29 Toronto Raptors Sports Fandom: Participatory Culture During the Toronto Raptors 2019 Playoffs Run.

Toronto Raptors Sports Fandom: Participatory Culture During the Toronto Raptors 2019 Playoffs Run

In the summer of 2018, the Toronto Raptors made a drastic trade which sent shock waves throughout the whole NBA. This trade was between the Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs. The trade saw the Raptors give up their best all star player Demar Derozan in return for superstar Kawhi Leanord. “Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is taking a significant risk with the trade. Ujiri is making the deal with a determination that he can convince Leonard to re-sign with the Raptors next summer in free agency (Woj, 2018). Doing this trade would be a big risk as Kawhi only had one year left on his contract and the trade was considered as a rental player if he decided to leave. The reason this is important is because Kawhi Leanord was the first superstar player that has ever played for Toronto. This led to the following season some of the best basketball played by the Raptors in their history. They finished second in their conference but were favourites to win the championship due to Kawhi Leonard being on the team. This led to an all-time high in ticket sales and fan engagement with the Raptors.“Sports fans are also active in their media engagement, fluidly navigating, manipulating and reproducing media content, tools and platforms as prosumers” (Sturm, 2020). During their playoff run, you could look anywhere in the city of Toronto and they would have something supporting the Raptors. An example of this can be seen with Mcdonald’s. “McDonald’s restaurants in Ontario gave away more than half a million orders of free french fries during the Toronto Raptors 2019 NBA playoffs run” (Edmiston, 2019). Everyone was openly supporting the Toronto Raptors and showing them love. Even on online platforms, everyone was talking about the Raptors. This went from Instagram posts, Snapchat posts, at the time twitter now known as X, and even on TNT the Insider show where NBA legends Shaquielle O’neille and Charles Barkley were openly supporting the Raptors throughout the playoffs.

The reason this is important is because since the 2018-2019 season the Toronto Raptors playoff viewership is down by 69% compared to the year with Kawhi Leanord (Hoopshype, 2023). This has been due to the fact the Raptors do not have a superstar-caliber player who can attract all the fans again. This essay will focus on the Toronto Raptors 2019 playoffs run and the participatory culture around its sports fandom. The term “participatory culture” in sports fandom describes the enthusiastic and active participation of fans in the production, alterations, and sharing of sports-related events and content. In contrast to conventional approaches, which saw fans as just consumers of sports information, participatory culture illustrates a change in which fans become more involved and have a greater say in how the entire sports experience is shaped. The Raptors’ 2019 playoff run was exciting for fans. They were not just watching; they were actively involved in discussions, sharing memes, and analyzing plays on social media. The fans were part of creating the experience, making the playoffs more than just a series of games. This essay will focus on the Raptors’ 2019 playoff run and how fans engage with the team, known as participatory culture. Participatory culture in sports fandom refers to fans actively participating in creating, changing, and sharing sports-related content.

Let’s first look at how fans were creating content. The first major level of content that the fans created was the slogan We The North. This slogan refers to the Raptors/Canada being north of all other 29 NBA teams from a geographical map standpoint. “The Raptors had put their past behind them on the court, geography was the one intractable force that would forever define the league’s sole Canadian franchise after the 2001 relocation of the Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis” (Powell,2019). This slogan later turned into a hashtag used by the fans to express their support. The hashtag #WeTheNorth, which echoes the team’s rallying cry, acted as a digital handshake amongst supporters, fostering a feeling of community and identification. This straightforward yet effective hashtag brought together a varied fan base under one virtual roof and became more than simply a fad. It became the digital representation of the Raptors’ playoff campaign. This virtual friendship extended beyond trends on social media. It translated into actual energy, igniting spontaneous festivities, watch parties, and neighbourhood get-togethers. During this time it didn’t matter if you were a sports consumer, someone who has no connection to the team, or if you were a sports fan, someone who would have a connection to the deep.  Supporters enthusiastically wore their Raptors clothing, turning living rooms and streets alike into a sea of black and red. It was evidence that the Raptors were more than simply a basketball team; they were a force for good that united communities.

Figure 1: We The North Banners (Raptors, 2019)

Another way fans were creating content was through art. The passion of Raptors supporters found vivid expression in fan art, which transcended the digital sphere during the thrilling 2019 NBA playoffs. From conventional paintings to digital graphics, the Raptors’ run for the title sparked a creative surge that masterfully portrayed the team’s victories and feelings. Using a variety of media, fan painters displayed their abilities and vividly brought to life memorable playoff moments. “Sports fandom refers to the state of having an affinity with a sport, team, or specific player(s) in which social and emotional value is derived from group affiliation” (Toder-Alon, Icekson, & Shuv-Ami, 2018). Social media was filled with images of crucial players, like Kyle Lowry’s unwavering leadership and Kawhi Leonard’s clutch shots. The variety of fan art styles reflected the diversity of Raptors supporters. Whether the pieces were complex compositions depicting the team’s togetherness or simple drawings encapsulating the spirit of a game-winning dunk, each one contributed a different viewpoint to the overall tapestry of fan expression. Social networking sites functioned as online galleries of art, with users eagerly sharing and resharing their best works. This expanded the art’s audience and provided a forum for enthusiasts to debate and enjoy the visual expressions of their common interest.Fan art was not limited to the internet; it also appeared in real life. Some artists further cemented the visual presence of the Raptors’ journey in supporters’ daily lives by transforming their creations into posters, banners, and even murals.

Figure 2: Kawhi Mural in Regent Park in Toronto (Khoo, 2019)

Throughout the 2019 NBA playoffs, Raptors supporters significantly influenced and changed the content landscape. They contributed to this transition by taking over social media. They used these channels to an unprecedented degree. Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook developed into dynamic platforms where users actively contributed to the creation of material in addition to consuming it. This two-way conversation aided in creating a story that highlighted the squad as well as the active fan base. Memes and Humour also played in changing content. “Humor can be found in long-running features in sports media outlets and advertisements shown during sporting events” (Kassing, P2, 2020).  Raptors fans’ material was heavily influenced by humour. GIFs, clever comments, and memes become the language of the people. The content became more relevant and shareable as a result of the lighter and more enjoyable factor that fans added. This strategy promoted a welcoming and friendly fan culture in addition to providing entertainment.  This was not done by just the fans but was also done by the team to bring more excitement. This can be seen throughout their series with the Milwaukee Bucks. While the first 2 games did not go their way it led to a lot of jokes about the Raptors not playing like a Trex (which is their mascot) but instead playing like Barney the dinanorse, which led to the Bucks posting about it. Later on in the series the Raptors came back 0-2 to even the series and then posted their joke about the Bucks and how they are not a scary deer but instead similar to Bambi.

Figure 3: Bambi post  (Raptors, 2019)

Figure4: Bucks post (Bucks, 2019)

Fans began to discuss the games a lot using memes, gifs, and humorous remarks. It was more than simply basketball; it was like an open invitation-only web party. A few admirers even went so far as to launch their own YouTube channels, podcasts, and blogs. They wished to add some of their perspectives and spice up the dialogue. It seemed as though fans were taking charge of the plot and narrating the Raptors’ tale in their unique ways. Online, they continued. In various communities, fans planned activities and watched parties. It seemed like a large family coming together to cheer on the squad in person as well as on TV. Also there was the element of familiarity. Creating their jerseys and other items, fans converted their passion for the Raptors into personalized products. It was a means of expressing pride in one’s identity as a Raptors fan. Raptors fans went above and beyond simply applauding to become the 2019 playoff storytellers. They added more personality, made it more enjoyable, and fostered a fantastic feeling of community that extended far beyond the basketball court.

Figure 5: Making the opposing team feel as if they already lost. (Yahoo Sports NBA, 2019)

“Our study demonstrates that sports fandom occurs beyond the realm of live and televised spectatorship. Sport fans can now not only interact with other fans during the event but also share their experiences before and after the live sporting event through various social media platforms” (Kirkwood, 2019). What this means is sports content can now be shared on platforms to increase engagement within the fandom. Fans created and shared video highlights of key moments from the games. These clips ranged from game-winning shots to impressive plays by Raptors players. Platforms like YouTube became a go-to destination for fans to relive and share these highlights. According to Toder-Alon  (2018), the idea of consuming is crucial in the world of sports fandom. According to Shreffler, Hancock, and Schmidt (2016), the emergence of online social networking has changed how sports fans interact with and consume sports-related content. Apart from more conventional means such as watching live games or keeping up with news via radio, newspapers, and television shows in the real world, modern sports fans spend a significant amount of time engaging with similar communities online (Brown, Billings, Murphy, & Puesan, 2018). With the change to online consumption, sports fandom experiences have entered a new period marked by the emergence of virtual communities that encourage participant emotions of solidarity, community, and camaraderie (Dionísio et al., 2008). In addition to consuming sports information, fans now actively interact with other enthusiasts in the digital environment, exchanging thoughts and feelings while forging a sense of community inside these virtual groups. the internet. This double feature emphasizes how important it is to research the complex dynamics of fan-consuming practices in the context of the digital sphere. In this dynamic environment, the internet turns into a virtual space where sports enthusiasts actively shape their fan identities in addition to passively consuming information. Through interactions in virtual communities, fans construct a collective identity that connects them to a wider social network of like-minded individuals while simultaneously expressing their uniqueness. Understanding the complex social ties that form within the online sports community and the diverse character of modern sports fandom needs an examination of the subtleties of this digital consumption. In the ever-changing world of online communities, there is a tendency that stands out: people are clamouring to connect and share the newest advancements in their consumer activities. This tendency is most noticeable when enthusiasts exchange web-based content that is frequently enhanced by opinions from well-known authorities in the field. Information sharing is more than simply an informative exchange; it’s a social activity where participants actively try to be heard by people they see as valued peers—people with comparable identities and interests. The voices of community members become potent information channels in this virtual arena, igniting a vibrant conversation that increases the passion among those involved. People who have witnessed live NBA games and events, for example, grab the spotlight and share their accounts. These mutual experiences act as sparks, spreading an infectious enthusiasm among members of the virtual community as they anxiously await innovations and occasions to get together. This can be seen everywhere in the NBA. Whenever you look in the crowds people will have cameras open on their cellphones to capture the moment and to share online.

Figure 6 : Fans capturing the moment (ESPN, 2019)

In summary, the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 playoff run went beyond the bounds of conventional sports fandom and sparked a participatory culture that radically changed how fans follow and interact with the sports story. In the context of sports fandom, “participatory culture” refers to the active engagement of fans in forming, sharing, and co-creating the whole sports experience, rather than just the passive observation of games. The vivid creation of material, which ranged from the recognizable “We The North” slogan to the varied and expressive fan art that inundated social media platforms, was at the center of this participatory culture. “We The North” became more than just a geographic identifier; it was a digital handshake that brought supporters together to form a virtual community that went well beyond the boundaries of the basketball floor. The hashtag #WeTheNorth evolved into more than just a fad, serving as a virtual embodiment of the Raptors fan base’s unity and sense of identity. The visual feast that fan art, in all its forms and media, offered captured the emotional peaks and triumphs of the Raptors’ journey. It was a group effort that demonstrated the variety of viewpoints among Raptors fans, rather than just a single creative expression. Social media platforms became dynamic environments where fans actively participated in the creation of material, transforming memes, gifs, and lighthearted comments into a vocabulary that characterized the culture of participative Raptors supporters. Fans organized watch parties, impromptu celebrations, and neighbourhood get-togethers, extending this participatory culture beyond the virtual world. The Raptors developed into a force for unity that drew together supporters from all walks of life and backgrounds, fostering a common experience that cut over distances. The Raptors’ and their supporters’ identities were influenced by the participation culture, which spread beyond the world of athletics. This participative culture was heavily reliant on humour, as both the squad and supporters cracked jokes and lighthearted banter. This made the playoffs more interesting and encouraged a sense of unity among the supporters. Beyond the conventional role of sports customers, a participatory culture was seen in the emergence of online communities, the production of personalized goods, and opinion sharing. Even though fewer people have watched the Raptors in the playoffs since Kawhi Leonard left, the team’s 2019 playoff success will live on in the participatory culture it sparked. That season’s fan involvement and feeling of community still has an impact on how fans engage with sports, highlighting the fact that sports are about more than simply the games—rather, they’re about the relationships, stories, and shared experiences that arise among an engaged and fervent fan base. Sports fandom in the internet era can adapt, as seen by the participatory culture that emerged during the Raptors’ historic run. In conclusion, this essay went over the participatory culture surrounding the 2019 Toronto Raptors NBA playoffs run.

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