]

we have the best player in baseball!!!

[InTheDrink]

Adrian Gonzalez got traded??

[Congruency]

Adrian Gonzalez got traded??

i was talking about jo jo reyes

[BRAVES1985]

espn???? are you a fukin clown or what get a source that actually knows a thing or 2 about canada you fuk

sorry man i was drinkin quite a bit lastnight i over did it

toronto does have pretty bad teams man

[forsberg21]

TORONTO is THE GREATEST SPORTS CITY in CANADA.
HANDS DOWN.

What other city in Canada (and quite a few in the USA) can lay claim to having the 4 biggest sports in their respective cities.
So this article was made simply to attract attention. HA! lazy fugh's with nothing better to do.

When you are the best, people hate you, and that's all this is. People hating one of the best cities for all reasons' in this world. We got it all, and all people outside the city hate us. That's fine....we embrace the hate.

We got NHL, NBA, MLB, MLS. What you got van-city? What you got Montreal? Where will the first Canadian NFL team be? that's right, the good ol' T-Dot.

Say what you want, but when you are the best, people hate...so continue to hate...and we will continue to enjoy our MAJOR sports teams...in OUR city....not having to travel hours and hours away, not having to hop on planes to get there....

haters suck donkey nutz.
We got Cups, we got MLB Championships, heck, we even get a NFL game a year....

whats the rest of Canada and even a bunch of USA cities got? Bus tickets and plane trips.

Suck on that for a while.

LOL, brilliant post... sooooo true

[Congruency]

Adrian Gonzalez got traded??

seriously though, bautista is a better player than A-Gone when considering running ability and fielding

Bautista is a 5 tool stud

[Capybara]

seriously though, bautista is a better player than A-Gone when considering running ability and fielding

Bautista is a 5 tool stud

Bautista's a stud, but give me A-Gone. Smoothest stroke in the biz... Can't be pitched to... Very clutch... Average and power.

[lakerboy]

Laughing at local teams is fun

[lounie24]

Nice post DwightShrute! Toronto should fix some of this issues to prove that they are one of the best sports city in Canada.

[dj_destroyer]

It's easy for Toronto sports teams to be terrible but still thrive financially because they have all of Canada as their fan base in every sport but hockey.