Despite boasting "one of the sport's most thrilling
athletes" in G Vince Carter, having a "very watchable,
winnable team" and playing in the "luxurious" Air Canada
Centre, interest in the Raptors has yet "to have gained a
foothold" in Canada, according to Cam Cole of the NATIONAL
POST. Cole wrote that Carter "is an engaging kid, with one
of those million-dollar smiles, and you hope that Canadians
will discover him. But they have to discover the game
first, and it's an uphill climb." Cole added that one
factor regarding interest in the sport is that hockey fans
and basketball fans "don't seem to mix" in Canada where
"hockey is in the blood." Carter, on fans: "They'll catch
on. ... We have to continue to win." But Cole wrote that
even scalpers "complain that they can't unload" Raptors
tickets for free at home, where the team is averaging about
3,000 empty seats per game. In addition, Cole wrote that
Raptors TV ratings "have been almost off-the-chart low."
Cole added, "There are little pockets here and there of
something that may be enthusiasm ... [but] the ratings
clearly show that most of Canada channel-surfs right on
past" NBA games (NATIONAL POST, 12/13).
