The Toronto Raptors made history last night after winning Canada’s first NBA Championship. Game 5 viewership on Monday reached 13.4 million Canadians and averaged 6.4 million viewers – it was the biggest audience for an NBA game in the country, and the most watched program ever for Rogers Media. No doubt last night’s Game 6 audience was even bigger.
“Basking in reflected glory” is the phenomenon by which fans revel in a team’s success despite having done nothing to contribute to the success. Consider the emerging place of basketball in Canadian identity here.