At Least We'll All Know Who to Blame - Edward Rogers has become Toronto sports fans' one-stop target for owner-bashing

Sports needs characters we can root for, and characters we can blame, writes Edward Keenan. Rogers buying Bell's MLSE stake will supply more of the latter, starting with chairman Edward Rogers.For a sports fan, there’s something satisfying about that. For years with the Leafs in particular, the owner was a pension plan, and it was hard to tell if its controlling executives (never mind the teachers whose money they were spending) cared about hockey one way or the other. And whether they did or not, how could you figure out who was responsible for what they did as a result?

- By Edward Keenan

So if you’re a Toronto sports fan with complaints, you now pretty much have one guy to take them to: Edward Rogers.

This doesn’t apply to the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres, and won’t to the forthcoming WNBA team. But beyond that, it’s one-stop-shopping for your pro sports owner-bashing: the Leafs, the Raptors, the Blue Jays, Toronto FC, the Argos, the Marlies. All of them now majority-owned by Rogers Communications, which is controlled by executive chairman Edward Rogers. Oh, and they also own the Rogers Centre, Scotia-bank Arena, have the lease on Coca-Cola Coliseum and BMO Field, and own the broadcast rights for the NHL and MLB.

For a sports fan, there’s something satisfying about that. For years with the Leafs in particular, the owner was a pension plan, and it was hard to tell if its controlling executives (never mind the teachers whose money they were spending) cared about hockey one way or the other. And whether they did or not, how could you figure out who was responsible for what they did as a result?

Then we entered the age of multiple competing telecoms sharing ownership, which kept the faceless corporate Borg impression in place.