The Toronto Raptors are ubiquitous in the Greater Toronto Area and maybe even across Canada. Their logo appears on almost every kids wardrobe. The arena sells out every home game. The cool factor of the claw is everywhere and something that other brands will jump through hoops to associate themselves with.
But longtime fans will tell you this wasn’t always the case.
And soccer fans, who are newer to basketball, would be surprised to find out that at one point, the Raptors were as much an afterthought in this city— and amongst MLSE offices — as some of those dreaded Toronto FC teams from the early 2010s.