Sport Slices

It was formally announced last week that the Toronto Raptors will start the 2020-2021 National Basketball season playing their home games in Tampa, Florida. That was great news for sports fans in Tampa Bay. Tampa now boasts an NFL team, the Bucaneers, the Stanley Cup winning Lightning of the NFL, and the baseball Tampa Bay Rays.

It is a bitter pill to swallow for Raps fans. They are still basking in the sunset of their 2019 championship, followed by a great season last year. They simply ran out of steam in the playoffs this year.

The expectation is that the move is only temporary, caused by COVID 19. The team was hoping for a special exemption from internation travel quarantine regulations. But that was denied, and the team quickly made the move to Tampa.

I have had some discussions with basketball fans about the impact of the move. Most believe it will have little effect on the fan base in Canada. With respect, I beg to differ. We all remember the packed houses in Toronto for the past several years. Those same fans opened up their wallets and purses to buy all that team-related merchandise. Those that could not get tickets to the games jammed the areas outside the arena to show their support. Complete mayhem.

Tampa is not the easiest town to sell sports. The Rays, an exciting playoff team, often play in front of very sparse crowds. The Bucs have imported Tom Brady to help fill the seats, once the crowds are permitted to fill Raymond James Stadium. The Lightning have drawn well for several years. The Florida Panthers, however, are not an easy sell on the other side of the state.

The Panthers certainly have the talent. They decided a number of years ago to hire Dale Tallon as the General Manager, and have changed coaches several times in recent years. But that has not resulted in bums in the seats. It continues to be a tough sell. For the most part, it has something to do with the climate. There are many teams playing in warm climes in the southern states, often with some financial difficulty.

There have been franchise moves in all major sports, right from the start. The Colts bolted from Baltimore, and broke many hearts. Get used to the Raiders in Las Vegas, home to the NHL's Golden Knights.

There was NHL hockey in Quebec, once upon a time. They are ready to try again, but seem to be ignored by Gary Bettman, and his henchmen. Atlanta has tried hockey, and failed, a couple of times.

The Blue Jays used Buffalo as a home base this past season, because of the pandemic. They should return to Toronto once the scourge has left us. Despite all attempts, the memory of the Montreal Expos continues to fade. Of course it made good sense to keep the team in Quebec, but it was not to be. Politics, money, and many other factors contributed to the demise.

The Raptors did sign fan-favourite Fred VanVleet to stay with the team for the next four years. He is to receive $ 85 million over that span, not bad for an undrafted relatively short player in the big man's game. Serge Ibaka, unfortunately, signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, a two year deal woth $ 19 million. There has been a flurry of free agent signings in the past few days, for incredible amounts of money.

The games will be played. The television revenue is enormous. The programs contain advertisements. We buy the products. And the wheel goes around and around. When and where it stops is anyone's guess.

Home sweet home, wherever it may be. Stay safe. Appreciate small blessings.