So prior to the start of this season, the Raptors named musician Drake their "global ambassador" for the whole 'rebranding' process that the franchise would be undergoing in preparation for Toronto hosting the All-Star game in 2016. Since I'm a fan of the Raptor's red/black/silver color scheme and a even bigger fan of their adorable raptor mascot appropriately named Raptor, I was a bit worried about what what changes Mr. Graham might bring to the Raps.
In September, organization president Tim Leiweke comforted fans of the Raptor mascot (like yours truly) by saying that they wouldn't be changing the team nickname. However, yesterday it was reported that the team's rebranding might involve changing the team's colors to the colors that Drake used on his latest album cover.
From the Star's Doug Smith:
"Now, I’m not suggesting it’s a done deal and a lot of different people and companies are coming up with a lot of different looks and styles but I was told on the weekend that black and gold is definitely something being considered."Now in no way or form am I saying that Drake is Jay-Z, but I'm already wary of this potential change. In case you forgot, Jay was involved in a similar rebranding effort when the Nets made their move from Brooklyn to New Jersey. Although the color scheme of the New Jersey Nets is not exactly the most missed color scheme and logo (that would be the Sonics), the current Brookyn Nets' black and white is arguably the most boring color palate of any team in the league. Maybe NBA teams should stop handing over the colors for their organizations to hip hop artists who mostly wear black.
Who knows though? Maybe Drake will be a bit more creative than Jay-Z was with the Microsoft Clip Art-style Brooklyn Nets logo and really style the black and gold out on the Raptor's new jerseys. It should be noted that black and gold is already synonymous with the New Orleans Saints and I'm not sure how good the Raptor mascot would look if it is covered in shiny gold fur.
