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Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): I think we put way too much emphasis on hockey, so much so that it's pretty much the only team sport we can compete in in the top international levels. |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): but then we get humiliated by 3rd world countries at just about every other international sport, especially soccer. |
Quoting Flyboy2001 (Reply 1): I agree that we really let our Soccer players and fans down in Canada. Soccer (Football) is the single biggest team sport in the entire world |
Quoting Flyboy2001 (Reply 1): I also like the sportsmanship in Soccer - ever see a hockey player help a fallen opponent to his feet? |
Quoting N1120A (Reply 2): Canadians also happen to do very well in figure skating (duh), speed skating (duh), skiing and many other winter sports. Further, Canada's performance at the Summer Olympics has been excellent for a country of its size. |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): It seems like hockey is the only thing Canada is really passionate about, and we're content to either be mediocre, or just down right suck at everything else, and that doesn't just include sports. |
Quoting Halls120 (Reply 4): I admit it is somewhat nostalgic to see all these overpaid professional athletes come home to "compete for their country" in the Olympics or the World Cup, but let's be honest - once the World Cup and the Olympics are over, all of "our" athletes go back to their professional teams and concentrate on winning for their wallet. |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Reply 3): I realize that, which is why I specified 'team' sports. |
Quoting N1120A (Reply 5): lso, I think the fact that there is very little compensation in the Olympics, particularly in sports where true professionals do compete, means that we are watching our heroes perform selflessly and for pride as opposed to money. |
Quoting Halls120 (Reply 6): Do you really think that professional athletes are competing in the Olympics only for pride and national glory? Good for you. I believe they are doing it because if they win a gold medal, that will be figured in by their agent at the next contract negotiation, and when their agent is negotiating the next endorsement deal. |
Quoting Halls120 (Reply 6): One of the reasons I like watching the World Cup is that I get to watch a very high level of soccer played by the best athletes in that sport, and I care not one whit about which country wins. |
Quoting N1120A (Reply 7): In fact, you often see the greedier players (yes, I am looking at Kobe Bryant) skipping the games altogether. |
Quoting N1120A (Reply 7): In case you are forgetting, the World Cup is played by a bunch of very highly paid celebrities too. |
Quoting Halls120 (Reply 8): I didn't forget. I just watch the Cup for the enjoyment of watching top-flight soccer, not so I can wrap myself in my flag. |
Quoting Halls120 (Reply 8): But I thought we were "watching our heroes perform selflessly and for pride as opposed to money." They don't. |
Quoting N1120A (Reply 9): Quoting Halls120 (Reply 8): I didn't forget. I just watch the Cup for the enjoyment of watching top-flight soccer, not so I can wrap myself in my flag. Did you see the celebrations in Rome? Now that was national pride. The vast majority of people watching that tournament have a completely different view of the World Cup than you do, as do the players. |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): I think we put way too much emphasis on hockey, so much so that it's pretty much the only team sport we can compete in in the top international levels. |
Quoting Flyboy2001 (Reply 1): I also like the sportsmanship in Soccer - ever see a hockey player help a fallen opponent to his feet? |
Quoting N1120A (Reply 5): Also, I think the fact that there is very little compensation in the Olympics, particularly in sports where true professionals do compete, means that we are watching our heroes perform selflessly and for pride as opposed to money. |
Quoting L410Turbolet (Reply 12): |
Quoting L410Turbolet (Reply 12): Also, I think you are incredibly naive to think that the motivation of the pros is "selfless" and without the actual objective being better contracts, more commercials, better bonuses. |
Quoting N1120A (Reply 14): Other than MAYBE having the company that already has them under contract for endorsements do a commercial, there is nothing about winning a gold medal that is going to increase the marketability of an already high level pro athlete. |
Quoting Flyboy2001 (Reply 1): I also like the sportsmanship in Soccer |
Quoting Flyboy2001 (Reply 1): ever see a hockey player help a fallen opponent to his feet? |
Quoting L410Turbolet (Reply 12): not having another Gretzky |
Quoting Acey (Reply 11): Perhaps it's good that we're exceptionally good at something instead of just mediocre at a number of sports? |
Quoting Halls120 (Reply 15): You know this based on your extensive experience as a sports agent and/or marketing executive for major corporations? |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): It seems like hockey is the only thing Canada is really passionate about, and we're content to either be mediocre, or just down right suck at everything else |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): it's pretty much the only team sport we can compete in in the top international levels. Sure we're the best at hockey, but then we get humiliated by 3rd world countries at just about every other international sport, |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): sure we're the best at hockey, but then we get humiliated by 3rd world countries at just about every other international sport, especially soccer. |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): I think we put way too much emphasis on hockey |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): he US competes well in pretty much every sport because they think beyond just US football or baseball. |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): Sure we're the best at hockey |
Quoting Travelin man (Reply 20): Too bad it doesn't translate into Canadian teams winning the Stanley Cup. |
Quoting Travelin man (Reply 20): Too bad it doesn't translate into Canadian teams winning the Stanley Cup. *ducks* |
Quoting ScarletHarlot (Reply 18): Except curling! Don't forget curling. Canada still kicks the world's ass at curling. |
Quoting Acey (Reply 24): Even your head coach is Canadian. |
Quoting Acey (Reply 24): Why should it? Any team winning the Stanley Cup is just as good from the perspective a Canadian hockey fan, since, for example, only eight Ducks aren't Canadian. Among them is your captain and both assistants. Even your head coach is Canadian. |
Quoting Travelin man (Reply 26): It seems that Canadians DO care about which team wins the Stanley Cup. |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): It seems like hockey is the only thing Canada is really passionate about, and we're content to either be mediocre, or just down right suck at everything else, and that doesn't just include sports. |
Quoting Travelin man (Reply 26): That said, I read a lot of articles about how Canada got behind Ottawa in the last go around |
Quoting A332 (Reply 33): the ones who don't like hockey in Canada are typically the ladies who have sit through 'boring' Saturday nights for most of the year. |
Quoting YooYoo (Reply 34): Not in YYZ. |
Quoting Iamcanadian (Reply 36): Ever heard of editing? |
Quoting Acey (Reply 35): Not one single person said they weren't supporting the Sens to some extent. |
Quoting Iamcanadian (Reply 36): Ever heard of editing? |
Quoting Acey (Reply 39): The point is simply that there were plenty of people in Southern Ontario supporting the Sens, even in Toronto. To think otherwise is being narrow-minded. |
Quoting Acey (Reply 35): Lots of guys don't like it, either. Lots. We're not helping our cause by trying to claim that every single Canadian loves hockey. It's simply not true. |
Quoting L410Turbolet (Reply 12): I think it'd be a bigger problem for Canada (or any other country) not have another Nobel Prize winner in science than not having another Gretzky (Beckham, Schumacher or god knows who else). |
Quoting A332 (Reply 31): Last time I checked, hockey was really the only sport in Canada that a vast majority of the population gave a crap about... who cares if we don't excel at some of the other stuff... hockey is what matters in this country. |
Quoting Arrow (Reply 23): |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): It seems like hockey is the only thing Canada is really passionate about, and we're content to either be mediocre, or just down right suck at everything else, and that doesn't just include sports. |
Quoting VonRichtofen (Thread starter): Yet I haven't seen much about the U20 world cup that we're HOSTING in Canada. |
Quoting N1120A (Reply 5): Again, that really comes down to population. Canada just doesn't have the population to support a bunch of really good national teams. |