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#WeTheNorth Toronto Raptors Campaign Will Make Every Canadian Love Basketball

It all started in 2014.

UPDATE: This story was originally published in 2014 (when the “We The North” campaign began). In 2019, the Raptors are now, of course, in the NBA Finals vs. the Golden State Warriors. Let’s go Raptors!

Want to see a few more highlights from this year?

Please Rise For This Spontaneous ‘O Canada’ Rendition On The Warriors’ Turf

▶️ Lest We Forget Canada Used To Have Another NBA Team

Raptors Superfan Targeted With Racist Tweet. Then The Tweeter Apologized.

Ending their season with 48 wins (48-34) and leading the pack of the Atlantic division, Canada’s only national basketball team has big plans for the NBA playoffs: to win.

In a new video campaign called #WeTheNorth by the Toronto Raptors, the team wants to unite all basketball fans north of the 49th parallel from coast to coast. And since the Olympics season ended earlier this year, Canadians haven’t really had anything to cheer on as a whole — until now, that is.

“We are the North side, a territory all our own. If that makes us outsiders, we’re in,” says the one-minute campaign, showing images of young men playing basketball in all weather conditions and Toronto’s basketball-loving neighbourhoods, intertwined with a narrative about toughness and success.

Not only did the Raptors break several franchise records this year, including the most wins in 19 years and personal records by players like all-star DeMar DeRozan, Canadian rapper Drake even joined the clan as the team’s global ambassador.

And don’t forget, Canadians did invent the game in 1891 — basketball is basically in our blood.

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