BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Three Toronto sports legends now have a stake in the Buffalo Bills, and are hoping to further expand the team’s brand into the Canadian city.
Basketball Hall of Famers Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, who both began their careers with the Toronto Raptors and were teammates from 1998-2000, and Jozy Altidore, who starred for the Toronto FC of Major League Soccer from 2015-2021, highlight the new limited partnership group. It is believed that the group will own about 20% of the team.
“We’ve accomplished a lot in that market,” Carter said in a news conference Friday. “Our name is thrown around. It’s recognized. I think the partnership between the Bills and what we’ve done in Toronto can now marry this group together.”
When the two arrived in Toronto the Raptors were still a very new franchise, having begun play in 1995.
“Do you know how hard it was to change hockey fans into basketball fans?” McGrady joked. “The time in Toronto we did a great job of igniting that fanbase, and now it’s time to do it on the other side but with a different sport.”
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United State’s Vince Carter, left, and Tracy McGrady take a close look to the golden trophy after winning the gold medal at FIBA’s Men’s Basketball Olympics Qualifiers finals at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico Sunday, Aug. 31, 2003. The USA, Argentina, and Puerto Rico qualified for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. (AP Photo/Frank Rivera) -
Toronto FC forward Jozy Altidore (17) during an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Toronto does have a Canadian Football League team, the Argonauts, who play in the 30,000 seat BMO Field. From 2008 until 2013 the Bills played one regular season home game at Rogers Centre, home of Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays, but the series ended with four annual games remaining due to costs and lack of fan interest.
NFL games held in international locations has quickly expanded in recent years and will rise to eight games in 2025. According to a November report from CBS Sports, the NFL is hoping to eventually have a full international slate, with each team playing an annual game outside of the United States. It’s unclear if the Bills playing in Toronto, just over two hours from its home stadium, would count.
The group doesn’t have finalized plans as to how they will expand the Bills brand into Toronto. The first goal is to create a larger fanbase in the Canadian city.
“You go to Raptors games, the fanfare is second to none. You go to Toronto FC games, the fanfare is second to none. I think it’s going to be a real fun part, re-introducing ourselves in that market because we all have wonderful memories there,” Altidore said. “And now with a different endgame … I think we’re going to have a lot of fun tying it into one.”
Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.