It is a difficult point to try and measure how much the multiculturalism of Toronto affects the popularity of their sports teams, but it is an issue worth looking at.
Canada as a whole is known for its diversity, and Toronto is at the forefront of that. Toronto also leads Canada with the amount of professional sports teams that it supports; hockey, baseball, basketball, soccer, football and lacrosse.
So does Toronto's ethnic diversity allow the city to support certain teams that other cities could not? Or are these independent facts about Toronto completely unrelated?
Also, due to the diversity of the fan base in Toronto, are teams more successful financially with a more internationally diverse roster?
The easiest team to look at immediately is the Toronto Raptors, who are known throughout the NBA as having a very European roster and style of play. The team's GM Bryan Colangelo made waves this past off-season when they signed coveted free agent Hedo Turkoglu, from Istanbul, who apparently was attracted to Toronto above other cities because of the strong Turkish population.
Colangelo also surprised many when he drafted Andrea Barnagn...
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