Sports in Canadian culture

[jonny24]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Interesting. So is this laying the groundwork for a Canadian division, or are two teams all that there will be for now?

Nobody knows. The RFL and Superleague (top tier, semi-separate body) are so hilariously badly run it wasn't even confirmed until three days before the final game, if the Toronto Wolfpack would be allowed to move up a league if they won.


Edit: So as of now the plan is just for them to float among the UK leagues. Supposedly NYC is joining next year. No long term strategy besides that it seems.

[Djeffery]

I think any U Sports contract Sportsnet had was inherited from their purchase of The Score a few years ago. They did football playoffs but not really much else that I recall. As for CHL, Sportsnet does have a Friday night game but with the 3 leagues,, it's hard to get a team on there. They, like for the NHL, do have their favourite teams as well, and who the top draft prospects are also plays a role in what games they cover.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

I think any U Sports contract Sportsnet had was inherited from their purchase of The Score a few years ago. They did football playoffs but not really much else that I recall. As for CHL, Sportsnet does have a Friday night game but with the 3 leagues,, it's hard to get a team on there. They, like for the NHL, do have their favourite teams as well, and who the top draft prospects are also plays a role in what games they cover.

I've spotted the odd CHL game on Sportsnet but it's always involving OHL teams or Rimouski Oceanic. I haven't come across any WHL games.

In terms of non-NHL hockey on TV, I note that TSN occasionally shows AHL games, but it's basically restricted to putting on games produced by other networks - mainly Marlies games on Leafs Nation Network (whatever the hell that is) and the AHL All Star Game (by the AHL itself IIRC).

At one point SN used to produce AHL games on its own, but that was a while ago.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

I've spotted the odd CHL game on Sportsnet but it's always involving OHL teams or Rimouski Oceanic. I haven't come across any WHL games.

In terms of non-NHL hockey on TV, I note that TSN occasionally shows AHL games, but it's basically restricted to putting on games produced by other networks - mainly Marlies games on Leafs Nation Network (whatever the hell that is) and the AHL All Star Game (by the AHL itself IIRC).

At one point SN used to produce AHL games on its own, but that was a while ago.

Either RDS or TVA Sports broadcast 1-2 Laval Rocket games per week. We probably get the AHL all-star game as well.

The Rocket's highlights are always on sports newcasts, either just before or just after the QMJHL highlights, but after the NHL stuff of course.

Since the suburban Montreal-based Rocket has been the Habs' farm team, coverage has been ramped up considerably. We didn't hear that much about the farm team when it was based in places like Hamilton.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Either RDS or TVA Sports broadcast 1-2 Laval Rocket games per week. We probably get the AHL all-star game as well.

The Rocket's highlights are always on sports newcasts, either just before or just after the QMJHL highlights, but after the NHL stuff of course.

Since the suburban Montreal-based Rocket has been the Habs' farm team, coverage has been ramped up considerably. We didn't hear that much about the farm team when it was based in places like Hamilton.

I am blown away by that stat. There haven't been any local/regional Manitoba Moose games on TV since probably the late 1990s when the local CTV affiliate used to put the odd home game on... can't remember exactly how many, but it was maybe like once a month or so.

The only time the Moose are on broadcast TV is when they happen to be on a televised Marlies game. SN used to put the odd one on back when they did AHL games. I don't ever recall seeing any highlights on local newscasts either, but I could be wrong. It's possible Global shows highlights as they are a team sponsor, but I never really watch Global News.

I get that it's the minor leagues but the Moose are a team that attract on average between 3 to 6 thousand fans a game, on occasion even pushing up towards 8 or 9 thousand. Many of their players are recognizable faces to Jets fans. You'd think there would be some appetite for TV coverage. It's funny, on the North Dakota network channels there are routinely high school and college games on TV with less people than that in the stands, but then it's a less crowded sports market.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

I am blown away by that stat. There haven't been any local/regional Manitoba Moose games on TV since probably the late 1990s when the local CTV affiliate used to put the odd home game on... can't remember exactly how many, but it was maybe like once a month or so.

The only time the Moose are on broadcast TV is when they happen to be on a televised Marlies game. SN used to put the odd one on back when they did AHL games. I don't ever recall seeing any highlights on local newscasts either, but I could be wrong. It's possible Global shows highlights as they are a team sponsor, but I never really watch Global News.

I get that it's the minor leagues but the Moose are a team that attract on average between 3 to 6 thousand fans a game, on occasion even pushing up towards 8 or 9 thousand. Many of their players are recognizable faces to Jets fans. You'd think there would be some appetite for TV coverage. It's funny, on the North Dakota network channels there are routinely high school and college games on TV with less people than that in the stands, but then it's a less crowded sports market.

When I say (as I often do) that the sports media scene in Canada really, really sucks... it's not really an exaggeration.

[SaskScraper]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The Carleton Ravens won the U Sport men's basketball championship last night in Ottawa, over Dalhousie. It was the Ravens' 9th championship in the past 10 years. And their record 15th title overall.

Attendance was 4100 at TD Place (Civic Centre) which seats around 10,000 and is the home of the OHL-CHL Ottawa 67's.

From what I gather the event was heavily promoted on social media (saw lots of ads on Facebook) but I dunno about traditional media coverage.

I haven't paid much attention to Ottawa anglo media recently, but from what I can see from searches they barely talked about it in the lead-up to the tournament.

Even today coverage is fairly light except for the odd "Oh yea, BTW Carleton won".

(Nothing really new about that level of coverage, though.)

The University of Saskatchewan Women's Basketball team won the U Sports National title again apparently, this time over Brock University on the weekend in Ottawa.

Ranked #1 in Canada, this is the seventh straight year the U of S women's team has been in the Championship tournament where they came ranked both the No. 1 offence and defence in the nation for U Sports women’s basketball, averaging 83 points offensively and allowing only 49.5 points defensively per game this season, and overall, Saskatchewan shot 40 per cent from beyond the arc in Canada West division play.

The Saskatchewan team has won the Canada West title Four of the last Five years.


 Physical Activity Complex in Saskatoon, SK, on Feb. 28, 2020. | Yasmine El-Gayed


U of S coach Lisa Thomaidis (in burgundy & grey above in the photo ) and also the 2015 Pan Am Games champion, doubles as head coach of Canada’s national team that ranks as one of the top flight teams in the world will be evaluating her Tokyo Olympics schedule with the possible changes due to CoVid-19 to see if it affects her U of S coaching arrangements for next University season.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/thestarp...-champions/amp

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by esquire

I've spotted the odd CHL game on Sportsnet but it's always involving OHL teams or Rimouski Oceanic. I haven't come across any WHL games.

In terms of non-NHL hockey on TV, I note that TSN occasionally shows AHL games, but it's basically restricted to putting on games produced by other networks - mainly Marlies games on Leafs Nation Network (whatever the hell that is) and the AHL All Star Game (by the AHL itself IIRC).

At one point SN used to produce AHL games on its own, but that was a while ago.

I just searched for their schedule and see they only had 1 Friday night game this year, most were weekend afternoons. They definitely are light on the WHL, I see only 4 of the 19 games were from the W, while 5 are from the Q and 10 from Ontario.

[jonny24]

Coronavirus making its way into the sports history books with the NBA postponement.

Are amateur sports going to be affected? Thinking of my upcoming rugby season - 30 young guys running around outside is a lot different than thousands in a closed building.

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by jonny24

Coronavirus making its way into the sports history books with the NBA postponement.

Are amateur sports going to be affected? Thinking of my upcoming rugby season - 30 young guys running around outside is a lot different than thousands in a closed building.

I can see junior hockey suspending their seasons. And CIS (university sport)has several national championships coming up) which I could see being cancelled.

Wondering if by beer league hockey will finish the season (one game left and then playoffs).

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by Acajack

When I say (as I often do) that the sports media scene in Canada really, really sucks... it's not really an exaggeration.

Absolutely! All of Canada's (English speaking) cameras are based in one city Toronto. Coverage in BC was better 20 years ago with pregame, postgame, and intermission interviews and breakdown by Vancouver based people.
75000 people in BC place last weekend for an international sporting event (rugby 7s) and not one tv channel carried it despite having 11 (Toronto based) sports channels in this country.

(Lots of brackets used in this rant lol)

[Coldrsx]

Guess who just showed up at Rogers Place/Ice District yah hosers.


https://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...ring-covid-19/

[FrankieFlowerpot]

https://fcbayern.com/en/news/2020/04...n-at-fc-bayern

[isaidso]

Good thing you posted a link or I'd have no idea what that photo was supposed to be about. I probably would have guessed 2025 Davis Cup t-shirts with Davis spelled wrong.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

https://fcbayern.com/en/news/2020/04...n-at-fc-bayern

What's that device next to the phone?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by rousseau

What's that device next to the phone?

A pod for teleconferences?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by rousseau

What's that device next to the phone?

It's for teleconferencing.

[rousseau]

Shows how much I know. With over twenty years of working from home now, I probably wouldn't recognize half of the things that are common in offices these days.

[EpicPonyTime]

That's definitely a contract signing photo for the ages.

For real, though, Davies already has a claim to be the best Canadian to ever play soccer. If you don't know who he is now, I'm sure you will by the time he has another contract signing. He's gonna be the centerpiece of the mens' team for years.

[Acajack]

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif of the Kansas City Chiefs (also a doctor) has responded to François Legault's all-hands-on-deck plea and is working in a long-term care facility. He didn't want the news to get out - but of course it did.

Olympic figure skating medallist Joannie Rochette is also a (very) freshly-minted doctor and has also jumped into the fray by working in a long-term care residence.