Blue Jays fans cheer on their team against the Texas Rangers at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on Oct. 12, 2015.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
The Toronto Blue Jays may not have won the World Series last year, but youth baseball has hit a grand slam.
After the team's postseason run, registration spiked across the Greater Toronto Area for the upcoming summer season. With more than 12,000 enrolled players, the Toronto Baseball Association is bigger than ever. The association, which serves as an umbrella organization for 21 leagues across the city, has increased its membership by 25 per cent, with the bulk of its growth coming from the youngest players.
"It's easy to capture new families' and new players' attention because it became the cool game again," David Black, president of the association, says.
Despite a surge in registrations after the Jays' 1993 World Series victory, interest gradually waned, ceding ground to other summer sports. "When I first got involved, I thought baseball was dying," says Mr. Black, who joined the association nine years ago.
But once again baseball is lodged in the Toronto psyche. Leagues would have loved to take on more players, if only there were enough fields, Mr. Black says.
Even the 241 baseball diamonds scattered throughout Toronto aren't enough. League registration opens in the dead of winter and typically reaches capacity within a month. "This year, we filled up three divisions in 72 hours," Michael Clark of the East York Baseball Association says.
Outside the urban core but still close enough to be drawn in by Jays fever, the participation rates are even higher. The East Ontario Baseball Association is seeing a new generation inspired by franchise heroes. Registration increased by almost 50 per cent over last season and, with more space to grow, cities such as Pickering and Kingston can expand in tandem with the interest, Mr. Black says.
It's not just the numbers that are changing. Youth leagues are hoping to convert this renewed interest into a push for greater diversity on the field.
Four years ago, Toronto leagues partnered with the Jays Care Foundation, the franchise's charitable outreach arm. Together, they support a program helping teams cover the cost of registration for youth from low-income families who otherwise might not have had the chance to join a community team. A donation from the foundation helps register an average of 400 players each season.
When it comes to selling the idea of baseball to communities that haven't traditionally played, marketing is key for Brampton, Ont., coach Afzal Khan. He stresses that baseball's origins are in cricket, the most popular sport in the area. "There has been a tremendous impact of South Asian people coming out," he says. "Even on the team that I coach, I have a cross-section of Indian, Jamaican and Italian players."
The marketing pitch draws in new talent, but it's the Blue Jays' success that makes it even easier for Mr. Khan to fill the ranks. For the first time, Brampton Minor Baseball resorted to waiting lists for those looking to join the 1,200 players already signed up with its recreational league.
With these new recruits, the teams better reflect a diverse Canada. "Not only do you teach about core North American values, but you also learn about other people's culture and their beliefs and their values," Mr. Khan says.
Over the years, he has noticed the impact that baseball has in its ability to strengthen community bonds. "There's no other … [Major League] Baseball team in Canada. So it's not even a city or a province," he says. "It's a country rallying behind the Jays."