Sports in Canadian culture

[elly63]

Adam has climbed a lot of big hills – Interview with LB Adam Bighill
Tyler Raymon whodatdish.com September 6 2017

This week I had the pleasure, and honor of getting to talk to New Orleans Saints linebacker, and preseason standout, Adam Bighill.

Adam Bighill, 28, is currently a part of the New Orleans Saints practice squad. After spending some time in the Canadian Football League honing his craft, he has quickly grown to be one of Saints fans’ favorite players.

Before joining the New Orleans Saints, Adam spent his time playing for the BC Lions. In his six seasons with the BC Lions, Bighill most definitely accomplished a lot. Not only did he earn the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2015, but was also named a CFL All-Star four times throughout his career. During those outstanding six seasons, Bighill played a total of just under 100 games, and contributed nearly 500 tackles with 489, 33 sacks, eight interceptions, and eight forced fumbles.

His journey to the NFL wasn’t easy, but it was certainly worth the time and effort. Starting off at Montesano Washington High School, to Central Washington University, then to the CFL with the BC Lions, and now in the National Football League. One of the New Orleans Saints most popular players is starting to live his life long dream, and he couldn’t be happier.

Talking with Adam Bighill

Tyler: What would you say personally is the biggest difference between the NFL and the CFL?

Adam: The NFL game is more physical. However coming from the CFL, the NFL Game to me is slower. I can play extremely fast since my eyes and reactions have been trained to see more and quicker in the CFL.

Tyler: How have you been preparing physically during the off-season?

Adam: I played in the CFL anywhere from 222-230. I have made sure that I’m 235-240 down here. I’ve done that over 6 months, so my speed, conditioning, and explosiveness is all still on point. I train with Rob Williams (@SportcorePro ) Of SPORTCORE PERFORMANCE. He is a movement coach, and he has handled the majority of my training, focusing on being able to be maximally efficient as an athlete. I love the training process for the season, it’s something I enjoy.

Tyler: What’s it like to be apart of Who Dat Nation, and the love you’ve received so far?

Adam: It’s amazing being part of Who Dat Nation. From the moment I signed, I had fans giving me a warm welcome. It’s great to play for a team that has a city so passionate about football. Not only that, there are so many amazing Who Dat fans across the country! I play with 110% effort and heart every play, I fly around, and will always be around the ball. Throughout my career I’ve gained earned respect from my coaches teammates and fans just from the way I play. I’m very thankful for all the fans that support me and my career, much love!

Tyler: The Saints are always looking for players with dynamic abilities or something special about them. What do you consider your greatest strengths in regards to playing the linebacker position?

Adam: My football IQ, and my explosiveness. I’m able to diagnose quickly, then use my speed to get there fast. My Explosiveness allows me to take on and shed offensive linemen, as well as close in on and cover TEs or RBs.

Tyler: How have you grown as an athlete from the seasons of experience playing in the CFL?

Adam: In the CFL, you HAVE to play special teams, starters included. I played at least 2 1/2 special teams up there while being a starter. The special teams game up there is very dynamic, there is always a return. No fair catches (give a 5 yd halo) and kickoffs are always returned. So from that, I’ve had a lot of experience dominating the special teams game.

Also, with the field being wider, there’s more space to cover. You have to really excel as an athlete to cover man to man up there, as well as just running sideline to sideline to make plays.

Tyler: What kind of impact would you like to make in the National Football League?

Adam: I’ve always set high goals and expectations for myself. First off, I want to help this team win. With that being said, I play this game to be considered one of the best to do it. I don’t line up every week just happy to be here and blend in. I want to be THE BEST. I want teams to have me circled on their scouting reports, and I want to make an impact every game. Whatever my role is this season, you can assure that I’ll be doing it with idea and effort of being the best.

Tyler: Saints fans right now are in awe over the numerous plays, and tackles you’ve made so far in the preseason. What are you looking to build off of from those positive experiences on the field?

Adam: I’m looking forward to continuing to show I can consistently make plays in this league. That’s was great players do, they are consistent. They make that same play 98/100 times. My preparation week in and week out gives me the confidence and the ability to play fast and be great.

Tyler: Tell me about LB coach Mike Nolan, and how he’s helped you since joining the New Orleans Saints?

Adam: Mike Nolan is a football mastermind. He has all the answers for all your questions. He keeps it pretty simple with our techniques and what we need to accomplish. With that being said we work daily on perfecting those little things that make us better LBs. He makes sure we are prepared and does a great job of creating standards of excellence in our room.

Tyler: Who do you think will be the next big CFL star to come to the NFL?

Adam: That’s a good question. There are plenty of great players up there that somehow slid through the cracks. There were handful of guys who made it down to teams this year, although only a couple have stuck so far. Not sure who will be next as of right now.

Tyler: I’m sure you know by now, but in case you don’t, you’ve quickly become a fan favorite for Saints fans. Is there anything you’d like to say to get everyone excited about the season, or what’s to come from you personally?

Adam: Yes of course. Thank you to everyone out there who has shown me love. My passion for this game is immense, and I’m willing to work harder then anyone to be the best. I think some of that has shown over the preseason. I’m stoked to be a part of a team that’s fan base is country wide and so passionate. WHO DAT!

From the bottom of my heart, I just wanted to personally wish Adam Bighill the best of luck as he continues his quest with the New Orleans Saints. Adam was a pleasure to interview, and I expect only phenomenal things from the linebacker going forward. From the crew at Who Dat Dish, and most definitely myself, good luck Mr. Bighill, we’ll be rooting for you.

[elly63]

Update:
Farhan Lalji TSN September 11 2017

Former BC Lions linebacker Adam Bighill will be in the New Orleans Saints' lineup for their season opener against the Minnesota Vikings Monday night, according to TSN's Farhan Lalji.

Bighill was signed to the Saints' practice roster after spending training camp with the team, but will be promoted to the 53-man roster ahead of their Week 1 game, according to Lalji.

[Nicko999]

Felix Auger-Aliassime won another Challenger this weekend and his ranking has skyrocketed to #168. He has now won the exact same number of Challengers (2) as Shapovalov.

He becomes the 3rd player to win multiple Challenger titles by the age of 17 (after Gasquet and Nadal).

He's also the youngest player in the top 200 since Nadal in 2002.

Felix Auger-Aliassime's victory in a Challenger tournament in Seville, Spain last week moved the 17-year-old into the world's top 200 at No. 168 on Monday, only a month after the 18-year-old Shapovalov cracked the top 100 with his run to the semifinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

Auger-Aliassime, from Montreal, became the youngest player to reach the top 200 since Rafael Nadal in 2002. And his progress is well ahead of the No. 245 ranking that Shapovalov held as a 17-year-old last September.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/feli...king-1.4284896

[FrankieFlowerpot]

I wonder if this will be in her future plans

http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/arti...ormance-center

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[elly63]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

I wonder if this will be in her future plans

Courtesy Erica Wiebe Twitter

[elly63]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

I wonder if this will be in her future plans

I've done a fair amount of reading about Erica since you posted this and I was questioning to myself her place in WWE vs the world of amateur wrestling. I had one question that she answered in her blog.

What does a wrestler look like?
Erica Wiebe Blog 5/26/2016

Apparently, not me.



I meet someone, out and about in the world and inevitably, they ask me what do you do? Then the awkward moment of telling someone I wrestle for a living begins...

More often than not the response that I get is infused with a mixture of disbelief, intimidation, awe, and confusion.. because quite often, they say something like; "well, you sure don't look like a wrestler..."

So what does a wrestler look like?

What is your idea of how an Olympic athlete should appear? Why do we have these conceptions of what a female athlete must look like?

The conflicting images of the female and wrestler is something we have well, wrestled with, for many years. My identity as an athlete and woman is something I negotiate on a daily basis as we are increasingly inundated with constantly evolving conceptions of what the ideal female body should be.

These negotiations often occur in the back of my mind and yes, if you are waiting for me to get to the point, I struggle with how I look and how I feel about my body.

But in the same way that I struggle in the pursuit of excellence within my sport everyday, I overcome these challenges, expectations and pressures of societal expectations around body image by replacing the negative with positive and by focusing on what I can control.

The image of the ideal body has been distorted and altered to an unbearable degree within the media and increasingly on social media. The creation of #fitspo and the pornification of the athletic female body is increasingly problematic as the focus on athletic pursuits have shifted away from the sheer joy of movement and towards likes and shares and followers.

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[elly63]

Have you seen this? I saw it a while back and it's pretty cool. BTW make sure you catch the ending of the match

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[elly63]

It's real and it's spectacular: Erica Wiebe stars in India's flashy Pro Wrestling League
Canadian Olympic champ is one of glitzy event's highest-paid athletes
Callum Ng CBC Sports Jan 09, 2017

Erica Wiebe is officially a pro wrestler.

But the Olympic gold medallist won't be smashing a folding chair over anyone's back or tossing anyone into a turnbuckle. Instead, she's joined India's Pro Wrestling League 2, a six-team freestyle wrestling competition being held Jan. 2-19 in Delhi.

While there are no piledrivers, the league does feature booming announcers, flashy pyrotechnics, network TV coverage and real blood.

Freestyle wrestling is one of the two Olympic disciplines. The 27-year-old Wiebe won the women's 75-kilogram weight class at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Wiebe, who's from the Ottawa suburb of Stittsville, Ont., left Canada for India on Dec. 28.

A week into the event she offers this assessment via email: "This atmosphere has never existed in wrestling until this league. There's more hype, more media, more lights than at the Olympic Games. It's an incredible showcase for the sport of wrestling."

Wiebe is team captain of the Mumbai Maharathi (a type of warrior in Hindu mythology).

She was selected in an auction two weeks before the first match. Her price, as listed on the Pro Wrestling League website, is 4.3 million Indian rupees, which equates to more than $80,000 Canadian.

This is her participation fee, making the Canadian one of the highest-paid wrestlers out of many world-class men and women.

Georgian Olympic champion Vladimer Khinchegashvili is the biggest earner, listed to be paid 4.8 million rupees (over $90,000 Cdn).

Wiebe's weight class includes Alina Stadnik-Makhynia, a Ukrainian world champion, and Belarusian Vasilisa Marzaliuk, who Wiebe wrestled in a Rio 2016 semifinal.

"I came for the adventure to India but I will actually get great wrestling matches in as well," Wiebe says.

The nine-person teams have one wrestler for each of the five men's weight classes and four women's classes. They are also required to include four foreigners and five Indians.

This makes communication an interesting affair.

The Maharathi, for example, have Jabrayil Hasanov of Azerbaijan — an Olympic bronze medallist in the men's 74-kg category from Rio — plus world championship medallist Pavlo Olynyk from Ukraine and Carolina Hidalgo, a Colombian Olympian.

Wiebe says team meetings are run in Hindi, then translated to English by one of the managers.

Wiebe then tries to explain in more simple English to Hidalgo, while Olynyk translates to Russian for Hasanov.

"Google Translate is also our best friend. Needless to say, it has been a process," Wiebe says.
A new wrestling league

The Pro Wrestling League is the creation of Indian company ProSportify. The five other teams are named UP Dangal, Haryana Hammers, Jaipur Ninjas, NCR Punjab Royals and Colors Delhi Sultans. They each have an owner or sponsor.

The Mumbai Maharathi's Twitter account often mentions famous Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh, calling him a "co-partner," and Singh tweeted a photo of himself with Wiebe.

The teams wrestle in a dual-meet format on Sony ESPN, an Indian sports channel.

Heading into Monday's tie (set of matches) against the Jaipur Ninjas, the Maharathi's record was 1-2, although Wiebe was a perfect 3-0 in her bouts.

The League had a reported rocky start last season, with apparent delayed payments to wrestlers and even some legal tussles.

This season coincides with the late-December release of the Bollywood biopic Dangal, about the life of Mahavir Singh Phogat. A wrestler turned coach, Phogat's daughters are successful wrestlers, and Commonwealth Games champion Geeta Phogat became India's first women's Olympic wrestler when she qualified for London 2012.

The film comes the same year Sakshi Malik earned India's first women's Olympic wrestling medal, a bronze in the 58-kg division.

Wiebe sees a link between her sport's rise in popularity in India, and more prominent roles for women athletes both on-screen and on the mat.

"There's a big push for women's equality here evident with women and men competing side-by-side on teams and many of the female players being highlighted on the teams," she says.

"They even have women-only time slots to go see the movie Dangal in theatres so that they can feel comfortable and be empowered."

For Wiebe, her stint in India is all about the experience. In the past she has also expressed interest in trying out for the WWE but remains committed to her Olympic wrestling career.

She has a return flight to Canada booked for Jan. 22, when she'll get back to training for Tokyo 2020.

[FrankieFlowerpot]

That's pretty cool - I've never heard of that.

I remember an ill-fated attempt in the US to try a version of that with MMA fighters

[SignalHillHiker]

I really, really love this one. The tourism videos here rarely use overtly nationalist imagery.

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[blueandgoldguy]

Given the snafu with city officials regarding THF and it's use for the Canadian Soccer League and the fact we have heard nothing about any of the other teams for months...or the league for that matter, I am pretty confident it will not get off the ground next year.

I mean, it's pretty obvious at this point. Barely over half a year away from the supposed start of the season, all 6 teams should be announced by this point. Management and coaching staffs should have been hired. Ownerships confirmed. Stadiums confirmed. League commissioner and head office confirmed. Some players should have been signed. Training camps and sites established.

None of this has happened as far as I know. All we get in regards to this league is silence. Crickets. It's not happening next summer folks. If we are lucky we might get some kind of friendlies next summer involving some quickly thrown together teams.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

Given the snafu with city officials regarding THF and it's use for the Canadian Soccer League and the fact we have heard nothing about any of the other teams for months...or the league for that matter, I am pretty confident it will not get off the ground next year.

The CPL i'm guessing?

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

I mean, it's pretty obvious at this point. Barely over half a year away from the supposed start of the season,

The proposed league start date has been assumed to be July 2018.

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

all 6 teams should be announced by this point. Management and coaching staffs should have been hired. Ownerships confirmed. Stadiums confirmed. League commissioner and head office confirmed.

There was word last week that the league's HQ had been set up in Toronto and they're frequently meeting with interested ownership groups in the leadup. Halifax, GTA, Hamilton, Calgary, Saskatchewan, Fraser Valley, Victoria are all potential landing points. Now that the NASL has blown up it's likely Edmonton jumps in, as well. Ottawa would be better off in a potential CPL than the USL.

This is better suited to the MLS/CPL thread of course, but there's still some cautious optimism that a start date for next year is still feasible.

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by JHikka

The CPL i'm guessing?


The proposed league start date has been assumed to be July 2018.


There was word last week that the league's HQ had been set up in Toronto and they're frequently meeting with interested ownership groups in the leadup. Halifax, GTA, Hamilton, Calgary, Saskatchewan, Fraser Valley, Victoria are all potential landing points. Now that the NASL has blown up it's likely Edmonton jumps in, as well. Ottawa would be better off in a potential CPL than the USL.

This is better suited to the MLS/CPL thread of course, but there's still some cautious optimism that a start date for next year is still feasible.

Thanks for that. I do not think it is feasible at this point. More should have been established by now like which actual teams are 100% confirmed. Throwing everything together over the course of the next 6 months likely means a poor quality product on the pitch and poor crowd support too given marketing departments have not been established in any of these 6 hypothetical cities. Not enough time. Best to wait another year otherwise this league will be that much more likely to fail after one year like the XFL in the US.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

Thanks for that. I do not think it is feasible at this point. More should have been established by now like which actual teams are 100% confirmed.

We have a general idea of who's interested. There's articles out there if you're willing to search around for them.

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

Throwing everything together over the course of the next 6 months

The CPL's been functioning more-or-less for a year now, and the groups that are interested are being briefed and sourced on what's to be expected.

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

...likely means a poor quality product on the pitch...

Nobody's expecting the CPL to be this star-studdied, high-quality league right off the bat. Patience will be key in developing the quality of the league.

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

... and poor crowd support too given marketing departments have not been established in any of these 6 hypothetical cities...

There are a number of supporters groups popping up throughout Canada in cities where teams are theorized to be located. Halifax, Mississauga, and Saskatchewan all have pretty sizable supporters groups given the fact that nothing's been confirmed yet.

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

Not enough time. Best to wait another year otherwise this league will be that much more likely to fail after one year like the XFL in the US.

There's still nine months until matches are presumed to be starting. I agree that timelines aren't looking too promising but i'm doing my best to sit in the optimistic camp. Either way, there's been significant groundwork being done behind the scenes. Again, it's about tempering expectations - this is going to be a small league to start out with. We're not talking about highly complex stadiums, teams, or league structure.

The XFL was a gimmick league. CPL will have a purpose and will have a place to slot in within the current Canadian soccer pyramid.

[elly63]

Here's where I see all of this going. It's looking like WWE is trying to position Erica as the female Kurt Angle. If she plays this right she could also become the female Hulk Hogan, a position that has never been filled. They had the intent with Wendi Richter but when she asked for more money she was gone.

Despite their haterz I believe Stephanie and HHH are following the right path here. They're trying to bring a little legitimacy back to pro wrestling. They have good female athletes but they need someone like Erica to bring their plan to fruition.

Q&A: Stittsville's Erica Wiebe and her WWE adventure
Blair Crawford September 29, 2017

...

Q: Then you went to Las Vegas and Florida with the WWE. How did that come about?

A: The WWE and I have been in conversation since Rio, but it didn’t work out until this time. I went to the Mae Young Classic finale in Vegas and that’s kind of a development league that the WWE is doing to increase the depth and the quality of women’s wrestling.

Stephanie McMahon and her husband, Paul Levesque — or Triple H as he’s known in wrestling — are poised to take over the WWE business and they’re trying to create an organization that they and their two young daughters will be proud of. It’s 2017 and women are athletic and capable and they’re providing a platform where women can showcase these skills.

[isaidso]

Record Crowd at Panda Game


Courtesy of the Ottawa Citizen

In one of the most anticipated football games of the year, Carleton beat Ottawa 33-30 in double overtime. TD Place filled to capacity as the Panda Game set an attendance record with 24,420 fans taking in the annual classic.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by isaidso

In one of the most anticipated football games of the year, Carleton beat Ottawa 33-30 in double overtime. TD Place filled to capacity as the Panda Game set an attendance record with 24,420 fans taking in the annual classic.

That's great but what was the record for, the Panda game itself? The RBs had 24,893 vs the Riders on Friday.

Nitpicking, but of course that attendance is fantastic and further proves how USports is the best kept secret out there. With that number, maybe the word is finally getting out.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by elly63

That's great but what was the record for, the Panda game itself? The RBs had 24,893 vs the Riders on Friday.

Record was for the Panda Game itself. The previous record was north of 20K as well I believe.

Originally Posted by elly63

Nitpicking, but of course that attendance is fantastic and further proves how USports is the best kept secret out there. With that number, maybe the word is finally getting out.

As much as I love USports the Panda Games are 95% students only going to yell shit at the other school. I ended up walking down Bank after the game and it was a sea of students from both schools. There's more interest in supporting your school/yelling at the other school than there is actual interest in football.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by JHikka

As much as I love USports the Panda Games are 95% students only going to yell shit at the other school. I ended up walking down Bank after the game and it was a sea of students from both schools. There's more interest in supporting your school/yelling at the other school than there is actual interest in football.

Certainly, but the product has improved leaps and bounds and as we know interest has not always been great.

The modern credo in sports now is just to get people out for an experience, the game has almost become secondary.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by JHikka

As much as I love USports the Panda Games are 95% students only going to yell shit at the other school. I ended up walking down Bank after the game and it was a sea of students from both schools. There's more interest in supporting your school/yelling at the other school than there is actual interest in football.

There is a lot of that at every university football game I've attended. Many of these people have never attended a football game in their lives and don't know the rules. It was on full display when Ottawa kicked a game tying field goal to end the 4th quarter and their fans rushed the field thinking the game was over.

It may largely be bandwagon support but this is how one builds interest in U Sports, the sport of football, and the CFL. Many will attend next year, may start paying attention to other regular season games, and/or try the RedBlacks.

A football culture develops over generations and it's big events like the Panda Game that are important in spreading the sport. Now if only we could get 7-8 other hyped matchups each season and then grow from there. We may never have anything that approaches the level of support a Notre Dame or Ohio State garner but we could one day get to a point where 20,000 at a U sports football game was quite common.

A good place to start: York - Toronto, Regina - Saskatchewan, Calgary - Alberta, Laurier - Waterloo, and McGill - Montreal. If Dalhousie ever re-instated football a cross town game featuring SMU and Dal would be a natural. If SFU ended their NCAA experiment and returned to the fold a SFU - UBC annual classic would be another.