31 January 2012, 1:55 am
A new national sport might better represent Canada for the following reasons: #1 Professional hockey has long been sold down the border with only 7 teams out of 30 located in this country, there are 5 provinces with no pro hockey team and the headquarters is in New York not Canada. #2 Hockey is not very representative of Canadian ethnic diversity in the players themselves or even in the fanbase. #3 Hockey is a very violent contact sport with lots of injuries and fights are encouraged as part of the show (not a terribly good example for young people) . It seems un-Canadian in the sense that Canada likes to promote itself as a peace-loving nation. #4 Hockey parents put too much pressure on kids with their unrealistic fan-atic expectations that they'll make it all the way to the pro league when the chances of this are just about as good as winning the lotto (statistically speaking) #5 Hockey does not seem natural in a place like Vancouver where lakes and rivers rarely (if ever) freeze over in winter. In Toronto and Montreal the winters are increasingly mild too due to global warming, so hockey has to be played more and more in special indoor facilities with poor air quality. These facilities require tremendous amounts of hydro power for their maintenance and are thus bad for the environment. (Hockey is ALWAYS played like this when franchises are brought to ridiculous desert settings like Phoenix or Dallas) #6 Some Hockey fans get too crazy when they lose...they have already trashed 1/2 of downtown Vancouver...twice. #7 The Cup has not been won by a Canadian team in almost 20 years...is it because the best players go to the teams down south so what we're left with is not good enough? #8 Hockey gear is way too expensive and that tends to exclude fans of more limited means, thus turning it into a kind of exclusive "elite" sport. #9 Hockey players and promoters make too much for what they do (which is basically entertainment) and this is reflected in the admission prices. I know they are very talented and should be compensated to make a living, but does it really make sense for a hockey player to make more than a doctor or an engineer!? For all these reasons I believe Canada would be better served by promoting all-Canadian amateur hockey leagues only or a new and different sport all together. (maybe soccer due to its global appeal so that Canada could have a respectable presence in more international events such as the World Cup?)... Read More »
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