when did toronto blue jays become a team?
1977 Major League Baseball Season
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 Toronto was awarded an expansion team in 2005 , with team owner Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd . ( MLSE ) paying $ 10 million for the team . The name of the club was officially announced on May 11 , 2006 . The " FC " in the team 's name is the conventional initialism for Football Club . 

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 Initial sentiment was in favour of reviving the Huskies nickname , but team management realized it would be nearly impossible to design a logo that did not substantially resemble that of the Minnesota Timberwolves . As a result , a nationwide contest was held to help name the team and develop their colours and logo . Over 2 @,@ 000 entries were narrowed down to ten prospects : Beavers , Bobcats , Dragons , Grizzlies , Hogs , Raptors , Scorpions , T @-@ Rex , Tarantulas , and Terriers . The final selection — Toronto Raptors — was unveiled on Canadian national television on May 15 , 1994 : the choice was influenced by the popularity of the 1993 film adaption of the 1990 science fiction novel Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton . The name " Raptor " is a common informal name for the velociraptor , a swift medium @-@ sized dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur . On May 24 , 1994 , the team 's logo and first General Manager , Isiah Thomas were revealed at a press conference . As part of the deal , Thomas received an option to purchase part of the team , reportedly for under market value . He would purchase 4 @.@ 5 % in May 1995 and a further 4 @.@ 5 % in December 1995 , half each from Bitove and Slaight , decreasing their share to 39 @.@ 5 % . The team 's colours of bright red , purple , black , and silver were also revealed ; " Naismith " silver was chosen as an ode to Canadian James Naismith , the inventor of basketball . The team originally competed in the Central Division , and before the inaugural season began , sales of Raptors merchandise ranked seventh in the league , marking a successful return of professional basketball to Canada . 

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 A team named the Toronto Maple Leafs competed in the inaugural season of the National Lacrosse Association , a professional box lacrosse league , in 1968 at MLG . MLGL owners Ballard and Stafford Smythe were two of the five founding partners of the club , but financial difficulties forced MLGL to take over ownership midway though the season . The NLA suspended operations prior to the following season . 

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 The Montreal Expos became the first franchise in over three decades to move when they became the Washington Nationals in 2005 . This move left Canada with just one team , but it also returned baseball to the United States capital city after a 33 @-@ year absence . This franchise shift , like many previous ones , involved baseball 's return to a city which had been previously abandoned . Not counting the short @-@ lived Federal League , Montreal is the only city granted an MLB franchise since 1901 that does not currently host a team . 

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 In the 1960s , MLB expansion added eight teams , including the first non @-@ U.S. team ( the Montreal Expos ) . Two teams ( the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays ) were also added in the 1970s . From 1969 through 1993 , each league consisted of an East and West Division . A third division , the Central Division , was added in each league in 1994 . Through 1996 , the two leagues met on the field only during the World Series and the All @-@ Star Game . Regular @-@ season interleague play was introduced in 1997 . 
