Let me be a bitter fan today please. I’m salty, let’s get that out-of-the-way. I’ve dealt with a lot of high hopes and shattered dreams (no pun intended). It’s hard being a fan of a team that you root for with such passion, and then year after year, you experience the same feeling year after year: defeated, deflated, decomposed, broken down, loss of all emotions, and I could go on and on. The feeling is one that a lot of people have experienced, but because of the recent Superbowl and just how much disappointment I have in my team (Philadelphia Eagles, who I will not talk about), I felt that this was indeed needed to get off of my chest.

I’m from Toronto, where we do it big (the song was in my head, so I felt the need to quote it). Big dreams of success, hopes & aspirations for all. It’s a city that a lot of people can get a start on life and progress. It’s definitely not easy, because it’s one of the toughest cities to actually move up in. On a Global scale, it’s one of the best in the world, and of course it’ll always get my love, but the point of this is not to praise my city, nor bury it, but to voice my utter displeasure with the sports teams that inhabit the city.

The Maple Leafs, The Raptors, The Blue Jays. Those are the major teams. 2 of the 3 have seen the promise land (Leafs in ’67, Jays in ’92 & ’93; I was there in ’93 to witness for myself), and the other….well, the 2nd round was the greatest accomplishment the Raptors have achieved, but it’s hardly worth bragging about. In the entire North American society, Toronto has to be the worst sports city. Yes, worse than Cleveland. Toronto is a city that has so much potential, could be so much greater than the mediocre showings that embarrass the city, and it shows in our sports. The fact that all of the major sports teams is under one umbrella corporation (MLSE) may be “good,” but what good is the people’s money if they keep paying for the same bullshit results year after year, and I had to be vulgar, because depressing isn’t even the word. The passive thinking of the managers of the sports is ridiculous.

Last time I checked, Herm Edwards once said “You play to win the game,”

so I ask myself this question: “Why can’t my city win?” Granted, I don’t work in the field of sports, I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, and I know it’s all about deep thought, a lot of tough decision-making, and also it’s not easy to just go out and win championships, but if you have teams like the New York Yankees who seem to just automatically claim a playoff spot as soon as Training Camp opens, what does it say about a team like the Jays who are always on the outside looking in when they have the talent to go to the next level? I get that it’s about putting pieces together, but come on, you mean to tell me that in the last TWO DECADES since the Jays won their first World Series, the organization couldn’t find ways to win? I refuse to believe that, because there are ALWAYS plans to be made to formulate a winning team. the General Manager, Alex Anthopoulos,

gave a “five-year-plan” stating that the Blue Jays would make the playoffs in 5 years….okay….so….let me get this straight. You’ve already FORESEEN the future, and you want fans to go out and buy tickets to games for those next FIVE YEARS, to watch us lose? Is that what I’m getting from him, because I thought that seemed quite clear to me. GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!

I spoke to my boy, Keith, about this on Twitter a couple of weeks ago. They don’t want to win. This city refuses to have heart, refuses to take any sort of risks, and refuses to be aggressive when it matters. I get that managing a multi-million dollar team is a daunting task, but you have GOT to roll the dice once or twice just to see if you can get lucky. That’s not just a sports lesson, THAT’S A LIFE LESSON! It’s annoying to see your team fail, because it’s like a part of you is failing too because you feel such an attachment to them. You share their disappointment, albeit it’s on a greater scale.

The Leafs now…their disappointment stretches beyond when I was born, and even both of my parents. It’s THAT deep. They won, it was great, people were happy, and then…we stopped winning…over, and over. Again and again. I don’t have a love for hockey, to be quite honest, there’s not a caring piece in my soul for the game,

but I’ll tell you this; it’s about the TEAM! MLSE is owned by major communications monopolies, Bell & Rogers. My phone is with Bell, my internet & Cable is with Rogers, so essentially, my money contributes to the teams, so ya of course I’m going to have an attachment to the team, I SOMEWHAT PAY FOR THEM! It’s crazy because I don’t think a lot of people from Toronto realize that, but then again, this is the city that barely supports their own anyways, so of course they’re not going to support their sports teams. Such is life in the city. The Leafs have always had those seasons with so much promise, they falter in the middle, and have strong finishes, yet somehow always miss the playoffs. It’s annoying. They’ve made the playoffs once in the past 10 years, but seriously? Close isn’t good enough, and since you charge an arm, a leg, a set of teeth, and a casket for Season Tickets, why not put some playoff success on the backend? Fair is fair, no?

Let me get to the disappoint that is the Toronto Raptors. *deep sighs* Listen…I hate this team so much. SO MUCH! I hate them like poison, but I still devote my time to them when it’s needed. Why? Because I feel that it’s the right thing to do. It’s my city, all we do is say….wait…never mind. The first NBA game I ever watched in person was with my mom. We were having dinner at a Burger King  up the street from where I used to live, and she told me that we were going to a Toronto Raptors game. Now, I didn’t watch a lot of basketball at the time (and I still don’t watch a lot now), but the fact that I was going to a game was music to my ears, and my eyes lit up like a BIC lighter when it’s sparked. It was against the then Alonzo Mourning-led Miami Heat.

Vince Carter was one of the most exciting players on a successful team in the early 2000s. They were a great team to watch, and it was a great time to be a fan. IRONICALLY, Vince Carter and his idiotic fade-away in game 7 of the 2nd round in 2001,  pretty much set a course for the Raptors for later years. I’m not here to give a history lesson, because a lot of people don’t care. It’s the fact that SINCE THEN, we’ve only made the playoffs once, and lost miserably (at least we weren’t swept), it’s just that we could be so much better, but thanks to Mr. Bryan Colangelo, he’s hardly been angelic, but rather, he’s been the Matt Millen of the NBA by having poor drafting which has thus resulted in poor records, missed playoffs, and years of low expectations and unfortunately living up to them.

We have the potential to be great, we do…and why we don’t? I blame the lack of heart, I blame the lack of passion, and I blame the city for just sitting back and either: 1. not being supportive, or 2. People supporting other teams rather than their hometown. I’m not being judgemental on those people, because ya it is what it is, but those same people screaming out “yo, support your own,” really? Hmmm, the irony here is intriguing. It could be much better, but I can’t do anything about it, I can only sit back, keep supporting and take the pain like salt on a fresh wound, every.single.year……until we win a Championship.

But….for now, let me sip to my sorrows

That’s My Word & It STiXX