MLSE really does not care about winning championships. They are the second largest sports entertainment group in the world, next to the one from NY, yet refuse to spend money.
If any of you have followed the Leafs for the past few decades you would have read and heard about a lot of the meetings that MLSE have. Lots of quotes saying things like "If it makes money, keep it like it is".
They really have no drive for us to win a championship, and a lot of people running MLSE rarely watch either of the sports. In fact, the SUN presented them with a surprise poll and a lot of the board members couldn't name most of the players on any of the teams they own.
It sucks. The Leafs are the largest and most valuable team in the NHL. Toronto being the largest hockey market in the world. Burke even said "Toronto to hockey is like the Vatican for the pope".
The Raptors have a chance to capture a HUGE market. They are the only b-ball team in Canada, and are part of one of the highest population density area in the country, with over 1/3rd of the total population of Canada, residing in southern Ontario. They are also part of the most high populated area of North America, which is in and around the Mid-East coast of the two countries. (North East for America, South East for Canada, Toronto, NY, Boston etc).
They need to invest money into both the Leafs and the Raptors. If Toronto won an NBA championship it would be HUGE. You have over 10,000,000 people in and around Toronto who would take part in the celebration, and it would bring more fans to the Raptors. Toronto has potential to be the third largest basketball market next to only NY and LA.
If Leafs won the cup...welll....Canada would be shut down. Toronto would be out of commission for at least a week from all the parties. It would also boost Hockey by a large amount and make MLSE tons of money.
The NBA is losing fans every year. Their TV ratings are lower then ever, their game attendance is dropping, and now the NHL has more people showing up to games. The NBA needs a team like the Raptors or Knicks to win a championship. The Knicks would energize the meca of b-ball. The Raptors would open up a brand new large market. Both would help the NBA a lot.
MLSE needs to get on it. I am afraid however, it will be decades before the Raptors win anything. In a few years it will be half a century since the Leafs last won a cup.
Re: Raps could go into the Luxury Tax?
