the fans
A great game of baseball comes down to its players’ skill and talent, but a game’s greatness is also owed to the spirit of its spectators.
In 1993, Jays fans were riding high off the team’s recent World Series victory. The previous year had seen record-breaking game attendance, with 4,028,318 spectators over the course of the season. This was surpassed in 1993 with 4,057,947 spectators, a level of support which has been unmatched in the ensuing thirty years.
Fans celebrated the Jays’ 1993 win with a plethora of commemorative merchandise, such as this drinking cup featuring an image of the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Excitement around the World Series was somewhat subdued compared to the fervour of 1992, but it was nonetheless an incredible moment for many Canadian sports fans. Inside the stadium, fans uncorked bottles of champagne as Carter rounded home base, drenching themselves and their neighbours. Swept up in excitement, some even tried to climb onto the field, only to be stopped by convivial security guards. They flooded out of the arena at the game’s conclusion to join the estimated one million Jays fans filling Yonge Street, sharing beer, whiskey, and hugs with strangers. A laser light show shimmered above them on the CN tower as horse- and motorcycle-mounted police officers worked to control the massive celebration. Smaller versions of this scene were repeated throughout the country, filling participants with a sense of nationwide friendship.
This hand-knit sweater by an unidentified artist celebrates the Jays’ 1992 and 1993 back-to-back victories, and shows the dedication and creativity which the victorious Jays inspired in their fans
