The Return of Toronto Sports
With more professional sports teams than any other city in Canada, Torontonians are eager for the return of their treasured pastime, and the ritual of wondering which level of inconsistent play they will see from their favourite team. In lieu of sports, speculation about their return has become a sport in itself among the city’s fans and media. The professional sporting leagues have contributed to the uncertainty with ever-shifting schedules that amount to perpetually moving their own goalposts. But for the Toronto faithful, there finally seems to be some progress, with obvious caveats involving virus outbreaks among players that would likely shutter the 2020 sporting season for good.
NBA
The NBA will resume July 30 in a 22-team format. The league’s containment effort will see all games played at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The NBA Finals will begin September 30, with the last possible date for a game-7 on October 13. The Toronto Raptors are scheduled to return to the court August 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
NHL
As ongoing negotiations between the league and NHL Players Association continue, training camps are tentatively expected to open July 13 for the season to resume August 1. Toronto and Edmonton have been selected as the league’s hub cities for gameplay, with Edmonton the likely location Lord Stanley’s Cup will be awarded in the first week of October.
MLB
Players reported to their amended spring training on July 1, with the season potentially resuming no later than July 24. Jays fans praised the league and Canada’s Deputy Chief Public Health Officer after clearing the team for spring training at the Rogers Centre, however, a decision has yet to be made on whether the team will host regular-season games under the dome.
MLS/CFL
The Toronto FC return July 10 in their match against D.C. United as the MLS resumes its season with a 26 team tournament played at Disney World’s ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex. The league final is scheduled for August 11. Conversely, the CFL has yet to decide on whether a 2020 season will be held.
Want to find out more about what’s going on in Toronto? Contact me, let’s sit for a coffee and a chat.