Sports in Canadian culture - Page 45

craneSpotter · #**881** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 9:58 PM**

Seahawks nation has definitely been embraced by BC - for some time - at least in the SW.

Victoria's largest bar/club complex expects to once again fill all 1700 seats tomorrow for the biggest football game in the world. This crowd will include hundreds of Americans that are here visiting too, which makes the atmosphere while watching the game more 'real', if that makes sense. The Seahawks recently said thousands of BC fans (more than 10% of the seats @ CentryLink) make it down for each home game. Even though the NFL is (of course) a way bigger deal at home in the US - CTV still expects 7 million viewers to tune into the Big Game beating the 6.5 million Canadian viewers they grabbed last year

There are 12th man flags everywhere (video), note how people in the video refer to the Seahawks as a 'local team'. The mayors of Victoria, Vancouver and West Vancouver all had Seahawk 12th man flag raising ceremonies yesterday - dubbed 'Blue Friday'

Here is the mayor of Victoria city raising the Seahawks 12th man flag in our Inner Harbour yesterday:

source canada.com

Here is the flag raising in Vancouver:

source CBC

GO HAWKS!!!!

rousseau · #**882** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 10:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by craneSpotter

Victoria's largest bar/club complex expects to once again fill all 1700 seats tomorrow for the biggest football game in the world.

Correction: the biggest football game in the world takes place every four years. This year it's in Brazil.

Did Toronto or Hamilton do anything like this when the Bills went to the Superbowl those four times? I don't recall all that much hub-bub, but maybe I'm just not remembering it. Either way, it looks like the Seahawks are far bigger in Vancouver than the Bills are in Toronto. Somehow I suspect that's partly because, you know...Buffalo. It's an ego thing, in other words.

Acajack · #**883** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 11:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rousseau

Correction: the biggest football game in the world takes place every four years. This year it's in Brazil.

Cranespotter, you shoulda known better!

Acajack · #**884** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 11:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rousseau

Did Toronto or Hamilton do anything like this when the Bills went to the Superbowl those four times? I don't recall all that much hub-bub, but maybe I'm just not remembering it. Either way, it looks like the Seahawks are far bigger in Vancouver than the Bills are in Toronto. Somehow I suspect that's partly because, you know...Buffalo. It's an ego thing, in other words.

My question is whether all of these municipalities did the same when the Lions were in the Grey Cup? (I assume they did, but don't know for sure.)

craneSpotter · #**885** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 11:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

My question is whether all of these municipalities did the same when the Lions were in the Grey Cup? (I assume they did, but don't know for sure.)

Sadly, I can't remember .. don't think much was done for the Lions here.

craneSpotter · #**886** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 11:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rousseau

Correction: the biggest football game in the world takes place every four years. This year it's in Brazil.

LOL. I originally had 'American' football - should have left it!

Acajack · #**887** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 11:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by craneSpotter

Sadly, I can't remember .. don't think much was done for the Lions here.

I betcha they did do something.

craneSpotter · #**888** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 11:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

I betcha they did do something.

In Vancouver no doubt!

logan5 · #**889** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 11:49 PM**

Are we allowed to say "Super Bowl" around here?

Acajack · #**890** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 11:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by logan5

Are we allowed to say "Super Bowl" around here?

What do you mean?

Yes, people are allowed to talk about the Super Bowl but to insinuate that the entire world will be paying attention to it tomorrow night is buying into the hype machine hook line and sinker and people will be calling you on it for sure. As they should.

VANRIDERFAN · #**891** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 11:55 PM**

Regina also raised the 12th man flag, but that is mainly because of punter Jon Ryan who hails from Regina.

I get the Seahawk support in the BC lower mainland. Proximity to Seattle is likely the number 1 reason. It is ridiculously easy to get there and the Hawks have done a masterful job of connecting to the region. Also it is a lot tougher to get to the SB then the Grey Cup due to the number of teams involved.

As a huge fan of the CFL and a fan of the NFL, I think that this area has the best of all worlds. If you want you can watch live CFL, NFL, CIS, NCAA Div 2 (Simon Fraser) and NCAA Div 1 (Washington Huskies). I wonder how many other areas can say the same thing.
If you are a gridiron football fan, you would be in heaven.

Acajack · #**892** Posted **Feb 2, 2014, 12:03 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

Regina also raised the 12th man flag, but that is mainly because of punter Jon Ryan who hails from Regina.

I get the Seahawk support in the BC lower mainland. Proximity to Seattle is likely the number 1 reason. It is ridiculously easy to get there and the Hawks have done a masterful job of connecting to the region. Also it is a lot tougher to get to the SB then the Grey Cup due to the number of teams involved.

As a huge fan of the CFL and a fan of the NFL, I think that this area has the best of all worlds. If you want you can watch live CFL, NFL, CIS, NCAA Div 2 (Simon Fraser) and NCAA Div 1 (Washington Huskies). I wonder how many other areas can say the same thing.
If you are a gridiron football fan, you would be in heaven.

Interesting observation. You don't really have that even in the Golden Horseshoe, as the best NCAA team in New York state, Syracuse, is quite some distance away. NCAA football programs in cities like Buffalo and Rochester are fairly weak and hardly big time. And the Huskies are more big time than Syracuse anyway.

Windsor has easy access to both the NFL and big time NCAA but doesn't have the CFL of course.

logan5 · #**893** Posted **Feb 2, 2014, 12:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

What do you mean?

Yes, people are allowed to talk about the Super Bowl but to insinuate that the entire world will be paying attention to it tomorrow night is buying into the hype machine hook line and sinker and people will be calling you on it for sure. As they should.

I was referencing the over the top "Super Bowl" trademark protection. Any reference to the Super Bowl in the media must be referred to as "the big game".

Anyways... go Seahawks!!!

Acajack · #**894** Posted **Feb 2, 2014, 12:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by logan5

I was referencing the over the top "Super Bowl" trademark protection. Any reference to the Super Bowl in the media must be referred to as "the big game".

Anyways... go Seahawks!!!

Oops! Sorry!

Mister F · #**895** Posted **Feb 2, 2014, 12:47 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

NCAA Div 2 (Simon Fraser)

So even our universities are joining American leagues now? Well that's a sad indictment of sports in Canadian culture.

Nathan · #**896** Posted **Feb 2, 2014, 1:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister F

So even our universities are joining American leagues now? Well that's a sad indictment of sports in Canadian culture.

That's what sorta happens when one country's media/corporations go full bore in supporting/pumping up another countries sports leagues/sporting culture at the expense of parts of their own. There's really not much else that can come of it...

VANRIDERFAN · #**897** Posted **Feb 2, 2014, 2:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan

That's what sorta happens when one country's media/corporations go full bore in supporting/pumping up another countries sports leagues/sporting culture at the expense of parts of their own. There's really not much else that can come of it...

Did you happen to see the story TSN did during Grey Cup Saturday? It was about Canadian kids going down to US high schools to get better coaching so that they could get a better chance for a ride at a NCAA school. It was done by Duane Ford. The story praised the kids who went down there and was all rah rah for this practice. Then right at the end, he mentions the poor Canadian High school and university coaches and teams who are losing their best athletes to the States, and that maybe we as a nation should do something about that.

My comment is that Canada's all consuming focus on hockey has really screwed the other sports here. Year round hockey has impacted our ability to excel at soccer, football, baseball and basketball. This has a snowball effect on our Universities as well that we don't have the critcal mass to improve our athletics. Maybe if we allowed more scholarships at our schools, we could keep the best athletes here. Then maybe our sports networks would focus more on our schools vice the NCAA. (Dare to dream)

Finally, some of our greatest hockey stars are very critcal of the year round hockey focus on todays kids. When they were young they played (and excelled) at other sports besides hockey. They became a much more versitile athlete. something sorely lacking today. Yes they are big and fast, but very few are the artists on ice that Orr, Lafleur, Lemieux and Gretzky were.

bkd · #**898** Posted **Feb 2, 2014, 2:40 AM**

Lifelong Broncos fan... gonna have another reason to rejoice tomorrow when we beat the Seahawks. More sorrow and misery for Vancouver sports fans always makes me feel warm and tingly.

GO BRONCOS!

Acajack · #**899** Posted **Feb 2, 2014, 3:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister F

So even our universities are joining American leagues now? Well that's a sad indictment of sports in Canadian culture.

It's not new in the case of Simon Fraser. They've been affiliated with an American system since the 1980s at least.

VANRIDERFAN · #**900** Posted **Feb 2, 2014, 3:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

It's not new in the case of Simon Fraser. They've been affiliated with an American system since the 1980s at least.

They have been bouncing back and forth. NCIA from 65 - 01, CIS 01 - 09, NCAA Div II 10 -