Sports in Canadian culture

[YoungRepublic]

Originally Posted by Acajack

It's still odd to claim stuff like the NCAA or NFL as "ours". Even if we have a tradition of paying attention to them to some degree. (And even that's debatable.)

I agree, I would never claim them as such. Canadians follow the NFL and the Super Bowl in the same way that people all over the world follow the EPL and the UEFA Champions League. The NFL/Super Bowl is the biggest show on earth for pro football. The EPL/the UEFA Champions League are the biggest shows on earth for pro soccer. It's the same thing and I don't think there's anything wrong with that (I don't think it's odd either). It's not like Canadians don't support their domestic football league. They still support the CFL in large numbers, more so than than they do the NFL.

I don't think many Canadians watch the NCAA anyway. I don't know if anyone would ever claim it as ours (same with the NFL). Unless you're Simon Fraser University.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

The 102nd Grey Cup was an awesome, massive spectacle last night. Powerful and inspired half-time show by the Imagine Dragons too. Fully enjoyed myself.

Didn't watch the half time because I'm old and don't know the band but the GC always has a better half time act than the Super Bore (in terms of relevance).

I've always thought the way, in football, they introduce the teams was/is extremely lame. They gotta do something else. Big waste of time (and attention) with only half the team being introduced and running out.

Having said that, I really liked the way the commish came out with the Grey Cup and handed it to the Mounties and the overhead shots of it. That was cool.

[VANRIDERFAN]

The numbers.

http://www.bellmediapr.ca/Network/TS...on-TSN-and-RDS

[The S'toon Goon]

I'd be curious to know about the espn2 numbers in the States as well. A quick google search lead me nowhere... so any help would be appreciated.

[BretttheRiderFan]

I honestly don't see this idea of TFC having superior broadcasts to a Grey Cup. They're not in the same hemisphere for production value.

Watching a TFC or Whitecaps game on TSN (I don't care whether what I'm watching is actually being produced by ESPN or whatever company, it's nothing special) is honestly in the same ballpark as a CFL regular season game from the early 2000s on TSN.

[BretttheRiderFan]

Originally Posted by Acajack

It's still odd to claim stuff like the NCAA or NFL as "ours". Even if we have a tradition of paying attention to them to some degree. (And even that's debatable.)

Nobody says that

[BretttheRiderFan]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Maybe for baseball but certainly not for basketball. Game 7 of a Toronto-Vancouver NBA series would beat a BC-Argos Grey Cup in the ratings? Across Canada? In 2014? Not likely.

Basketball is nowhere near as popular as football in general in Canada. At least not yet.

I'm not sure about that. An NBA finals game 7 with two Canadian teams? That is completely unprecedented and would be similar to the hype that the 92/93 Jays got. People who'd never watched basketball in their lives would be watching that series.

[blueandgoldguy]

Interesting that the percentage of people who follow the CFL in Manitoba is nearly the same as the percentage of people who follow the NHL. In no other area of the country are those two percentages closer.

[osmo]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

The numbers.

http://www.bellmediapr.ca/Network/TS...on-TSN-and-RDS

What the report leaves out (well... it is from Bell's PR shop) is the fact that ratings dropped (a bit) from last year. Sportsnet doesn't miss out on the chance to point that out of course.


Sportsnet: Grey Cup television ratings decline from 2013

How these two attempt to do business together at MLSE is a joke, there is too much of a obvious competitive rivalry at work. This is just a small example but even the headline is strait to the point and a little swipe at Bell/TSN. People paint Sportsnet as hostile and anti-CFL but they are simply anti-TSN and will bury them any chance they can get (likewise vise-versa).

[Prometheus]

Grey Cup Ratings Recap:

Number of unique viewers who watched some of the game: 10 Million

Number of viewers who watched during fourth quarter: 5.1 Million

Number of viewers who watched from start to finish: 4.1 Million

Number of viewers who watched half-time show: 3.5 Million

Number of viewers who watched post-game show: 1.8 Million


http://www.tsn.ca/102nd-grey-cup-att...d-rds-1.149209

[blueandgoldguy]

MLS not doing so hot...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/garbe...derperforming/

With low ticket prices and poor tv contracts, it's not surprising. Outside of a few markets, most of the teams would be losing substantial amounts of money...unless the league keeps expanding which mitigates losses due to expansion money.

[jlousa]

MLS is blinded by their own greed, expanding will only make the problem worse. They need to buy up some of the crappiest teams and shuffle some of the other weaker market ones to larger cities. Merge with the USL and promote/demote between the two leagues like is done in Europe this will create some financial incentive not to suck.
Right now you pretty well have the Canadian teams, the US Cascandians, and LA and NY carrying the league.

[osmo]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

MLS not doing so hot...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/garbe...derperforming/

With low ticket prices and poor tv contracts, it's not surprising. Outside of a few markets, most of the teams would be losing substantial amounts of money...unless the league keeps expanding which mitigates losses due to expansion money.

Garber is trolling. MLS makes money each year off its promotions and media business Soccer United Marketing which on its own is a $ 500 Million dollar entity.

The league, which is run as a single unit, has been making money since 2004. Not all clubs are equal, some clubs are backwaters that can't make local profits but the league still cuts a cheque for each team each year. Some teams can choose to blow their money on the big ticket exceptions, but that is their own choice and does not affect the leagues money.

Yes they have had to eat capital costs on infrastructure but that will go along way into the future to help stabilize money down the road.

I feel he is trolling the doom and gloom as they attempt to undercut the players. They have been able for years to run the league with bare bones contracts aside from the few club exceptions for big ticket players. The tides have turned with the players seeking a much bigger cut of the pie and Garber isn't trying to give any more of the pie up.

The MLS isn't rolling in money or printing cash at will but over half the teams turn a profit, and all teams get a cheque from the league. The players union can put a major foot into the MLS books if they demand a pay cut and free agency. Right now the average MLS player makes 80K a year.. not that much. That is what Garber is worried about, and hence the press tour to make the league look like its begging for money.

Cohon was crying poor when the CFL was up for negotiations too. Typical corporate whining, nothing to see here.

[GreaterMontréal]

RIP Jean Béliveau

[elly63]

Interesting quote from Chris Zelkovich in his ratings blog that basically gives us a number in the comparison between a cable outlet like TSN and a national network like CTV.

In addition, all of the aforementioned events were on conventional channels, except for the Grey Cup. The difference between specialty and conventional isn't what it used to be, but specialty channels like TSN still have less reach -- almost 20 per cent.

[Stryker]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

MLS not doing so hot...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/garbe...derperforming/

With low ticket prices and poor tv contracts, it's not surprising. Outside of a few markets, most of the teams would be losing substantial amounts of money...unless the league keeps expanding which mitigates losses due to expansion money.

Meh I think there middle of the road.

I think the EU slumping really hurts the sport of soccer, MLS was trying to piggy back off european leagues yet I don't think this is working

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by GreaterMontréal

RIP Jean Béliveau

My dad is gonna be really sad today.

[FrankieFlowerpot]

The Vanier Cup drew 269,000 on Saturday on Sportsnet

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by osmo

Garber is trolling. MLS makes money each year off its promotions and media business Soccer United Marketing which on its own is a $ 500 Million dollar entity.

The league, which is run as a single unit, has been making money since 2004. Not all clubs are equal, some clubs are backwaters that can't make local profits but the league still cuts a cheque for each team each year. Some teams can choose to blow their money on the big ticket exceptions, but that is their own choice and does not affect the leagues money.

Yes they have had to eat capital costs on infrastructure but that will go along way into the future to help stabilize money down the road.

I feel he is trolling the doom and gloom as they attempt to undercut the players. They have been able for years to run the league with bare bones contracts aside from the few club exceptions for big ticket players. The tides have turned with the players seeking a much bigger cut of the pie and Garber isn't trying to give any more of the pie up.

The MLS isn't rolling in money or printing cash at will but over half the teams turn a profit, and all teams get a cheque from the league. The players union can put a major foot into the MLS books if they demand a pay cut and free agency. Right now the average MLS player makes 80K a year.. not that much. That is what Garber is worried about, and hence the press tour to make the league look like its begging for money.

Cohon was crying poor when the CFL was up for negotiations too. Typical corporate whining, nothing to see here.

I see they finally get rid of Chivas? About time, this team was a joke. (they played in front of a crowd of 3,100 in September)

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

The Vanier Cup drew 269,000 on Saturday on Sportsnet

By contrast, NCAA football drew only 91,000 at the same time on TSN.