The Toronto Raptors

Are you a sports fan? Tired of watching the Leafs at a bar? Want to get out and actually see a game live? Then consider switching sports. Toronto is a fabulous sports town, offering a host of other professional teams when you’re tired of the Leafs. My recommendation: basketball.

Seeing the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre makes for a great night out, and can be surprisingly affordable. While it’s not been made clear on their ticket site, this year the Raptors organization has divided their games into 4 tiers based on who the Raptors are playing, and on what night. Tickets for games on nights other than Friday or Saturday, and against teams which aren’t top tier, can be had for as little as $12.50 per seat. And the games are lots of fun to watch. (For clarity, I’ll be adding the Best Value and Value games – both available for $12.50 – on the What’s On page.) If you’ve never given basketball a chance, here are some of my favourite things about it:

•  It’s fast. The players and the ball are always moving, the ball changes hands constantly, and leads can change in no time.
• Every game there are at least a few incredible plays. They might be dunks or alley oops, or maybe a great block, but they’ll get you cheering! (I even cheer the opposing team sometimes – when the play is that good, I can’t help it!) 
• There’s no fighting. The game is about the game, and good sportsmanship, for the most part, is what you’ll see on the court.  
• Jose Calderon. 

Don’t let sports nuts in your life convince you the Raptors are a write-off. True, they haven't made the play-offs in years, and last year they lost a lot more games than they won. But this year is a different year. They’re still not winning a lot, but the losses are usually pretty close and the games entertaining. They’ve suddenly learned how to play defense (go Amir Johnson!) and they’re a young team with a lot of potential (James Johnson is pretty interesting). And again, they have Jose.

Even if the action on the court doesn’t grab you, there’s tons of other stuff to amuse you. There are give-aways and the half-time show, the Dance Pack and the Raptor. Plus lots of other crazy fans to watch (the last game I was at, the Gingerbread Man sat in the section next to me with his pal Gumby). And you can always drink. While prices are pretty steep, my recommendation if you want beer: don’t order draft. The tall cans, which are the same size as a medium draught (the largest they sell at NBA games), are cheaper for some reason. Strongbow Cider is even cheaper than beer. I don’t get it, but I’m happy about it!

So convince your friends, or take your kids, and check them out. If they score 100 points, your ticket is even worth a slice of Pizza Pizza the next day. And by the way, from most seats in the ACC, you can’t hear their shoes squeak.