More than one million fans crowded the streets of downtown Toronto and about 100,000 packed Nathan Phillips Square and the surrounding streets at the Raptors championship parade yesterday.
“I think it’s fair to say that the Raptors captured the city’s imagination," said Brad Ross, spokesperson for the City. "It really brought people together in a way no other sporting event has before.”
Before the parade commenced, a spokesperson from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment estimated that 2 million people would participate in the parade.
To gage how many people were at the parade, the City of Toronto looked at grids and tracked the number of people who travelled by public transit downtown yesterday.
“We don’t want to overstate things or understate them either,” Ross said.
They also compared the capacity of Nathan Phillips Square to past events. New Years' Eve usually attracts about 60,000 people and Ross estimated that 65,000 to 70,000 people overflowed into Bay and Queen streets.
He said that the celebration and coming together throughout the NBA Finals doesn’t compare to any past events, even the Blue Jays World Series championship in 1993.
Regardless of how many people attended the parade, Raptors fans have undoubtedly gained a reputation for their loyalty over the course of the NBA Finals.
by Hannah Alberga via blogTO
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