Sports in Canadian culture

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Originally Posted by Darkoshvilli

106k tickets sold for the jays-sox at olympic stadium.

Wow! Do they have enough seats?

(2014) 46,121 and 50,229; (2015) 46,314 and 50,231.

[Darkoshvilli]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

Wow! Do they have enough seats?

(2014) 46,121 and 50,229; (2015) 46,314 and 50,231.

There were sections closed off the previous years so im assuming they opened them up this year?

Could be that the highest attended baseball game this year will be a pre-season game in Montreal.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by rousseau

A higher percentage of Raptors/TFC followers watching online instead of cable than for the CFL or other sports sounds totally plausible to me, and anecdotally it sounds right in my experience, but I admit that my opinion is partly shaped by the fact that I love basketball and football/soccer but have no interest in American/Canadian football.

Would be interesting to see actual numbers.

Well, I must be the world's oldest millennial because I cut the cable cord long before most of the TFC guys were born and I am a huge CFL fan primarily because the players are relatable and not usually entitled felons.

I've worked with computers for 30 some years so operating a handheld device isn't exactly a challenge and I wonder why so many people want to portray that it is for older people.

TFC/Raptors get their content more online than anybody else, I call bullshit on that.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by elly63

Well, I must be the world's oldest millennial because I cut the cable cord long before most of the TFC guys were born and I am a huge CFL fan primarily because the players are relatable and not usually entitled felons.

I've worked with computers for 30 some years so operating a handheld device isn't exactly a challenge and I wonder why so many people want to portray that it is for older people.

TFC/Raptors get their content more online than anybody else, I call bullshit on that.

Two things you're saying are rather confounding: that you don't think it's plausible that more Raptors/TFC fans would be watching online than CFL fans, given that they are a lot younger than CFL fans; and that you seem, rather bizarrely, to be suggesting that older people are not less savvy with new technology than younger people.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Hackslack

While I don't disagree with you with respect to people cutting the cord, it's a very tough argument to make to hold TFC and Raptors on a separate pedestal as the CFL NHL NFL, MLB (jays currently getting high ratings even for spring league), and White Caps / Impact (had something over 200k+ for season opener). Why is the argument valid that TFCs/Raptors viewership are mainly torrents/stream/other means, but the others aren't? Would you suggest that the others ratings are infact much higher as it should take in both TV and stream?

The question about Whitecaps-Impact vs. TFC and TV ratings is actually a pretty good one, given they can be assumed to have fairly similar demographics, which is to say 1) younger and 2) multi-ethnic.

Also not sure if 200k includes the francophone network. If not, then the question becomes even more relevant.

[Darkoshvilli]

RDS numbers aren't included^..or was it TVA? Either way..

[SaskScraper]

well..
probably time to pull out the cross country poll of league support again..
MLS soccer & NBA basketball are at the bottom.. no surprises.. lets move on..



NHL is at the top, except for Saskatchewan of course, where the NFL is almost as popular as NHL ..

[Xelebes]

Interest in sport:

BC: 114
AB: 91
SK: 146
MB: 135
ON: 126
PQ: 95
ATL: 100

Alberta has the lowest. Hm.

[FrankieFlowerpot]

Originally Posted by Darkoshvilli

There were sections closed off the previous years so im assuming they opened them up this year?

Could be that the highest attended baseball game this year will be a pre-season game in Montreal.

Depends on whether or not the Dodgers make the playoffs.

[Darkoshvilli]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

Depends on whether or not the Dodgers make the playoffs.

Yup. Even then it would be a tie at 56k.

[Welkin]

Originally Posted by elly63

I think your premise is wrong. I thought the debate has always been whether we could host a WC rather than whether we should fund it.

And I don't know where you get the idea of white elephant stadiums. What new construction there would be would be needed. The only possible white elephant would be if they built something new for Toronto without having thought of its future legacy and ability to draw events or a main tenant. And that we have debated.

To say that a large majority of Canadians have little interest is wrong as well. That has always been born out by the large ratings the WC gets, contrary to what the TFC people like us to think about online content.

I look at it as an event and Canadians love big events, does that correlate to a mainstream interest in soccer maybe not (proving your point) but it does point to a massive interest in the temporal event.

In 2002 our love affair with the CWNT began at the U19WC in Edmonton that evolved into a huge story and event. Does that mean that watching teenage girls playing soccer would become big? (No rude comment please ) No it just was an event that steamrolled.

More people watch the Grey Cup than the regular season should we judge the CFL only on huge Grey Cup ratings, obviously not.

But you can't say the WC wouldn't be a success and that Canadians would have little interest. Whether to spend the money or not is a different story.

Well of course we could host the World Cup. Hell we could pull a Brazil and host the Summer Olympics and the Men's World Cup and maybe throw in the ICC World 20 just for fun. Like you said, everybody loves a big event and even non-soccer fans would come out. Everybody shows up and it is party city. Canada hosts the World Cup and everyone shows up and we all have a great big time. Just like Russia at Sochi, everybody had a good time. Unfortunately these parties don't come cheap. Sochi cost cost $50 Billion. Brazils World Cup party cost $15 Billion and they already had a number of good stadiums. Russia's World Cup party will cost $9 billion. What would Canada's party cost? How many billions are you willing to spend for a few good weeks of fun. FIFA is not know for going on the cheap for their men's tournament, so Canada will have to pay and pay dearly. And as for White Elephants, what exactly will Toronto do with their 80,000 seat empty stadium? Would it turn into another China's Bird's Nest? So sure we could host the World Cup. Hell, if we spend enough money I am sure we could get a Super Bowl while we are at it. But ask yourself if this is where we should be spending our limited resources.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Welkin

And as for White Elephants, what exactly will Toronto do with their 80,000 seat empty stadium?

Why do you keep coming up with this white elephant thing. If you keep talking about money then you know there is no way an 80k stadium would be built in Toronto. A smaller stadium that could be temporarily expandable maybe, but even then there is really no use for a 40k stadium either so it likely ain't gonna happen unless they partner with a university or another entity (not NFL)

A new Toronto stadium is only the idea of some Toronto posters who seem to think that they have a divine right to host the final and that a hillbilly outpost like Edmonton couldn't or shouldn't. Personally, Montreal or Vancouver would be the cities I'd like to be showcased to the rest of the world.

We learned our lesson in 1976, we're not going to be outrageous like other countries, we don't need to be. Were we outrageous with Van 2010, were there any garish white elephants built, none that I can recall. We'll just bide our time and FIFA will eventually come to our way of thinking when no one else will want to host for the price FIFA would be asking.

[Oilkountry]

Originally Posted by Hackslack

While I don't disagree with you with respect to people cutting the cord, it's a very tough argument to make to hold TFC and Raptors on a separate pedestal as the CFL NHL NFL, MLB (jays currently getting high ratings even for spring league), and White Caps / Impact (had something over 200k+ for season opener). Why is the argument valid that TFCs/Raptors viewership are mainly torrents/stream/other means, but the others aren't? Would you suggest that the others ratings are infact much higher as it should take in both TV and stream?

The United Portland FC Timbers of whatever blah blah MLS team were bringing in 600k+ on average in tv rating 2 years ago half of that today. The MLS in general isnt doing that bad in TV ratings. This is really just a Canadian problem and mainly TFC problem. But no point in getting into it they will just throw random opinions out to prove points. Just like he's trying to convince you that young people in Toronto pre 30s don't have cable (any source on that? or just your personal opinion?) and somewhere half a million people are streaming TFC and Raptors games because theirs no possible way that nobody is watching Arguing with soccer fans is pointless, almost impossible it goes nowhere. They have an opinion or made up statement that will cancel out your facts,quotes,articles,historical data, surveys whatever you got ect ect. Argos average 700K vs Hamilton and "It's all prairie people and Ticat fans watching it, Nobody in Toronto was watching that game" 90K for TFC "oh everyone in Toronto was definitely watching but they must have been streaming it" and 300,000 timbers fans cut the cable from 2014 to 2016 right?

It's just reckless opinions contesting solid data

just thought I would throw another inaccurate graph out

Let me guess all the older fans have left the MLS they just no longer watch sports. and now if they did that again in 2015 it would be at least 90% 18-29.

or...Canada is different!

or...Toronto is different! (although I will admit the race bracket would be a lot different)

[Nicko999]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

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

-No more baseball played there. It is not a baseball stadium end of the story.
-Hire the guys that renovated BC place.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Nicko999

Hire the guys that renovated BC place.

If only my tongue in cheek answer above were that easy. I s'pose Quebec politics wouldn't allow an outsider to come in when it could be contracted to a good Quebec mafia family firm.

[eemy]

It makes sense to me that the leagues that have more of their support amongst people under 30 would show lower tv ratings as there is a very clear trend for that cohort not to have access to regular television at all.

There also appears to be a general trend of less interest in professional and organized sports amongst younger generations. I know in my case, there is very little interest in professional sport amongst my peers. People might go to a game on the rare occasion, but it's not as fans so much as consumers seeking entertainment. They might just as likely go watch a musical or go to the beach or something else entirely. The sports my peers are involved in skew very strongly toward individual sports (with the odd exception of ultimate), but I suspect that's more a peculiarity of my own interests skewing in that direction and therefore my group of peers reflecting that.

[Acajack]

TV ratings can vary from game to game but ratings in French for non playoff games are generally like this:

Habs: 700k to 1M
Alouettes: 150k to 250k
Impact: 100-150 k

[christmas]

Quebec City offers to share 2026 Olympics with Calgary and Vancouver

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-...-and-vancouver

[esquire]

^ Cross-country Olympics sounds kind of weird... if we can't/won't pay for the IOC mandated facilities, why not just let some other sucker host the games? I'd much rather see $10B or $25B or whatever the games would cost dumped into amateur sports programs and facilities... you can do that without lining the IOC's pockets in the process.

[mistercorporate]

55,000 attendance at today's Canadian Mens soccer game years in the making:

http://www.wakingthered.com/2016/3/2...ualifiers-2016

"By the time all is said and done they could set the record for biggest crowd at a Canadian national team game, ever, in any sport."