Toronto sports fans are still enjoying the afterglow, six months later, of seeing their hometown Raptors take the 2019 NBA Championship in a breathtaking playoff run. A strong, but not perfect, start to the new season seems to have more people tuning into early and mid-season games than ever before.
The demand for tickets to see Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam and the boys live at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto is very strong and the prices of tickets, both face value and resale value is a bit distressing, for most of us. Not to mention how expensive the rest of a night out at the basketball game can be. Parking, food, drinks are all seriously inflated at the game, but if you want to see the Raptors live you have no choice. Or do you?
Motor off to motown
There is another option, and more and more Raptor fans, from Toronto and across Canada are choosing to cheer on the Raps south of the border at their away games. We just watched Toronto beat the Detroit Pistons (on our stunning LG OLED 65″ loaner TV courtesy of the good folks at LG Canada) and we noticed more than a few Raptors fans scattered throughout various seating levels at Little Caesars Arena Detroit being less than a four hour drive from Toronto.
Toronto fans are in the lucky position, literally, of being close to one of the cheapest venues in the NBA to see a game these days. Only Minnesota is cheaper according to Yahoo Finance when it comes to ticket prices. Your food and drink dollars go much further in Detroit as well.
Yes, of course there is the cost of fuel, or a train/bus to get there, and a likely overnight stay, but again Detroit is one the most affordable major U.S. cities for accommodations and if you make sure to fill up on cheap U.S. gas while you’re there you’ll save even more.
Bottom line, it’s a great and affordable overnight or weekend getaway, for couples, friends or family. Detroit is also undergoing a solid renaissance on many levels, is safer than ever and actively courting tourism from Canada these days. Give it a “shot”!
Check the Little Caesars Arena schedule to plan your visit the next time the Raptors are in town, or for that matter any NBA team and stars you’d love to see up close.
Sunny prices in Cleveland, too
Detroit is the closest NBA city for Toronto-based fans. However, venturing around Lake Erie to Cleveland only takes 45 minutes further by car: city-to-city it’s around a four and a half hour drive. Ticket prices and all the rest are also one of the best ticket/city deals available.
Cleveland has some great restaurant and bar areas, and you might as well pair your trip with a visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
And beyond
With NBA franchises located around the USA, if your travels take you south always see what sports teams are in town. Whether it’s basketball, hockey (remember Buffalo for Toronto Maple Leaf games), baseball or soccer, cheering on your teams from foreign soil is a lot of fun, and a great way to meet people and discover a city.
Comments are closed.