TORONTO GETS MONEY’S WORTH
Soccer team enjoying remarkable season, Leafs join Devils and Knights in fast starts
BULLS OF THE WEEK
With designated players actually worth their exorbitant salaries — US$7.1 million for Sebastian Giovinco, US$6.5 million for Michael Bradley and US$4.88 million for Jozy Altidore — Toronto FC is putting the finishing touches on the most dominant regular season in Major League Soccer history while the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers FC go into “Decision Day” jockeying for position in what should be an interesting postseason leading to the MLS Cup final.
In the National Hockey League, Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs are turning heads on the strength of an impressive 6-1 record. It’s still early, of course, but that start by the Leafs creates an uncharacteristic alignment between competitive strength and financial clout for an NHL franchise valued north of US$1.1 billion by Forbes Magazine (but one that has made the playoffs only twice in 12 seasons).
Meanwhile, the surprisingly good New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights — the league’s sparkling new expansion toy in North America’s gambling and entertainment capital — have joined the Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues and the Los Angeles Kings at the top of the NHL standings.
Meanwhile, the NBA tipped off Wednesday with hoops fans wondering if the new season can match the off-season for sheer entertainment value and blockbuster moves.
Although much-maligned Thursday Night Football turned in a thoroughly entertaining and crazy finish between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders — in a week in which ground broke on their new NFL stadium in Las Vegas — there was no league as bullish as Major League Baseball finds itself on the eve of its World Series.
The Houston Astros may have other ideas going into the weekend, but the prospects of a Fall Classic between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers has terrific television ratings written all over them. It would feature the two biggest media markets in North America, the two richest franchises in MLB (valued by Forbes at US$3.7 billion and US$2.75 billion respectively) and two of the most storied heritage brands in baseball history.
BEARS OF THE WEEK
While the focus is on the fields of play in the NHL, NBA, MLS and of course Major League Baseball, it is on anything but in the NFL, which has gone from its ESPN 30-on-30 moniker of “League of Denial” to “League of Distraction.”
Games like this week’s Thursday Night Football have been the rare exception to the rule in terms of a bland entertainment product that has many talking about declining TV ratings and attendance. Instead, it is headlines such as concussions and CTE, Aaron Rodgers and seasonending injuries, Ezekiel Elliott and domestic violence, Colin Kaepernick and social injustice and President Donald Trump and the symbolism of the national anthem that have continued to suck the attention away from great plays by terrific athletes on contending teams.
In fact, without a clear Super Bowl favourite to talk about as we approach the halfway mark of the NFL regular season, sports radio, TV and social have been sucked into the vortex of drawnout soap operas that are clearly beginning to take their toll on fans and fan engagement.
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