Sports in Canadian culture

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/b...s-right-031414

75,000 tickets have been sold so far for the 2 Jays exhibition games in Montreal at the end of the month

Maybe it is time for the Expos to be resurrected!!

[isaidso]

I'll crack open some Dom (or maybe some Molson Export) when that happens... and it will.... it MUST!

Originally Posted by Acajack

That's pretty impressive. Better than I thought they would do. Much better in fact.

Really? People under estimate how many people in Montreal miss baseball. Baseball has a rich and long history in Montreal. The Expos would still be around today if they'd had a proper baseball stadium. I'd be shocked if both those games don't sell out.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by isaidso

I'll crack open some Dom (or maybe some Molson Export) when that happens... and it will.... it MUST!



Really? People under estimate how many people in Montreal miss baseball. Baseball has a rich and long history in Montreal. The Expos would still be around today if they'd had a proper baseball stadium. I'd be shocked if both those games don't sell out.

Could be. But I don't really hear it in Montreal or more broadly in Quebec, other than very rare public statements by people who were directly involved with the Expos. If it exists it's about one millionth of the ''feeling'' related to the absence of the Nordiques in QC.

That said I am glad this event will be a success, and Montrealers do like novelties which is what MLB may have become for them.

[Welkin]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/b...s-right-031414

75,000 tickets have been sold so far for the 2 Jays exhibition games in Montreal at the end of the month

WOW!!! Very impressive. Maybe it should have been the "Bills in Montreal" series.

[osmo]

Montreal is a town meant for baseball. The stars will have to align again in my lifetime to see that city get a team back. Bring a team back in the AL East with natural rivals in NY, Boston, and Toronto to play a bulk of their home games against. More TV content to show, this could be a play for RDS/TSN to counter what has worked very well for Rogers and the Jays. Selig needs to scram before it happens though, last thing that stubborn and corrupt clown will do is reverse a mistake/decision he made prior; look at the foolish All Star game format and home-field as an example.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by osmo

Montreal is a town meant for baseball..

What makes you say that?

[middeljohn]

Sometimes I wish Leo Rautins would shut the hell up.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by middeljohn

Sometimes I wish Leo Rautins would shut the hell up.

You said it. He explains every single play like a teacher in front of a classroom of people who've never seen a basketball game before. As if it's an instructional video. It's unbelievably tedious.

I'm watching the game online using NBA Game Time. Sometimes you get Toronto's play-by-play guys, and sometimes it's the opposing team's. Tonight it's Atlanta's. Dominique Wilkins and some other guy. It's a nice variety this way.

I've heard just about every team's play-by-play duo, and I've gotta say that Matt Devlin and Jack Armstrong are two of the best, but when Leo Rautins is working they are among the worst. The Knicks have great announcers. As do the Lakers. And Portland, too.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Decided to keep this in the Sports and Canadian Culture Thread.

All the heat and light on March Madness once again brings up the subject of losing our athletes to the US big time colleges. While I applaud Canadians who can perform at that high level, I cannot help but feel that a little bit of us dies when another Canadian leaves for the states. I wish that our Universities could sell out 35,000 seat stadiums and 18,000 seat arenas and be the focus of our national sports media (looking at you especially CBC and TSN since you will be losing hockey fairly soon).
Is it a lost cause? I know that there is a movement from some Universities to have more extensive scholarships to compete with the NCAA. Some have even contemplated joining the NCAA (UBC) or already joined (SFU).
So what is your opinion? Do you even see this as an issue?

[middeljohn]

While I agree with you that our university sports programs are lacking, this year I'll zip it because of Andrew Wiggins. He's about ready to break out it seems with 41 points followed by 30 points in conference play.

[Boreal]

The majority of Canadian universities have made the seemingly conscious decision that, "Sports are not part of our raison d'être, nor are they a meaningful part of our identity". While this may vary from one school to another, in Winnipeg, either at the U of M, or the U of W, the sports programs - while important to those involved obviously - are little more then a sideshow. For the first time in my life time, a CIS sport/even was relevant this past summer, with the Bisons football team pulling in respectable numbers (into brand new IG Field).

Athletic events are not marketed. Literally. That changed in a modest way for football this past summer/fall. I don't know who is the bigger failure in that respect, the University admin, the Bisons/Wesmen athletic departments, or the students in the respective business faculties who seem to routinely miss an opportunity (however modest).

For athletes, a lot more then just money and quality of programming would have to change in order to retain and scoop talent.

I am a big time CIS supporter. I hope to see it grow. To do so, I believe that it will need a size-large shove.

[thebasketballgeek]

Originally Posted by Boreal

The majority of Canadian universities have made the seemingly conscious decision that, "Sports are not part of our raison d'être, nor are they a meaningful part of our identity". While this may vary from one school to another, in Winnipeg, either at the U of M, or the U of W, the sports programs - while important to those involved obviously - are little more then a sideshow. For the first time in my life time, a CIS sport/even was relevant this past summer, with the Bisons football team pulling in respectable numbers (into brand new IG Field).

Athletic events are not marketed. Literally. That changed in a modest way for football this past summer/fall. I don't know who is the bigger failure in that respect, the University admin, the Bisons/Wesmen athletic departments, or the students in the respective business faculties who seem to routinely miss an opportunity (however modest).

For athletes, a lot more then just money and quality of programming would have to change in order to retain and scoop talent.

I am a big time CIS supporter. I hope to see it grow. To do so, I believe that it will need a size-large shove.

I bet you the U of W womens basketball team had a good following as they had that huge winning streak

[esquire]

Originally Posted by thebasketballgeek

I bet you the U of W womens basketball team had a good following as they had that huge winning streak

That was probably the only time a CIS sport other than the U of M Bisons football team during a Vanier Cup run was the subject of water-cooler conversation in Winnipeg - at least during my lifetime.

The would-be record-breaking game vs. the U of M Bisons was sold out with a national TV broadcast (extremely unusual for a regular season CIS game). People were pretty hyped up for it... and then the U of W lost. Sigh. Still, I guess winning 88 in a row isn't bad!

[SHOFEAR]

Here's a photo from the Canada West Final game one from a few weeks ago. The bears kicked the shit out of the dinos. Not a sell out, but very close. my picture



CIS finals start tomorrow. Hopefully the bears don't shit the bed like they have like the last couple of years.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by SHOFEAR

Here's a photo from the Canada West Final game one from a few weeks ago. The bears kicked the shit out of the dinos. Not a sell out, but very close. my picture

Not that surprising given that Edmonton is (in my view, at least) Canada's best sports town, but the U of A teams are far better supported than most CIS teams are out west. The Golden Bears hockey team does seem to have a small but loyal base of support, which is more than you can say for the parents-and-girlfriends crowds that the U of M Bisons hockey team gets.

[Acajack]

FYI the departure of the Expos did help somewhat in boosting CIS football's profile in the Quebec media.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

FYI the departure of the Expos did help somewhat in boosting CIS football's profile in the Quebec media.

The western CIS football teams all want to model themselves on Laval and Sherbrooke which are practically arms-length organizations and therefore not required to adhere to the "every sport is the same in our eyes whether it's co-ed badminton or men's football" rigidly egalitarian philosophies of university administration.

I think the Sask CIS teams have made some moves in that direction, but that's about it... most are still a long way from attaining the lofty heights of Quebec's clubs.

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by esquire

The western CIS football teams all want to model themselves on Laval and Sherbrooke which are practically arms-length organizations and therefore not required to adhere to the "every sport is the same in our eyes whether it's co-ed badminton or men's football" rigidly egalitarian philosophies of university administration.

I think the Sask CIS teams have made some moves in that direction, but that's about it... most are still a long way from attaining the lofty heights of Quebec's clubs.

The Rams and Huskies football teams get a fairly sizeable amount of funding from the Riders, so that definitely helps their ability to pursue a bit of independence. I don't know what other teams do with 50/50s or the size of the jackpots (I suspect some are quite a bit less as the Hamilton fan we sat beside was impressed with the $30k jackpot at the 2012 Grey Cup), but at Rider games they have typically been at least $30k per game the last number of years (reaching $250k at the Grey Cup last year).

It's also partially why the Regina and Saskatoon teams of the CJFL have historically been such strong programs.

I had a look at the financial statements and it said $160,000 was split between Football Saskatchewan (Amateur Youth Organization), the Huskies, Hilltops, and Thunder in 2012 - the Rams get a cut separately because they sell it. Last year the grand total for all 50/50s (Pre-season, Regular Season, Playoff game, Grey Cup, Paul McCartney) was ~$820k. This would give the Rams $410k, with $410k being split between the other 4 groups.

There was also a "Centennial Fund" that was set up that took profits from the Riders' Centennial year and distributes some of them annually to different amateur sports groups all across Saskatchewan requesting assistance; these could be school sports programs, community fields, etc.

It's a pretty virtuous cycle: the better the Riders do, the better the amateur/junior/university programs do; the better these programs do, the better the talent the Riders can pick up in their own backyard.

[SHOFEAR]

Way to go Bears!

Saskatoon, fix your arena. Those awkward center ice camera angles are way too high and far away.

[sam2020]

Originally Posted by esquire

The western CIS football teams all want to model themselves on Laval and Sherbrooke which are practically arms-length organizations and therefore not required to adhere to the "every sport is the same in our eyes whether it's co-ed badminton or men's football" rigidly egalitarian philosophies of university administration.

I think the Sask CIS teams have made some moves in that direction, but that's about it... most are still a long way from attaining the lofty heights of Quebec's clubs.

There is talk that the Oua/Canada West could have a cross over schedule starting in 2015 if that does happen it would be a good thing.