Toronto’s newest villain
COREY D’SOUZA
It didn’t take long before the chorus of boos reigned down. Yells of hatred spewed through the air. Taunts and chants filled the ACC.
Chris Bosh is enjoying his time as a member of the Miami Heat.
Yes, it was a game that many Raptors’ fans had circled on their calendars. In a year of many lows, many losses, and much disappointment, the Raptors’ faithful had a chance to release their frustrations. These frustrations were directed at one man, that man, of course was Chris Bosh. The ex-Raptor entered the ACC like he had done so many times before, but something was different. He entered from the visiting team’s bus, walked into the visiting team’s locker-room, and walked onto the court wearing the visiting team’s jersey.
Maybe it was planned, but the stadium looked almost half capacity when the Miami Heat lineup was announced. Furthermore, Bosh was the first Heat player announced, almost like a pre-meditated way to get the jeering out of the way early. But crowd half full or not, the ones who were present for the starting lineups unleashed a flurry of boos. There were a few fans visibly cheering, but they were completely drowned out.
Early in the first quarter, boos turned into taunts as fans voiced their displeasure of Bosh’s departure by chanting “CB sucks”, “Over-rated”, and “RuPaul”, a jab at Bosh’s soft defensive play. The jeering lasted the duration of the game, as boos echoed throughout the ACC whenever Bosh touched the ball.
Toronto has the most passionate fans anywhere in the world. When athletes have abandoned franchises in this city in years past (see Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Hedo Turkoglu), there’s no doubt the fan faithful will voice their distaste.
Bosh followed in Carter’s footsteps, getting the best of the Raptors’ and their fans, finishing with 25 points and six rebounds on Wednesday night. Vince Carter dropped 42 points in his first trip back to Toronto as a member of the New Jersey Nets.
After the game, Bosh blew kisses to the remaining fans in the stadium, possibly mocking those who spent the last two hours booing him. Bosh has officially embraced his role as villain in Toronto sports folklore.
The story is to be continued as Bosh makes a second appearance in Toronto come April. The Raptors now enter the All-Star Break at 15-41 on the season.
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