Sports in Canadian culture

[logan5]

P unit - I think Mr. Corporate is my favourite poster on this site. He's obviously successfully trolling a bunch of people here, and at the same time he's allowing the Rest-of-Canada crowd to voice their weird resentment towards Toronto with impunity because they're reacting to a bunch of over-the-top stereotypes about the people who live here. It's perfect.

Successfully trolling, yes, but there was a pretty good conversation regarding the sports scene in Toronto that didn't imo have an anti Toronto agenda. This anti toronto resentment is imaginary. If "mistercorporate" were from Vancouver, you would see a bunch of negative comments regarding Vancouver or Calgary or Edmonton. Even with the trolling, there isn't all that much negativity directed towards Toronto, unless you consider a debate on whether Toronto is a great sports town. If someones opinion is that Toronto is not a great sports town, that should not be interpreted as resentment towards Toronto. Especially when we're in a sports related thread, and we are in the Canada section.

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by logan5

Successfully trolling, yes, but there was a pretty good conversation regarding the sports scene in Toronto that didn't imo have an anti Toronto agenda. This anti toronto resentment is imaginary. If "mistercorporate" were from Vancouver, you would see a bunch of negative comments regarding Vancouver or Calgary or Edmonton. Even with the trolling, there isn't all that much negativity directed towards Toronto, unless you consider a debate on whether Toronto is a great sports town. If someones opinion is that Toronto is not a great sports town, that should not be interpreted as resentment towards Toronto. Especially when we're in a sports related thread, and we are in the Canada section.

Look man, I'm not the only one who mentioned there's some serious anti-Toronto bashing going on. Several senior posters have as well. The forumers I singled out make the same comments taking pot shots at Toronto in every single thread where this city is named...including music related threads, economy related threads, media related threads, stadium related threads, etc. You may not be aware of it since you're from Vancouver and either are immune to Toronto-bashing or are less aware of it, but we who are on the receiving end on so many threads are very sick of it. There are at least 3 forumers on this very thread who regularly state they hate Toronto, or that we suck, etc. etc. etc. multiple times on this forum and some of us are getting frankly sick of it and are starting to call them out. Your condescension is unwarranted and poorly informed on this matter.

[logan5]

Being from a city outside of Toronto, I should be able to gauge how much anti Toronto rhetoric there is. When I'm out at restaurants, bars, work, wherever, there is no anti Toronto sentiment. I live in Mt. Pleasant where there are people from all across Canada, and there is no Toronto bashing. At least no more than there is of any other city in Canada. City bashing just doesn't happen outside of this internet forum.

The Canada section is dominated by Toronto, so you get a lot of feed back from others in the Canada section. Some of it is going to be negative. If the Vancouver section were to all of a sudden appear in the Canada section, I guarantee you there would be the same negative feed back directed towards Vancouver.

Imaginary.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by rousseau

This pettiness is affecting your grammar. But I don't think anyone needs to be reminded who your boss is anyway.

Mistertroll has been shot down in flames

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Acajack

And anyway, curling is as Canadian as soccer is Brazilian.

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

For Canadians over the age of 60, perhaps.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by P Unit

because they're reacting to a bunch of over-the-top stereotypes about the people who live here. It's perfect.

They don't seem to be stereotypes anymore judging by some of the comments here.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

Your condescension is unwarranted and poorly informed on this matter.

Pot, I'd like to introduce you to kettle, kettle meet pot.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

when the Allan83's and elly63's of this world take cheap shots at Toronto, I'm gonna call them out for what they are.

Cheap shots at Toronto? You mean calling out trolls like you. And I'm far from the only one. Don't know how you haven't been banned yet for trolling and name calling.

Do you ever post any news or information to this site?

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Gerrard

Baseball is a pretty dull spectator sport. I'm emphasizing "spectator" in all cases. Playing the sports is far more enjoyable.

Many sports are dull if you're clueless about them. The late Jim McKay told the story of how he was condescendingly interviewing the winner of a demolition derby. But the man was so forthright in telling of his preparation and love of what he was doing that McKay learned his lesson and afterwards tried to see the underlying appeal of sports that he may not have been interested in.

[elly63]

If we may get off the topic de jour for a moment, saw this at the Ticats website and was amused.

We Push Stuff...

Good to see Jesse Lumsden having a successful second career after injuries killed his meteoric football career.

[Gerrard]

Originally Posted by elly63

Many sports are dull if you're clueless about them. The late Jim McKay told the story of how he was condescendingly interviewing the winner of a demolition derby. But the man was so forthright in telling of his preparation and love of what he was doing that McKay learned his lesson and afterwards tried to see the underlying appeal of sports that he may not have been interested in.

I don't think it takes a love of the game to see beyond the dullness of a sport. I love and know baseball, it's a fairly dull spectator sport. It's fun to play.

Curling, not so much. But if you like it, fine.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Gerrard

I don't think it takes a love of the game to see beyond the dullness of a sport. I love and know baseball, it's a fairly dull spectator sport. It's fun to play.

Curling, not so much. But if you like it, fine.

I respect your opinion but I don't agree with it. I find curling and baseball are sports for thinking fans. Strategy is a major part of both, moreso than the action on the field/ice. When I was a kid I actually used to score Expo games, so that keeps you involved.

It's also very interesting to see reviews and ratings during the Winter Olympics about curling. It's usually one of the highest rated sports in sometimes obscure locations like Australia (as I said earlier) and not so obscure, USA. The thing you usually read is that people find it hypnotic and not in the "dull" way that you suggest. People get drawn into something, perhaps it is the intimacy, because the players are miked, very few sports have that as a regular part of the competition.

Also in curling is the sex appeal that seems to have seeped into the game somewhat like women's tennis. Since curling has been accepted into the Olympics, players take fitness seriously and there is much less (none) of the drinking and smoking that took place in the good ol' days. Hence players are getting younger and fitter, increasing the appeal.

[elly63]

Curl power: Olympic sport is sweeping up fans
Due to Games, ‘shuffleboard on ice’ is drawing fans in bars, Google searches
Mike Celizic TODAY contributor 2/25/2010

For four years at a time, curling is played with great dedication in various countries around the world and no one notices. But during the Olympics, when entire broadcasting days are given over to matches on NBC’s sister networks USA, CNBC and MSNBC, the sport becomes a favorite.

Everybody wants to watch it — even in bars.

“It’s Friday night. Basketball games are on, and people want to watch curling,” said Gust Hookanson, co-owner of the Lion’s Head bar on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. “We have people that are requesting televisions — multiple televisions — to watch curling. Not the small sets on the side, but the big flat screens over the bar.”

Hookanson obliges the paying customers; a happy crowd is a profitable crowd. But the phenomenal popularity of curling with the viewing public caught him by surprise.

“I’m scratching my head,” he told TODAY. “It’s shuffleboard on ice.”

But when he thinks about it, it becomes clear. “People look at it and say, ‘Hey, I can do that. It’s like bowling,’ ” Hookanson said.

As people watch, they get out their smartphones to find out what the origin and rules of the game are on Google, Hookanson said. The statistics bear him out: Google reported this week that curling is the most-searched Olympic sport, beating out even women’s figure skating.

Full article

[someone123]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

We could really do with an ignore function on this board

Every account does have an ignore list. It is on your "User CP" page.

Originally Posted by logan5

This anti toronto resentment is imaginary.

Really? I was under the impression that at least a few forumers on here have some serious Toronto-related issues. I think it's just "tall poppy syndrome". There are lots of cities in Canada that have things to offer that Toronto doesn't, but Toronto is the largest and most important city in the country. It's not just Eastern Canada's Calgary analogue or whatever.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

lol, talk about petty. Why don't you put your location in your profile, or like all the other hillbillies are you embarassed of your backwater too?

Anyone who has exchanged with Rousseau on this forum a bit knows where he is from. He doesn't exactly keep it a secret.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

For Canadians over the age of 60, perhaps.

This is either ill-informed or trolling (and you're a moderator! ).

I am not really a curling fan, but one thing I don't do is play the bizarre game that many Canadians seem to play by engaging in misinformed dissing of Canadian stuff, seemingly to raise themselves above these ''lesser'' interests that are beneath them.

It's a very bizarre national trait that might merit a phychoanalysis if someone wanted to give it a look.

[FrankieFlowerpot]

It would be nice to take about sports once in a while

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by Acajack

This is either ill-informed or trolling (and you're a moderator! ).

I am not really a curling fan, but one thing I don't do is play the bizarre game that many Canadians seem to play by engaging in misinformed dissing of Canadian stuff, seemingly to raise themselves above these ''lesser'' interests that are beneath them.

It's a very bizarre national trait that might merit a phychoanalysis if someone wanted to give it a look.

I'm a mod now? That's news to me.

Just speaking from experience here, but I've never known a single person under the age of 60 to actually watch - let alone participate in (or even understand the basic mechanics of) curling...and now that I think about it, I don't think I've known anyone over 60 to enjoy it either. This is a far cry from soccer in Brazil where just about every person of every age in every region and of every possible interest level in sports is at least somewhat familiar with the game. Sort of impossible not to be unless one deliberately avoids it. Hey, sounds a lot like hockey in Canada! (which I thought was pretty universally considered to be "our" sport among Canadians).

Also, it's rather presumptuous to assume that I'm dismissing curling because of its supposed Canadianness - I'm dismissing it because it's friggin' boring (and by extension, holds limited appeal to non-fans). Next to poker tournaments and fishing shows it's just about the most dull thing I could imagine having to endure.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

It would be nice to take about sports once in a while

Canucks fever is sweeping the nation!

[Barnard's Star]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

It would be nice to take about sports once in a while

I was going to suggest we all post more Women of Curling photos.