How Post-Season Marketing Campaigns Add Fuel To The Fire For Professional Sports Teams?
By Sanjeev Wignarajah
Want It All, We The North, Northern Uprising.
What do all these marketing campaigns have in common? It’s the post-season for teams that made it to the playoffs with a statement. After a gruelling season with roster rebuilding and adding in the missing pieces. One of the 16 teams will enter the gauntlet to win the ultimate prize. As fans root for their team throughout the season. Their social media team cooks a secret sauce to create hype and deliver a powerful message and statement not just for the team… but for fans. Here are some examples where sports teams use post-season marketing campaigns to build hype.
2025 Toronto Blue Jays – #WANTITALL
The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays made it to the American League Divisional Series (ALDS). It’s also been 10 years since they made it to the ALDS. While October Baseball is the official slogan for the post-season. Each team’s campaign is different. Want It All is the Toronto Blue Jays’ post-season marketing campaign. It is also the name of the British rock band Queen song.
The campaign is a psychological and emotional one as the Toronto Blue Jays have gone through a rebuild since 2017 with new ownership, new managers, and a new roster. Beyond that, it’s been 32 years since the Blue Jays won the World Series and a quest to bring the title back to Canada. Want It All is a spin-off from Win It All. The fans know it and their passion runs deep from memorabilia to the countless archival recordings on the screen etched into the memories.
The message is clear: Win and the country will party like no tomorrow. As Drake said, “What a time to be alive.” To quote The Roots off of their track for the 2016 NBA Finals Champion: “If you a champion, show me you a champion.”
Toronto Raptors – #WeTheNorth
The Toronto Raptors won their first ever NBA Championship in 2019. It was an epic journey from Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater shot in game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to a down to the wire game 6 battle against the Golden State Warriors in the Finals.
It wasn’t just the city that went off throughout the playoff run. It was the entire country. WeTheNorth wasn’t just a statement… It’s a symbolic one. Canada’s contribution to the sport of basketball runs deep from Dr. James Naismith to the birth of two Canadian franchises: Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies (Later moved to Memphis in 2001).
The amount of talent coming from Canada has been tremendous from Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, Steve Nash, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), Lu Dort, and many more Canadian ballers who are dominating in the NBA and Canada’s men’s national team. Let’s not forget the Canadian women who are making waves in the WNBA and Canada’s women’s national team. The Toronto Tempo will make its WNBA debut in the 2026 season.
Basketball is a universal sport. All you need is a ball, some friends, and a basketball court. The passion runs deep in communities from coast to coast to coast.
Toronto FC – All For One
Toronto FC, a Major League Soccer (MLS) team, have been in the league since 2007. They have won one MLS cup and made it to three MLS Cup finals. Similar to the Toronto Raptors’ marketing campaign. TFC’s marketing campaign All For One signifies a united front. More of a legion of passionate football fans and futbolistas bringing their passion onto the pitch to win.
Off the pitch is a completely different story. While the sport is still growing and Toronto being one of the host cities of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Both the men’s and women’s national teams have made strides on the international level. Beyond that, there are grassroots levels to help mentor communities to teach foundational skills that will help them in the future.
Final Whistle
The post-season brings excitement through marketing campaigns that will not only bring the hype but connect passionate fans. With each post-season comes a story of the journey to the playoffs. The highs and lows. The ill-will to win and to be a champion.
Sanjeev Wignarajah is a freelance writer and photographer working with select clients and publications. He has a background in journalism and public relations from Centennial College.