Sports and communities have always had this symbiotic relationship that has invigorated the spirit and broken the hearts of people for centuries.

The current run by the Toronto Blue Jays for the World Series championship has been surprising, exhilarating, disappointing, shocking, thrilling, joyous and oh-my-gosh-can't-wait.

Tonight, they could win the World Series. Or they might wait until tomorrow night, just to prolong the agony and the ecstasy for their millions of fans.

Toronto obviously has gone crazy for the team, and good for them. But millions of Canadians have also jumped on the giant bandwagon, and good for them as well. The chance to tweak the nose of a certain American political leader has not gone unnoticed by Canadians.

Every village, town and city across our nation has an affinity for a local sports team or a remarkable athlete. Often it is the joy of the ride as a small-town little league team gets to the provincial finals, or the high school girls' soccer team win the district championship.

Teams in the CHL have become a civic focus with their success and winning formula, and London, Kelowna and other teams are regular contenders for the Memorial Cup. The cheers of the local community go with them, and that helps to enhance civic pride as well as provide economic stimulus.

The Blue Jays are a money machine right now. The merchandise is flowing off the shelves, and the enthusiasm is palpable. That creates watch parties, evenings at a sports bar, the battle for highly-priced tickets to the games, TV ads and rights, and what will be a long-lasting "I was there!" moment for the millions of people who will claim to have one of the 45,000 seats in the Rogers Centre.

(I was at the first Blue Jays game ever: April 7, 1977. No, really, I was. It was snowing. Our seats were aluminum bleachers behind the first base dugout. Anne Murray sang the national anthem. The beer was cold—trust me on that. The Jays won. But the experience was one that you treasure.)

The point is, communities need to rally around occasionally. It can be a joyous event like a local team championship. It can be a horrific event like the Humboldt, Saskatchewan hockey team bus accident. It can be a natural disaster, or another catastrophe.

Usually it is a happy event, and sports provide lots of those. It is one of the reasons that governments should invest in athletics, culture, the arts, kids' playgrounds, and so on. A city is composed of more than buildings and business. A community is all about its residents enjoying an excellent quality of life. Sports and culture give communities a heart.

In the meantime, let us enjoy the roller coaster ride that has been the Blue Jays this year. And what a team—Vladdy tearing around the bases, Bo coming back on one leg to drive in a run, Trey setting records for strikeouts, and the entire team being a team. Wonderful. Thank you, boys. You have given all of Canada a refreshing boost of oxygen in what was a grey and uncertain time.

GO JAYS GO!