Of Freedom Slayers And Low University Support In Sports

Reminds me of what happened at Concordia University a few years back when pro-Palestinian protestors and a student council (I forget which one) literally managed to prevent a discussion on the Middle-east from an Israeli perspective (I think it was Netanyahu who was the guest speaker). Whatever. It's all anti-free speech and totalitarian in its orientation. The protestors got nasty. Classes were cancelled.

As a former student, watching the limp, and gutless reaction by the university, it was enough for me to not give money to the alumni. I said as much to them during their yearly drive for contributions.

Never heard from them again.

***

A local sports radio show host was lamenting the pathetic state of attendance at university sports games. Outside a sprinkle here and there, and pockets of decent support in some football, basketball and hockey (depending on the region and school)  institutions, the overall support is indeed, shall we say, weak? As usual, we measure it against the United States. In the U.S., 100 000 people will fill the stands supporting their school. In Canada, 10 000 if you're lucky. More like, 5000 or even less actually. I've seen cases where 100 or so show up.

There is no comparison between how the two countries develop and market their sports. The USA is on a different inter-planetary dimension. The "why's" of this is not the point of this post.

But I will explore one reasons why I think attendance and support is low, is because more often than not, it's not really the best players representing the school. Some of them wouldn't have made AA let alone AAA. Personally, and I'm very selective this way, I estimate half the people in soccer don't know jack squat on how to play the game. It's one thing to know have some technique and quite another to forge a team capable of executing proper skills and tactics. Most are undisciplined mavericks who just focus on bad tackles and useless aggressive play.

I digress.

Outside a tight circle of friends and family, no one cares. It's just a bunch of guys who came up through the system who still loved playing and happened to make the team; it's sort of like high school. High school soccer games in the USA can get into the thousands of people. Know how many people came to watch our team win its first city championship in high school?

Zero.

As in no one. Not even fans made of cardboard. The school didn't even attempt to build any kind of support. And this was the school's first ever title! The coach had been waiting for one since 1975 and we brought him not one but THREE between 1987 and 1989.

It was a great team really. Several all-stars who played for country and province at elite AA-AAA levels.

It may be a little different in basketball (although for some reason few of our top players in the NCAA ever comes to play for Team Canada) and increasingly in football, but I know in soccer the output gap between the best and weakest was huge. There were plenty of players I knew who were outstanding players but didn't join for multiple including justifying the time. The best hockey players tend to go to the junior ranks and even the NCAA before university hockey.

I don't mean to demean any of this. Just stating the reality. I could, of course, be wrong but I think this is the general picture.

In the United States, it's a completely different scenario. Schools begin recruiting in high school and are far, far more scientific and organized about it. Canadians see what goes on in the States and truly want to mirror that. The desire is there, we just don't have the cash to design the roadmap to such success.

They say Canada and the USA are two different cultures. When it comes to sports, we are.