MY PREDICTION - Rogers Will Reshape Toronto Sports and the City

The telecom will build stadiums, condos and real estate

- Michael Naraine

This year, Ed Rogers will buy out Bell's stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment-and, by extension, the Toronto Maple Leafs-for $4.7 billion. It's a massive shakeup in the world of Canadian sports and, in ☐ the scenes to make his investment pay off. He won't the year to come, he'll be working furiously behind do it through playoffs or sportscasts, but by leveraging the new golden goose of sports business: real estate. The consequences could reshape Toronto entirely.

Ever since Ed's father, Ted Rogers, bought the Toronto Blue Jays in 2000, the name has been synonymous with sports in the city. The team may not have won a championship since he took over, but there's a statue of Ted outside the Rogers Centre, and that's what counts. Rogers also made headlines in 2013 when it acquired the national broadcasting rights to the NHL, taking over Hockey Night in Canada from the CBC and achieving a near-total ownership of hockey broadcasts. For the family, sports ownership is about legacy.