Congratulations Raptors on NBA Victory.

Why Sports are Good for this Country.

I first want to congratulate the Toronto Raptors for uniting the city of Toronto and possibly the country. I remember growing up in the days of Vince Carter, and if I'm not mistaken I have seen one Raptors game in my lifetime. That doesn't stop me from becoming a Raptors fan, and jumping on the band wagon as they were winning their division. I played a lot of hockey in my life, but I really enjoy watching basketball. Our high school team had a really good basketball team, and I learned the basics of basketball through a friend who was a really good player. God didn't give me the talent to shoot hoops, but I always enjoyed watching the taller players in high school do the slam dunks, which I learned is really hard to do in a game.

I don't pretend to know how the game has changed over the years, but it sure was fun watching Toronto's Raptors make history twice, first by making the finals, then by winning it all. Today I spent about 7 hours in front of the television watching the Parade in Toronto, and because I don't drive anymore, it was fun seeing all the older streets in the Parade route. I was watching with my parents, and we were all overwhelmed at the 3 million people that flooded our precious city, as we silently prayed for safety for all our brothers and sisters. There were families and all kinds of people cheering on our team, which brought great pride to Raptors fans everywhere, even if like me, you just joined the band wagon this year.

We all want our lives to count and we all want to be remembered in the right way. It's part of our common human nature to want to touch greatness, and to feel that our lives mattered in the end. Canadian sports has demonstrated over the years that it fosters a sense of community and unity, that would be otherwise impossible being that we are such a diverse culture. This is why the Raptors mean so much to everyone right now.

We have had such bad news over the past 20 years, these have been difficult days for many people, and anything that gives us hope and unity should be cherished and protected. I was surprised to see our Prime Minister at the Celebration today, and I think that it took a lot of class for him to do that. I'm writing this as a victory for all Canadians everywhere. If I had children, I would definitely be telling them, or celebrating with their generation. Congratulations to the Toronto Raptors, we all are very proud of you and we love you all, and thanks again for bringing this city such love and joy. This is Mike.

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