MARCH MADNESS...Raptors Edition

Apparently there's a big college tournament called March Madness, where over 64 teams are competing to win something called the NCAA Championship. People tell me the upsets and unpredictability of the tournament make it entertaining.

Well, you know what else is madness? The Raptors in a third seed this late in the season.

And you know what else in entertaining? The Raptor mascot rejoining the team after recovering from injury!

Here's video of the devastating Achilles injury the Raptor suffered back in October.
(WARNING: THIS VIDEO MAY BE TOO GRAPHIC FOR SOME VIEWERS)

Ouch. Heart wrenching. 

Thankfully, after a six month lay off, the Rap is back. He didn't try and push his rehab and come back early, only to suffer a season-ending injury soon after, like another NBA superstar whom I won't name. Okay, it was Kobe Bryant. Also unlike Kobe, the Raptor undoubtedly means more to his team. 

The Raptor does things like this: 

While Kobe Bryant does this:

It's no surprise the Raptor is universally loved while Kobe is reviled.

Back to this NCAA tournament for a second. As I write this, Mercer (College? University? I don't know) just beat favourite Duke. Mercer's players celebrate as Duke players slink off the court, dejected. If watching fine young men with all the potential in the world suffer is something people consider entertaining, I want no part of it. 

You're all Kobe Bryants. Or should I say monsters?

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Forget Everything!

Forget every other NBA storyline happening this season.

Forget that the draft is the strongest it has been since 2003. Forget that the Raptors will likely finish in the third or fourth position in the East, making the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Forget that the East is a laughing stock this year. Forget that the NBA is loaded with marketable superstar talent and has an exciting MVP race between Lebron and Durant.

FORGET ALL THAT!

Only one thing matters this season, and it's THIS!

Let that sink in.

Now breathe.

Just last month I wrote in favour of bringing the purple digs back. There's absolutely no way I played even the slightest role in this happening, but the return of the purps is a win for every Raps fan.

Sure, Toronto will only rock the jerseys for some of the season (only for select home games), but I'll take what I can get.

As a huge fan of 90s basketball style, I propose we take this one step further and have the team wear some of the greatest shoes from that era, namely, The Shaqnosis (Shaqnoses for plural?).

Damn. Purple jerseys with custom black and purple Shaqnosis? 

Forget the playoffs, the Raps are striving for something more. The team is striving to cement itself as a Canadian cultural icon. Think about it: the Raptors are bringing back its inaugural jerseys, using Drake as a Global Ambassador and announcing (once a team rep. reads my blog, I'm sure) that the team will rock the custom Shaqnosis shoes.

The Raps are headed in the right direction. Who cares about basketball. This is something bigger.