Recent championships by local teams and individuals have sparked greater interest in those sports in Ontario.
Davin Gray, marketing manager at Ontario Basketball, said the fact the Toronto Raptors won the NBA title last season, is creating more enthusiasm, commitment and motivation in Toronto’s young athletes.
“Ontario Basketball already seen an impact in our registration, there’s a lot of clubs that already had a waiting list in July, when normally sign ups wouldn’t happened until August,” Gray said in an telephone interview Sept. 17.
Several schools and clubs have perceived an increased interest from youth in being part of their sports teams.
“Definitely a lot of kids were interested in basketball and the Toronto Raptors without bringing the championship, but now they want to play,” Gray said.
On June 13 the Toronto Raptors won the sixth game against the two-time defending champions Golden State Warriors 114-110, earning their first NBA championship in franchise history.
However, basketball is just one example of the sports are getting more attention and interest from young athletes after Ontario’s success.
Andreescu’s impressive victory
Great performances like the 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu’s victory in the 2019 U.S. Open, the first NBA championship for the Toronto Raptors, and the victory of TFC in the MLS Cup Final in 2017, give optimism to a province that seems to have a great future in sports.
Nineteen-year-old Nicole Guerrera, who has played tennis for more than five years, said that the victory by Mississauga’s Andreescu served as incentive not only for her, but for many young athletes in Canada.
“This definitely helps tennis in Canada and especially in Ontario. Sports in general are changing, and [Andreescu] showed it doesn’t matter how young you are,” she said. “If you have discipline, and play well, there’s always a chance to succeed.”
Tennis fans in Canada, and the world in general, were impressed by Andreescu’s victory, not only for her solid play throughout the tournament, but also for the personality that she showed while playing a Grand Slam Final against probably one of the greatest woman tennis player in history, Serena Williams.
At the Open she also faced Katie Volynets, Kirsten Flipkens, Caroline Wozniacki, Taylor Townsend, and Elise Mertens, and then played the semifinals against Belinda Bencic to beat her in straight sets, reaching her first Grand Slam Tennis final in her short career.
In the final, she defeated Serena Williams with a convincing 6-3, 7-5 and became the first woman to win the tournament as a debutant, and the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam.
With her triumph, Andreescu also became the first woman born in the 2000s to win a Grand Slam, which seems to cause extra motivation for young players.
Toronto FC MLS Cup Champions 2017
TFC won redemption after winning 2-0 against Seattle Sounders in the MLS Cup final on Dec. 9, 2017.
The Reds reached the MLS Cup final following a great season in which they finished in first place in the east conference, and defeated New York Red Bull and Columbus Crew in the playoffs.
With that victory Toronto FC helped fans forget the previous season loss in penalties against the same rival, Seattle Sounders.
For decades, being champions in the main sport disciplines seemed to be a myth for Canadians in general. However, those times seem to have come to an end, because there has never been a better time to be a sports fan in Ontario.