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The Short-Lived Toronto Phantoms Era

An article excerpt from the Toronto Star with the headline, "Catch football fever," published on April 8, 2001. This article marked one of the debut games of the short-lived arena football teams, the Toronto Phantoms. Photograph by Steve Russell and sourced from Newspapers.com.

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This franchise began in New York State and moved to Connecticut before relocating and renaming themselves The Phantoms for the 2001 Arena Football League season.

They never stood a chance. Torontonians love big-league sports, but the Arena Football League was a third-tier circuit. The Phantoms posted tepid results: in 2001, they won 8 and lost 6 games. In 2002, they managed 5 wins and 9 losses. Audiences never warmed to them and attendance at most games hovered just below 7,000. The team suspended operations in 2002, and never returned.

 

An article excerpt from The Toronto Star with the headline, "Going, going...gone," published on January 2, 2003. The article details the end of the Toronto Phantoms arena football team due to an underwhelming audience in the city.
An article excerpt from The Toronto Star with the headline, “Going, going…gone,” published on January 2, 2003. The article details the end of the Toronto Phantoms arena football team due to an underwhelming audience in the city.

2001

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