Artifactuality, season 2, episode 1.
Kim Thuy (Voiceover) [00:00:02] On this episode of Artifactuality, the first ever fan to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Toronto Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia.
Kim Thuy (Voiceover) [00:00:17] My name is Kim Thuy. On this podcast from the Canadian Museum of History, together we’ll explore what objects and stories from the past can tell us about who we are today. What will resonate tomorrow? How will the events unfolding around us be remembered in the future? When you think about museum artifacts, you might picture something old. One of a kind. Priceless. Well, what I’m looking at right now is a bobblehead. You can buy it online for about $30.
Kim Thuy [00:00:56] Yes, I will bobble. Oh, it moves! That’s right.
Sarah Barnes [00:01:03] So what we’re looking at right here is Nav the Superfan.
Kim Thuy [00:01:08] That’s Dr. Dr. srah Barnes. She’s the Canadian Museum of History’s Curator of Sport and Leisure.
Sarah Barnes [00:01:15] And he’s got his right arm outstretched, and he’s got a cape on. And there’s a basketball in his left hand, and he has a turban on. And he has a red jersey that says “Superfan 95”.
Kim Thuy [00:01:26] He became a doll like Ken and Barbie. There were two choices that you can say, “I’ve made it. You know, I’ve become a bobblehead.”
Sarah Barnes [00:01:36] He’ll be a Ken doll one day.
Kim Thuy [00:01:40] He is “Ken-ough”! [Laughter] So museums would have things which are ordinary that you can buy anywhere off the street?
Sarah Barnes [00:01:49] Yeah, we actually have a lot of objects that might surprise people. And that’s just because history isn’t just made up of these high culture things. And it’s not just the lives of nobility or kings and queens that we’re interested in. We’re interested in stories and experiences of the mundane, the personal and everyday things, as much as we’re interested in the spectacle. And so we’re really excited to think about sports not only in terms of athletes and sort of the sports stars, but also the people that support them.
Kim Thuy (Voiceover) [00:02:17] Sarah says fans like Nav are a major part of modern day sports. The museum wants to capture and preserve their experiences.
Sarah Barnes [00:02:28] So when we think about things that we have in our collection, we have things such as like bleacher seats from Maple Leaf Gardens, we have ticket turnstiles, we have things that would really facilitate people’s experiences if they were in the arena. And so part of what we’re trying to do is tell more interesting and fuller stories about sport. And so that means really turning to who’s following sports and maybe thinking about challenging expectations about who are sports fans and who really can find a sense of belonging in sports.
Kim Thuy [00:03:00] Historically, how have marginalized groups been represented in sports fandom in Canada?
Sarah Barnes [00:03:08] Yeah, it’s a great question. And generally, I think fandom hasn’t itself been explored that much. But as a historian, I think what is sort of clear is that we can look to the past and understand the way that sports has represented this really important cultural arena, where marginalized groups have sort of struggled for access, recognition and to be valued equally. And that sort of extends to people of color, indigenous communities, women, girls.
Kim Thuy [00:03:37] Why do you think Nav has captured the attention and hearts of so many?
Sarah Barnes [00:03:44] I think Nav does represent a really unique perspective, because so much of sport history has focused on athletes and sort of heroes, and so this is a different type of sporting hero.
Nav Bhatia [00:03:56] No, no, no. Call me Superfan. I’m not a – I’m not a superhero. I don’t deserve that.
Kim Thuy (Voiceover) [00:04:02] You guessed it. That’s Nav.
Kim Thuy [00:04:05] Oh, I really think that this is way beyond sports. And you have done so much for the community and for all of us, actually. So I really think that to me, you’re a hero. Or a superhuman, if you prefer.
Nav Bhatia [00:04:22] Thank you for that. I hope I can live up to that.
Kim Thuy (Voiceover) [00:04:25] Navdeep Bhatia fled India during the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots. He came to Toronto with a degree in mechanical engineering, applied for hundreds of jobs, but struggled to find work. Eventually, he landed a job at a car dealership where some colleagues made racist jokes and made fun of his turban. So Nav focused on his work. He sold 127 cars in 90 days. He now owns that dealership along with two others. In 1995, when the Toronto Raptors joined the NBA, Nav decided to buy two season tickets. He said he was looking for a hobby and thought he’d give basketball a try. Since then, Nav has been to every Raptors home game … except one. Not by choice – it was during Covid. He started being recognized for his enthusiasm as well as his perfect attendance. In 1998, Raptors management dubbed him the “Superfan”. And in 2021, Nav became the first ever fan to be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame.
Kim Thuy [00:05:47] So what was your reaction when you heard the museum wanted to acquire your bobblehead for its collection?
Nav Bhatia [00:05:54] I was in awe. I was again, once again – a lot of things of surprise have happened in my life, and that is another one.
Kim Thuy [00:06:02] So part of the idea behind acquiring your bobblehead is that it challenges the stereotype of Canada as a hockey nation, right? So what do you think about that?
Nav Bhatia [00:06:13] It’s amazing, you know? I mean, it is the what I’ve been living with for the last 28, 29 years because everything was about hockey. And everybody sometimes still is surprised at how come I didn’t go into hockey, which was the number one sports at the time when I got addicted to the game of basketball with the Raptors. But I believe – and it’s only my belief, I’m sure hockey’s entertaining also – but I believe basketball is the most entertaining sport on this planet.
Kim Thuy [00:06:40] It’s very fast and it’s very… Yes, and I kind of agree with you.
Nav Bhatia [00:06:45] And it’s very entertaining. And being an immigrant myself, I think more and more immigrants are into basketball because when you come to this beautiful country, you don’t have much resources financially. And what you do is for basketball, you don’t need much, you need a $15, $20 basketball and a hoop in a park, and you start playing it. Well, with the hockey you have to spend a lot of money on the gear.
Kim Thuy [00:07:07] Yes, and I come from Vietnam and soccer is the national sport because it doesn’t cost much.
Nav Bhatia [00:07:14] Yeah, because all you need is a $5 ball, a football or a soccer ball, and you are on your way. And all you need is two poles, which you can put on the grass and you can start shooting the soccer.
Kim Thuy [00:07:27] You’re right. Oh – could I ask you if do you play basketball at all?
Nav Bhatia [00:07:32] No, I never played, but I played a little bit here and there, pickup games. But no, no, no, I never played, you know, but I, I started watching it about 29 years ago when the Raptors came to Toronto. I mean, I love my basketball. Watching it, integrating with the players, talking to the fans. The game of basketball has given me the opportunity to bring the people together through this beautiful game, through my foundation and through doing my basketball camps and all that. So I owe a lot to basketball.
Kim Thuy [00:08:07] So there’s a feeling that marginalized communities have not been properly represented in Canadian sports fandom. What have you observed?
Nav Bhatia [00:08:16] Well, I never thought that way that we are not represented. I just loved basketball. And people were surprised that I’m … because when I first started watching basketball at the arena, it was the Sky dome, where the basketball was played for the first two seasons. And when I used to go, I was only the one of the very few South Asians and, I would say Indians or Pakistani, who were going to the game. There were hardly 15, 20 people, 30 people. And I was the only one with the turban because it was not a common game we did. But four years later, Isaiah Thomas, our general manager and the president of the basketball operation, gave me the title of “Superfan”. And then from there it blew up. You know, everybody and, you know, start in our community… started loving basketball. And now if you go to a basketball game in Toronto, you have like at least I would say a thousand people of our community, some wearing turbans, some not, but our South Asian community, there are about a thousand people who are there watching and enjoying the game, you know. And not just in our, no, in the other games, you know, you will see people wearing turbans and sitting in the San Antonio game, sitting at the Golden State game, in the Houston game, in the New York game. So people are it’s catching up in North America watching. The Sikhs and the Hindus and the Muslims have started attending the game.
Kim Thuy [00:09:43] It makes the audience more colorful and more beautiful, don’t you think?
Nav Bhatia [00:09:48] And NBA loves it. And they recognize that, NBA loves it, and that’s the reason I was the first one to do an entertainment performance during the halftime, depicting and showing off our culture. And now you see all the other 29 teams are doing the similar cultural night, Indian night, South Asian night, Punjabi night. They’re all doing it. But we started it and we did it. We started in the 98, 99 season and now it has become a regular at all the arenas. And NBA loves that because that gives them the fan base more and more. And also not just people start watching us in India, also. A Lot of Indian people, they wake up early in order to watch our games because when it’s 7:00 here, it’s about 4:00 or 5:00 in India and people watch the games.
Kim Thuy [00:10:37] Oh, but I think they connect in order to watch you.
Nav Bhatia [00:10:42] Well, I know a lot of people, you know. Yes, the community watches it. But during the playoff, I used to get a lot of interaction with people from all over, from Malaysia, India, wherever the Indians were. I used to get a lot of messages, but, you know, the sports is getting popular, and I believe that in the next ten years or so, basketball will take over hockey in Canada.
Kim Thuy [00:11:06] Now, that’s very daring of you. It’s almost political. Oh, man!
Nav Bhatia [00:11:10] Look at that. How far we have come in the basketball with the first time in the last 75 years in the World Cup, we won the bronze medal, but we won a medal.
Kim Thuy [00:11:20] So I see that you’re really into basketball. But back in 95, why did you choose basketball instead of, I don’t know, becoming the Jays Superfan? You know, why basketball?
Nav Bhatia [00:11:33] Well, because I came in ’84 and from ’84 to ’93, first eight, nine years, I didn’t watch any sports. I didn’t have any hobbies because I was trying to sort of settle down. You know, when we immigrants come, our first thing is to settle down. And have a roof on our head. That’s all of us. You know, you could be from Vietnam, you could be from China, you could be from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. But that’s what we think, putting a roof – and that’s what I did. And when I was a little comfortable in ’94, ’95, in the Raptors game I said I have no hobbies. I’m a boring guy. I only do three things: work, more work and more work. So I said, let me try this game of basketball. I’m going to watch it. I took the tickets for one year and I said, if not, I won’t renew it next year. But Lord, behold, I fell in love on the very first day of the game. And, you know, since then, I never missed a game. I fell in love with my basketball, I think, quicker than I fell in love with my wife. So the rest is history.
Kim Thuy [00:12:35] Yes. So I wanted to ask you, you know, in 98, when the GM, the Raptors GM Mr. Thomas, called you to come in the middle of the court in order to receive the Superfan jersey, yes, have they called you before? Were you surprised?
Nav Bhatia [00:12:51] I was very surprised. They did it on that day itself.
Kim Thuy [00:12:54] But they had told you?
Nav Bhatia [00:12:55] No, when I entered the game, they just told me to stay there in the halftime, which I usually do. I’m glued to my seat when I’m at the game, I don’t go anywhere. So they just told me and Lord, behold, he changed my life by presenting me the jersey.
Kim Thuy [00:13:10] In what way?
Nav Bhatia [00:13:11] Well, look at that. I became the Superfan. Then I start doing other things in the community. As a Superfan, I started helping out some young kids to bring to the games. When I started that halftime show with the Southeastern culture, I used to buy 3000 tickets so that I can bring the underprivileged kids to the game, kids who are not that fortunate and they could be Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, single mother kids, Christians, whatever they were. I used to bring the kids because I went through some speed bumps in my life. When I say speed bump, I mean that people calling me names and all that when I was initially an immigrant, I came there and, you know, so I was comfortable and I said, look, me buy the tickets and bring people from all societies so that the young kids of the future don’t go through the discrimination, what I went through.
Kim Thuy [00:14:02] So you think that by going to watch Raptors games, they would gain confidence?
Nav Bhatia [00:14:08] Yeah. Because you know, when you have a Muslim kid sitting next to you, you have Hindu kids sitting, you have Christian kids sitting, you have Black kids sitting, you have Chinese kids sitting there, all seven, eight, nine, ten years old. They don’t give a thing about the religion. All they want to do is they want to cheer for their team to win. And that’s what they do. And that’s how they integrate, because they don’t see who’s wearing turban, who’s wearing hijab, who’s wearing what. They are all cheering for their team to win. And I think that has worked out so good. That’s why Toronto and at the Raptors game we have a rainbow. We have a UNO there because we have opened up the doors for everybody to be welcomed there and enjoying. And I believe that’s why Canada is more diversified than anywhere else. And I won’t say that we are perfect here yet, but we have come a long way and we have a long way to go.
Kim Thuy [00:15:02] Yes. I’m sure that it did help the harmony, right? Because I guess all the fans, when you’re at the games, you have one love. And that’s the Raptors, right?
Nav Bhatia [00:15:12] That’s it. It’s one love. A religion means nothing there. And you know, I genuinely believe that 99.999999% all inside we are the same. And I think if everybody gives an open minded, open hearted chance to this, one day we will have a very beautiful society, one love.
Kim Thuy [00:15:32] You know, I consider that Canada, our country, is already quite great. There’s more to do, of course.
Nav Bhatia [00:15:39] Oh, there’s more to do. You know the reason I say we come a long way? Because when I go to Tim Hortons to buy my coffee, I had people of different backgrounds taking pictures with me, hugging me. And this is quite different from when I started my job in 1984 as a car salesman. There were other, 9, 10, Caucasian salespeople, and when I entered, everybody made fun of it. You know, they start calling me names, they start calling me “Paki”. And at that time, I didn’t know what “Paki” means, it’s a bad word or a good word. I just told them I’m from India, I’m not from Pakistan, you know, I thought maybe they are confusing me for being from Pakistan. So they called me that. Oh, you wearing a diaper and all that? You are a flying carpet guy, and all that. They did all kind of names at me. And on that day was my lowest day in Canada. And that’s the day when I prayed to my Almighty and said, give me the strength to survive in this kind of society. If I want to survive, I have to be better than good. And that’s what I did. I didn’t argue with anybody. I just did my thing. And I sold 127 cars in three months, and everybody’s impression of the “Paki” or the diaper head was changed. You know, they became my best buddies, and I would help them out in order to close the deals and all that. So this is quite a different time than that one.
Kim Thuy [00:17:04] Well, hopefully things have changed then. People are more accepting of each other’s differences.
Nav Bhatia [00:17:11] Like I said, we are basically all inside, deep inside we are the same and we are just one at a time we are doing. But I think the racism is less now. But again I said, we have still some work to do and we should continue doing and make this country a better place than it is right now. And I call it heaven right now. So we can make… In order to keep it heaven, we have to continue. All of us, not just me. You. Every Canadian has to work at it and say that we are blessed to be in Canada, and let’s work at it so that we can make it a better place than we got when we…you know, a good team member is the one who leaves the place better than it is before you. And I’m trying to do that. And I would ask everybody to do that.
Kim Thuy [00:17:59] Oh, one last question, I wanted to ask you if your name has a meaning, because in Vietnamese there’s always a meaning.
Nav Bhatia [00:18:06] Of course. My full name is Navdeep, and Navdeep means new light.
Kim Thuy [00:18:12] Oh, so you have brought new light to all of us.
Kim Thuy (Voiceover) [00:18:19] New light. Something Nav has definitely brought to the game of basketball. But how does Nav’s story and bobblehead help the museum capture the history of sports in Canada? And why is it important to talk about fandom in this country? Museum curator, Sarah Barnes.
Sarah Barnes [00:18:39] We need to talk about fandom because it’s integral to the modern sport experience. We think fans are pivotal to all storylines. They’re part of the drama and the spectacle of sport. And by looking at who’s supporting sport, who feels connected to athletes, connected to organizations and teams, we begin to see how people come into community. People really just start to experience sports in really deep ways and become part of something bigger than themselves.
Kim Thuy [00:19:10] What is the process to decide which object, you know, to have, for example, the bobble head?
Sarah Barnes [00:19:16] So usually the bobbleheads are of really iconic athletes like Wayne Gretzky or even mascots, like, we have different mascots that they’ve made into bobbleheads. So it’s a really unique thing to have a bobblehead of a fan.
Kim Thuy [00:19:29] Yes, he’s definitely unique for that reason, and also because of the life he’s made for himself here in Canada.
Sarah Barnes [00:19:36] Yeah, we’re really intrigued by his story, because he’s a public figure who sort of allows us to think about bigger cultural dynamics in Canada. I think he’s probably expressing what a lot of people might be feeling, in the stands. So he’s got a lot of passion. He’s a vibrant fan, and he sort of rides the highs and lows of sports. Because part of what draws people into sports are the drama, the stories, the excitement that’s sort of inherent to a game.
Kim Thuy (Voiceover) [00:20:08] Thanks to curator Sarah Barnes for sharing the story of how Nav’s bobblehead made its way to the Canadian Museum of History. I also enjoyed my conversation with Nav Bhatia, the Raptors Superfan.
Kim Thuy (Voiceover) [00:20:23] Thanks for listening to Artifactuality, a podcast from the Canadian Museum of History. I’m Kim Thuy. Artifactuality is produced by Antica Productions. Ann Lang is our producer. Soobin Kim is the researcher. Laura Regehr and Stuart Coxe are Executive Producers at Antica. Mixing and sound design by Alain Derbez. Jenny Ellison, Robyn Jeffrey and Steve McCullough of the Canadian Museum of History are the executive producers of this podcast. Check out historymuseum.ca for more stories, articles and exhibitions from the museum. For more information about Nav’s story, check out the links in our show notes.