Over the years, the Toronto Raptors have heard all about the perceived disadvantages of NBA life north of the border.
The complaints have run the gamut — from the long, snowy winters, to concerns about taxes to the lack of ESPN on cable TV. Instead of playing defence when it comes to perception, the franchise is going on the offensive.
The Great White North is embraced and the Ontario capital takes centre stage in the team’s new “We The North” campaign, which features a 60-second video that kicks off a massive franchise rebrand over the next two years.
“This is the statement we want to make to Canada and I think this is the chip we have, which is we’re the north and there’s no one else,” Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president Tim Leiweke said Wednesday from New York.