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-   -   The Great Canadian Sports Attendance, Marketing and TV Ratings Thread (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=228928)

esquire Oct 3, 2022 7:55 PM

Do fans travel in great numbers for anything in Canada, though? The distances are so vast that not all that many people are going to go from, say, Edmonton to Vancouver or whatever to watch their home team play on the road. It's not like going from Chicago to Milwaukee or what have you.

Any well supported local sports team is generally supported by locals, not by away fans in any significant numbers. So in that sense U Sports teams have large population bases to potentially draw from... they don't necessarily need visitors.

Acajack Oct 3, 2022 7:59 PM

Tiger-Cats fans in Toronto would be one example. Argos fans used to travel to Hamilton too, back in the day at least.

Acajack Oct 3, 2022 8:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack (Post 9749851)
In my experience, almost no alumni attend the Panda Game. It's not that type of atmosphere.

The crowd in the stadium is 99% comprised of current, young students.

Places like Queen's and Western probably have way more alumni at their games than the two Ottawa universities do.

This is also true of some of the small town universities in the Maritimes.

Laval too, probably.

esquire Oct 3, 2022 8:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack (Post 9749919)
Tiger-Cats fans in Toronto would be one example. Argos fans used to travel to Hamilton too, back in the day at least.

Yeah, good point. That might be one of the best such examples, and possibly the biggest in terms of sheer numbers (I'm sure there are some smaller junior hockey type examples, eg. Moose Jaw to Regina where the numbers would pale in comparison). Maybe Leafs fans to Ottawa. The list would be pretty short. Generally small potatoes and a far cry from the scene in the US where you might see busloads of people going to the next state over.

Acajack Oct 3, 2022 8:08 PM

It's an urban legend among Ottawa Senators fans that people from Montreal and Toronto travel to Kanata for cheaper, available tickets to see their team play.

I am sure there are some who do just that, but most Leafs and Habs fans in Kanata are from up the Valley (Leafs) or Gatineau (Habs).

VANRIDERFAN Oct 3, 2022 8:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elly63 (Post 9748956)
I don't think that is the reason. Please tell me if you think I am wrong but I've never lived anywhere where I felt welcome on a university or that they encouraged the community to be there. I am sure there must be some that do but I am fairly well traveled and haven't seen it.

Case in point, when I was a kid i used to go the university to skateboard on their hilly paths but unlike just being in another neighborhood I just felt like I shouldn't be there and didn't belong, like a club where you're not a member.

Don't get me wrong I am not saying they try to make people feel unwelcome, I just get the feeling that they have their own private space and want to keep it that way.

Do universities reach out to the general public to encourage them to come to sporting events? It's not that I think they are against it, they just don't do it (in my experience) Personally, I have never felt the local university to be a part of the community, they just seem to be like an enclave on the edge of town or a Hutterite community where I couldn't go. (Big Hutterite fan here)

They don't seem to have that vibe like in the US, maybe because of the proliferation of state colleges and so many alumni who are still attached to it that live in the community. Where I l grew up, most people went out of province to university.

Maybe I have it all wrong and probably didn't word it very well, you tell me. Also, maybe big city universities seem more open to the public than small town universities, I don't know :)

There is an aspect of that when I was going to university. "This is a special place full of special people" was the feeling I got at time.

Djeffery Oct 3, 2022 11:00 PM

I think the Seattle Mariners try to schedule their home series against the Blue Jays on weekends as often as possible to capture that large attendance boost when thousands of Canadians make the few hour drive. Although as said with the Leafs in Ottawa example, these aren't Toronto based fans travelling, they are western Canadian Jays fans. If home city based fans is the criteria, then probably the Tiger Cats in Toronto example is probably one of the best. Given the proximity though, I'm not sure that really says much.

EpicPonyTime Oct 3, 2022 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire (Post 9749909)
Do fans travel in great numbers for anything in Canada, though? The distances are so vast that not all that many people are going to go from, say, Edmonton to Vancouver or whatever to watch their home team play on the road. It's not like going from Chicago to Milwaukee or what have you.

Any well supported local sports team is generally supported by locals, not by away fans in any significant numbers. So in that sense U Sports teams have large population bases to potentially draw from... they don't necessarily need visitors.

No, I think you're right. However, I wasn't saying USports needs visitors to support local teams. USports could use visitors to add more excitement to gamedays.

With major league teams, you'll always have at some visiting fans, especially for the Canadian teams. The fanbases are just large and affluent enough that it happens. Further, even if they don't have that, there's usually some other sort of element present that makes the game day experience worth it.

The same cannot be said by basically any USports team. Realistically, there is very little to attract people to games. Sports? No, I can pay a little more and go watch a pro team. Drinking? No, I can do that at home. If there were some more interaction between different student bodies, it'd help add some excitement to the games - after all, how many teams use some spin of "Defend This House" as a rallying cry for their fans - and might get more students. But for reasons you mentioned, it's not really a solvable problem outside of specific rivalries with close proximity (Calgary/Alberta, Sask/Regina, etc).

Denscity Oct 5, 2022 3:11 AM

Toronto head office adding a 1 hour Raptors show to Vancouver sports radio! :yuck:
We cheered against them the whole time we had the Grizzlies and now we gotta cheer for them haha!? Toronto is totally clueless and tone deaf as to what we want.
1 hour NBA show makes sense but being force-fed a 3rd Toronto team is sickening.

ToxiK Oct 5, 2022 8:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denscity (Post 9751558)
Toronto head office adding a 1 hour Raptors show to Vancouver sports radio! :yuck:
We cheered against them the whole time we had the Grizzlies and now we gotta cheer for them haha!? Toronto is totally clueless and tone deaf as to what we want.
1 hour NBA show makes sense but being force-fed a 3rd Toronto team is sickening.

How dare you complain about a decision made in the centre of the world?!?!

:D

VANRIDERFAN Oct 5, 2022 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denscity (Post 9751558)
Toronto head office adding a 1 hour Raptors show to Vancouver sports radio! :yuck:
We cheered against them the whole time we had the Grizzlies and now we gotta cheer for them haha!? Toronto is totally clueless and tone deaf as to what we want.
1 hour NBA show makes sense but being force-fed a 3rd Toronto team is sickening.

That’s why I refuse to support the Jays, Raps, and Leafs. Just because they are the home team of the city that the media headquarters is located doesn’t mean that as a citizen of Canada that I HAVE to cheer for them.

thurmas Oct 5, 2022 9:55 PM

Tim hortons boycotting next world juniors due to hockey canada scandal wish tsn would grow some balls and boycott too.

Djeffery Oct 5, 2022 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denscity (Post 9751558)
Toronto head office adding a 1 hour Raptors show to Vancouver sports radio! :yuck:
We cheered against them the whole time we had the Grizzlies and now we gotta cheer for them haha!? Toronto is totally clueless and tone deaf as to what we want.
1 hour NBA show makes sense but being force-fed a 3rd Toronto team is sickening.

Considering the sports media outlet is owned by the same company that owns a chunk of the Raptors, it makes sense they play content for their team on their outlets.

blueandgoldguy Oct 6, 2022 1:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thurmas (Post 9752547)
Tim hortons boycotting next world juniors due to hockey canada scandal wish tsn would grow some balls and boycott too.

It's just a matter of time before heads start rolling at Hockey Canada no matter how hard they attempt to project this image of concern and public penance regarding what has happened.

suburbanite Oct 6, 2022 1:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denscity (Post 9751558)
Toronto head office adding a 1 hour Raptors show to Vancouver sports radio! :yuck:
We cheered against them the whole time we had the Grizzlies and now we gotta cheer for them haha!? Toronto is totally clueless and tone deaf as to what we want.
1 hour NBA show makes sense but being force-fed a 3rd Toronto team is sickening.

I don't think many people cheered for or against the Raptors or Grizzlies when Vancouver had the Grizzlies...

Loco101 Oct 6, 2022 2:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Djeffery (Post 9750095)
I think the Seattle Mariners try to schedule their home series against the Blue Jays on weekends as often as possible to capture that large attendance boost when thousands of Canadians make the few hour drive. Although as said with the Leafs in Ottawa example, these aren't Toronto based fans travelling, they are western Canadian Jays fans. If home city based fans is the criteria, then probably the Tiger Cats in Toronto example is probably one of the best. Given the proximity though, I'm not sure that really says much.

Yes, the Jays tend to play against Seattle on weekends for that reason. The ballpark normally will have more Jays fans than Mariner ones. Even the vendors at the stadium will stock up with lots of Blue Jays merchandise.

Loco101 Oct 6, 2022 2:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denscity (Post 9751558)
Toronto head office adding a 1 hour Raptors show to Vancouver sports radio! :yuck:
We cheered against them the whole time we had the Grizzlies and now we gotta cheer for them haha!? Toronto is totally clueless and tone deaf as to what we want.
1 hour NBA show makes sense but being force-fed a 3rd Toronto team is sickening.

:haha:

Acajack Oct 6, 2022 3:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy (Post 9752705)
It's just a matter of time before heads start rolling at Hockey Canada no matter how hard they attempt to project this image of concern and public penance regarding what has happened.

Definitely an organization on its way out.

But it will be replaced of course.

Loco101 Oct 6, 2022 3:43 AM

Politicians of all federal political parties are really going after Hockey Canada.

elly63 Oct 6, 2022 5:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thurmas (Post 9752547)
Tim hortons boycotting next world juniors due to hockey canada scandal wish tsn would grow some balls and boycott too.

How does that help? So they can buy US college hockey cheaply and build a market for it among the American wannabees?


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