Sports in Canadian culture

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

The question really comes down to quality. Does Canada have world cup quality venues. Just look at the stadiums used in brazil and being built for the next 2 and really ask yourself outside of BC place are we really worthy for such a big stage with venues like TD place,THF and Commonwealth?

So what is your definition of quality? Some whacked out external building design that isn't even seen after the first minute during the televising of games? Ask people which games were better Vancouver or Sochi. One had the type of facilities I believe you are espousing and the other had modest legacy built non spectacular facilities.

Which is better, the stadiums you are promoting or an iconic building like the Rose Bowl or LAMC. I can't answer that but once inside the building the Canadian stadiums are built to the same specifications that are as good or better than anywhere else.

[Oilkountry]

Trust me I'm not saying canada should build these crazy buildings for a month long event. I'm just wondering if fifa would even entertain venus like td place and THF.

Keep in mind the big o would only have to host 1 event as an expanded saputo could take the rest and would do a great job representing Montreal (should have been the wwc venue)

[Nicko999]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

^^ Wow! just like OilCountry shows with the quotes, the Olympics stadium is worse off than I thought. There's apparently even talk of dismantling the Olympic Stadium out right.. even the the president of the Olympic park says any renos are necessary..just to keep the stadium viable I guess..There's a reason the Al's and Expos left that stadium to begin with :/

Indeed,if they do any renos of the Stadium part of park itself, I hope they do it as successfully as BC Place, doubling that stadium's life span..

A few idiots saying it doesn't make it serious.
It's like people saying the World was going to end on December 21, 2012. Good for lols but nothing else.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

Trust me I'm not saying canada should build these crazy buildings for a month long event. I'm just wondering if fifa would even entertain venus like td place and THF.

Keep in mind the big o would only have to host 1 event as an expanded saputo could take the rest and would do a great job representing Montreal (should have been the wwc venue)

Isn't Saputo way too small for the men's World Cup (even group round games)?

[Oilkountry]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Isn't Saputo way too small for the men's World Cup (even group round games)?

that's why I said expanded.

[Oilkountry]

Originally Posted by Nicko999

A few idiots saying it doesn't make it serious.
It's like people saying the World was going to end on December 21, 2012. Good for lols but nothing else.

In a Montrealers eyes what do you think should be done with it? (Both a sports fan and tax payer)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

that's why I said expanded.

I doubt they would spring for a reno'd and expanded Big O AND an expanded Saputo for a World Cup, even if the expansions were temporary.

Also, I was in the vicinity of Saputo very very recently as I was in town for a tournament for my kids and it's not really conducive to a temporary expansion. There is very little open space anywhere around it and most of the stands are covered by a roof. It's really built into a tight spot.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I doubt they would spring for a reno'd and expanded Big O AND an expanded Saputo for a World Cup, even if the expansions were temporary.

Also, I was in the vicinity of Saputo very very recently as I was in town for a tournament for my kids and it's not really conducive to a temporary expansion. There is very little open space anywhere around it and most of the stands are covered by a roof. It's really built into a tight spot.

So tear down Big O and use the space to expand Saputo. Big O

Canada can host a WC bid but it either won't happen due to Canada not wanting to spend the money or FIFA preferring America. One of those, if not both, are likely.

[mistercorporate]

I wonder whether theyd consider gifting the big O, including the land, to Saputo in exchange for him shelling out the dough to renovate it. He seems to be the main user of the stadium as it is and a custom reno could help him squeeze the maximum profit out of it to build a more sustainable operating model. It seems the previous financial hangover has made it a political hot potato for further govt involvement, the dithering is bordering on the irrational. Alternatively, they could just cut their losses and tear it down for a future BMO Field type low maintenance stadium.

[Welkin]

Originally Posted by elly63

Doesn't matter, they can be converted. A number of stadiums in the last US bid IIRC had artificial turf. Temporary turf was used in the Pontiac Silverdome in the 1994 WC in the USA.

Not only could a Canadian WC happen, it is very likely to happen should we gather the political will to do it.

But why should we gather the political will? Why have the government spend billions upon billions hosting a tournament for a sport that Canadians care so little about that we don't even have our own domestic league (Laos of all places has a domestic league and is just one of 39 countries that have a league). We care so little about soccer that we would not even pay for real grass the last time we hosted a international event (that brought us a lot of bad publicity). Sure if oil was $150 a barrel and we had billions just lying around like Qatar, sure why not waste it on a sports tournament so that we can join the "cool" kids at the table. Unfortunately tons of free money don't exist. Let the states host the tournament. It is close enough for us to watch great soccer and they get to pay the bill.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

I wonder whether theyd consider gifting the big O, including the land, to Saputo in exchange for him shelling out the dough to renovate it. He seems to be the main user of the stadium as it is and a custom reno could help him squeeze the maximum profit out of it to build a more sustainable operating model. It seems the previous financial hangover has made it a political hot potato for further govt involvement, the dithering is bordering on the irrational. Alternatively, they could just cut their losses and tear it down for a future BMO Field type low maintenance stadium.

Because a 50k plus stadium is no good to Saputo (couldn't fill it on a regular basis aside from one offs) and it would likely be at least 400 million to renovate it properly. Saputos are worth a lotta dough (or should I say cheese) but they ain't gonna spend that much. I can't recall what their initial outlay into the stadium was (I should look it up) but it wasn't that much (actually 7.5 million).

Tearing down the Big O (piece by piece) is gonna cost over 700 million. Personally, I think (and I'm not paying for it) they should downsize, spend the money (like BC Place) and do it up right the first time and get it over with. And hire a stadium outfit from outside Quebec like Populous to oversee the reno.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Welkin

But why should we gather the political will? Why have the government spend billions upon billions hosting a tournament for a sport that Canadians care so little about that we don't even have our own domestic league (Laos of all places has a domestic league and is just one of 39 countries that have a league). We care so little about soccer that we would not even pay for real grass the last time we hosted a international event (that brought us a lot of bad publicity).

Canadians (aside from those going to the stadiums) don't have much interest in MLS, that is a different thing from not having an interest in soccer. Stadiums would be full and ratings high, the WWC proved that and we have a history of supporting big events. Now whether there is the stomach in this country to pay for it I don't know but I think the present Liberal government would support it, as it ties into the multicultural crap that the Trudeaus pere et fils push. Don't think it would be too hard to get sponsors as well.

[mistercorporate]

In that case abandon the big O and let it deteriorate and age as an archaeological park. I can see it now, The Great Ruins of Big O - Provincial Park. Only half kidding.

[Acajack]

People bitch about the cost and state of the Big O a lot but I doubt you'd get enough public support to actually go ahead and demolish it.

Love it or hate it it's become an iconic symbol of the city and most Montrealers don't want to do away with that.

Remember that Parisians absolutely hated the Eiffel Tower at first!

[Innsertnamehere]

I think the Eiffel took less than 40yrs to become an icon. It was originally only supposed to stay up for something like 2yrs, but by the time it came to demolish they decided to keep it.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

I think the Eiffel took less than 40yrs to become an icon. It was originally only supposed to stay up for something like 2yrs, but by the time it came to demolish they decided to keep it.

The Eiffel Tower was also mostly financed by private money!

[SaskScraper]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

Same for Women's CIS Basketball. The Toronto 2015 Pan Am Women's Basketball Gold metal winning Coach Lisa Thomaidis, from University of Saskatchewan Huskies squad won CanWest Women's Basketball final against University of Regina Cougars this weekend in Saskatoon. They will be going for Canadian Championships this month but there will be zero national media attention, let alone, gawd forbid, broadcast any video clips from the Finals on TSN or Sportnet etc.

..Just thought I'd do a shout out to the Women's CIS Basketball Champions as follow-up to the lack of reporting of CIS Championships in Canada since national media doesn't cover our University sports ever..

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskat...2016-1.3501805

[esquire]

It's hard to imagine a worse building than the Big O. It cost a fortune to build, it never worked properly, it ended up sinking both of its major tenants, and one day it will cost a fortune to demolish.

But hey, at least it looks great.

[HomeInMyShoes]

^It does look great. I love the whole Olympic grounds in Montreal and most of the complex still gets used. It was great architecture. Poor economics, but damn it is spectacular.

As painful as it has been economically, when someone asks me what buildings identify Canada it is Parliament Hill, old grain elevators and then the Olympic grounds in Montreal and the CN Tower in Toronto.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by esquire

It's hard to imagine a worse building than the Big O. It cost a fortune to build, it never worked properly,

Yes and no.

In total, repaying the mortgage ($1.5 billion) took 30 years (same as a house) for all the facilities combined: the Olympic Village and its subsequent conversion to rental apartments, the Velodrome and its conversion to the Biodôme, and the Stadium and adjacent Sports Centre. Soooo... it's this



+ this



+ this





refurbished to this



+ this



= 1.5 billion

Not sure if the Rowing and Canoe Basin at Parc Jean Drapeau and work on the Expo site were included in that as well (tks Airboy).