Blue Jays: Toronto's Sports Teams Echo the Diversity of the City

It is a difficult point to try and measure how much the multiculturalism of Toronto affects the popularity of their sports teams, but it is an issue worth looking at.

Canada as a whole is known for its diversity, and Toronto is at the forefront of that. Toronto also leads Canada with the amount of professional sports teams that it supports; hockey, baseball, basketball, soccer, football and lacrosse. 

So does Toronto's ethnic diversity allow the city to support certain teams that other cities could not? Or are these independent facts about Toronto completely unrelated?

Also, due to the diversity of the fan base in Toronto, are teams more successful financially with a more internationally diverse roster?

The easiest team to look at immediately is the Toronto Raptors, who are known throughout the NBA as having a very European roster and style of play. The team's GM Bryan Colangelo made waves this past off-season when they signed coveted free agent Hedo Turkoglu, from Istanbul, who apparently was attracted to Toronto above other cities because of the strong Turkish population. 

Colangelo also surprised many when he drafted Andrea Barnagni, from Rome, Italy, first overall in the 2006 draft. Then there is Jose Calderon, from Villanueva de la Serena, Spain, Rasho Nestorovic from Slovenia and Marco Belinelli, also from Italy. 

The Toronto Raptors have enjoyed an impressive attendance record for several seasons now, so is this due to the emergence of Chris Bosh as one of the premier power forwards in the league or their occasional flirtations with success?

Or perhaps does it have something to do with their roster, and how their players can appeal to so many different demographics in this diverse city? 

Another interesting case is that of Toronto FC, part of North America's Major League Soccer. They were an immediate sensation as soon as it was announced that Toronto was getting its own soccer team, consistently having stellar attendance and enjoying a devoted fan base throughout the city.

Now take a look at the home countries of its roster; Cameroon, Gambia, Serbia, Russia, Argentina, Latvia, and of course, USA and Canada. That is an impressive representation of international talent for one team to have. 

This of course is made easier by soccer being one of the most prevalent sports in the world, if not the most popular, thus making it far easier to find talent throughout the world.

But think about how the makeup of this team affects its support. If you are a young soccer fan, perhaps recently immigrated from Serbia or Gambia, how much more likely are you to support a player if they are from your home country?

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the most successful franchises in sports, being valued at over $400 million, which leads the NHL. For a team that consistently sells out, the purpose in expanding their fan base isn't to attract more people to the arena, but to sell more merchandise.

Hockey, due to the expense of playing the game and the facilities necessary, isn't a game that is found all over the world, limiting itself primarily to North America and European countries. 

When the Maple Leafs drafted talented centre Nazem Kadri in 2009, they were looking at his impressive skill-set and tenacity. What came along with it was the attention of an entirely new section of Toronto's population.

Kadri is the fourth player of Lebanese descent to play in the NHL, the first Muslim ever drafted by the Leafs and the second ever drafted into the NHL after Ramzi Abid. How much this might affect either the Leafs success financially is difficult to assess, but the trickle-down effect could be priceless in future years.

You suddenly have a young Muslim man with a chance to become the star centre of the biggest franchise in professional hockey. You have a role model for young players to look up to, now believing it is possible to make it to the NHL. 

The parents of these young hockey players are attending their child's games and possibly following the progress of Leafs, you have an entirely new culture emerging that might not have been possible before. 

Now, there is the Toronto Blue Jays, setting new records for attendance lows this year despite a winning record so far. Looking at the other teams that are finding financial success in Toronto's unique market, a question could be asked; would the Blue Jays have more people coming to the games if they fielded a more international roster? 

Looking at the stars of the Blue Jays roster first; you have Vernon Wells, Adam Lind, Aaron Hill and Ricky Romero, who are from Louisiana, Indiana and California respectively. This isn't really a surprise, as the US supplies most of the players for the MLB in the same way that Canada supplies most the players for the NHL. 

Looking at the rest of the Jays roster, there is a definitely a good international representation, with players hailing from Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican.

But a surprising amount of those players are new this year, such as Alex Gonzalez and Jose Molina, Edwin Encarnacion was traded here late last year. That doesn't give a lot of time for fans to get to know these players and show their support. 

This obviously isn't to suggest that the Jays have been avoiding these players; it is more that they do not have the same clout as many of the other teams in the league to attract international free agents.

Many of the stars who come from Japan or Cuba for instance are highly coveted free agents and are pursued with promises of large contracts and a prominent place on the team. This may be changing for the Blue Jays with new GM Alex Anthopoulos, who recently signed the sought after Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. 

If the attendance woes continue for the Blue Jays, they may be wise to look at how other teams have found success in this market and work on marketing their players to Toronto's diverse ethnic population.

Or perhaps they just need to find a way to pry Japanese hero Ichiro Suzuki away from Seattle.

Update:  Since this article was originally written, the Blue Jays have acquired Yunel Escobar in a trade for Alex Gonzalez.  They have also signed two young players from Venezuela to professional contracts;  RHP Adonis Cardona and 3B Gabriel Cenas.  They have increased their scouting in the Caribbean and Central/South American countries that former GM J.P. Ricciardi ignored, saying that there was too much risk.  Anthopoulos has recognized that yes, there is a risk involved, but there is also potential for high reward, an opportunity to acquire high-impact players that will make a difference in the tough American League East.

The Raptors have also parted ways with Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglo in a much publicized signing with the Miami Heat and a trade with the Phoenix Suns.  They signed Lithuanian player Linas Kleiza to a multi-year contract.