Dear Toronto,
Try not to embarrass the country this time.
The sports spotlight hasn’t shone on your city for a few years, so here’s hoping you’ve matured since the last time international media paid any attention to your teams.
Your Raptors and Golden State Warriors will meet in the NBA Finals, with the first two games to be played in your city. Basketball fans in this country are thrilled, while the rest of us who aren’t wearing rose-coloured glasses are nervous.
Why?
We’re already aware of the clown who sits courtside and distracts Sportsnet and TSN cameras away from the real spectacle.
But I’m talking about Blue Jays fan Ken Pagan. Remember him?
Please assure all Canadians that he will not be attendance for any Raptors games this series. Yes, we remember that guy who made international headlines and gave our country a black eye when in 2016 during a wild card game he threw a full beer can at Baltimore Orioles left fielder Hyun Soo Kim. Afterwards, Baltimore centre fielder Adam Jones, who is black, said he and his Korean teammate were subject to racial slurs throughout the game.
This incident not only raised the eyebrows of sports fans and media around the world, it also made them question Canada’s nice-guy image. Major media outlets from around the world – New York Times, ESPN, Associated Press – captured your behaviour. The reviews were far from flattering.
Canada’s reputation took a major blow. So, thanks for that.
But that wasn’t the first time your so-called fans acted out with the world watching.
Remember the baby hit by spray from one of many beer cans thrown from the upper deck during the Blue Jays’ playoff series against Texas?
Or the bottle thrown at Orioles left fielder Nate McLouth during a game in 2013? In 2012, umpire Bill Miller got nailed by a beer can at the end of a game after he ejected Brett Lawrie and manager John Farrell.
Perhaps your ugliest and most embarrassing moment was when Blue Jays fans, angry at the umpires’ call, threw trash and beers onto the field from all corners of SkyDome during a playoff series in 2015. Several Blue Jays players left the dugout and asked fans to stop.
Here we are again, Toronto. One of your sports teams is back in the spotlight in a league championship series. Your team is the underdog, so please don’t resort to your old tricks by throwing beer and garbage on the court should your Raptors fall in defeat. Don’t embarrass the country again.
And please stop saying the Raptors are Canada’s team. I don’t ever recall a player from that organization visiting a city in any province outside of Ontario.
The Mendoza Lines 