Toronto Raptors - Fanbase

Fanbase

The Raptors have enjoyed a consistent fanbase throughout their history. The Toronto Raptors set NBA attendance records in their 2000, 2001, 2002 seasons when they made the playoffs. Attendances dipped slightly between 2003 and 2006. This improved during the 2006–07 regular season, an average of 18,258 fans attended each game (13th in the league), which translates to 92.2% of the Air Canada Centre's seating capacity. Following the success of the 2006–07 season, Toronto became one of the league leaders in season ticket sales for the 2007–08 season.

The value of the Raptors franchise has risen over the years. In 1998, the franchise was bought for US$125 million. With the continued popularity of the Raptors, the value of the franchise doubled from US$148 million in 2000 to $297 million in 2004. The value of the franchise grew again from $315 million in 2006 to $373 million in 2007, and $400 million in 2008, before falling to $386 million in 2009. In 2010, the value of the franchise was $399 million, according to reports by Forbes. The Raptors previously were the only NBA team with their own television channel, Raptors NBA TV, which acted as a localized version of the league's U.S. channel NBA TV. However, on 15 October 2010, the channel was renamed NBA TV Canada with a greater emphasis on NBA teams other than the Raptors. Other channels that air Raptors games include TSN and Sportsnet. Their television ratings, however, are considerably lower than other more established Toronto sports teams and most other sporting events shown on Canadian television.

On game day, the fans are usually entertained by the Raptor mascot, the Raptors Dance Pak, and the 4 Korners Raptors Soundcrew during pre-game, time-outs, and intervals. Giveaways are sometimes bundled with tickets to encourage attendance. Further, whenever Toronto scores more than 100 points in a home game, win or loss, fans can redeem their ticket for a cheese or pepperoni pizza slice at standalone Pizza Pizza locations throughout Ontario for the business day after the game that was played. This is part of a promotion made by the Raptor's official pizza sponsor.