Drake has been an ever growing popular artist in the modern day, and that trend doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. The Toronto-born rapper feels a strong connection to his hometown team, the Toronto Raptors, the city’s basketball team. Therefore, he accepted the offer of being the global ambassador for the franchise that has been struggling over the years. Being the only team in Canada, it is hard for the Raptors to stay competitive with all the other American teams in the NBA. They lack a strong presence in the market, because in the end, professional sports is still a business. Ever since their star player, Vince Carter, was traded, the presence of the Raptors has never really been the same. The view on Canadian NBA teams is that we’re not as strong and not as heavily funded. By utilizing Drake’s massive presence, Toronto wants to be able to rebrand what the Raptors truly are, and want fans of other teams to fear playing the Raptors.
I believe that having Drake as a global ambassador would definitely be an asset in Toronto’s efforts in rebranding their line strongly due to the fact of Drake’s roots stemming from Toronto, and how he mentioned that the Raptors were a staple part of his childhood. Drake’s overall positive image as a rapper will definitely help direct the Raptors to a place in the NBA market with more respect from the different teams and their fans.
