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Pro Sports is DEAD in Winnipeg  A rant by: BlackThorne Y'know what sickens me? What a lousy city Winnipeg is for sports. At least, in comparison to other cities. Check this out. Calgary Saddledome: NHL hockey WHL hockey NLL lacrosse Edmonton Rexall Place: NHL hockey WHL hockey (2007) NLL lacrosse Winnipeg MTS Centre AHL hockey (Vancouver Canucks Farm Team) And some people STILL have the nerve to say Winnipeg can't support at LEAST just an NHL team! Let's face it guys- sports is dead in Winnipeg and has been since spring of '96. I know a few people in Edmonton and spoke to them recently and they tell me how CRAZY that city is going due to the recent Oilers success. There's a "buzz" in the city that you can feel in the air and hasn't been felt since probably the Gretzky-Kurri-Anderson-Messier days of the late 80's! And how about us, in good ol' s*itty Winnipeg? Oh- we have to wait until the fall to see who the Vancouver Canucks will "let us have" for our top pro hockey team. I hate that. I really, really hate that. We have a facility 30 years NEWER than Rexall Place. Next year Edmonton will have an NHL team, WHL team, and NLL team to cheer on there. Face it- pro sports is DEAD in Winnipeg. Now don't get me wrong- I love the Goldeyes. Absolutely adore 'em. Although I'm a little confused as to why they receive less media coverage than the Moose despite being more popular than them. Fact is, yeah, it's the minors and there will be no parades downtown if they win it all in September. I like the Bombers... but they've done nothing significant in 16 years and there's no reason to believe it won't be another 16 years before we can brag about 'em. Oh what's that? They "have a good team on paper" this year? Yeah they usually have had that since 1991. The results speak for themselves. Let's be frank- even a Bombers Grey Cup win won't equal the passion of the Jets reaching the 2nd round of the playoffs. Why do so few in Wpg not consider it ABSURD that right now Carolina (and recently Anaheim) get to enjoy NHL hockey and we don't? I've honestly HAD IT with this city... the 'inferiority complex' so many have... the lack of vision by Mark Chipman, Jim Ludlow, and the rest of True North... the FRUSTRATION of being such a passionate sports fan, but living in such a LOUSY city for sports... And yet still... there are those at City Hall and Winnipeg/Manitoba tourism, and the "powers that be" that are constantly planning/scheming ways to keep the youth here and get people downtown and even others who "don't get" why so many people want OUT of Winnipeg and Manitoba ASAP... all the while hoping that museums, rapid transit and condos on the river will "go a long way" to turning things around... I hate living in a city where the ones in charge are so utterly clueless. I'd like everyone at City Hall, every sports fan in Manitoba, everyone in charge of making the "Big Decisions" in Manitoba... to go down to Whyte Ave. during an Oilers victory to see the ONLY THING that will put Winnipeg back on the map, improve our morale, and improve our reputation with the rest of Canada- if not the world. If you think something OTHER than an NHL team here will do it, by all means let me know. << Back Add a Comment Comments ( Add a Comment ) scrumtrulescent says: 2006-05-31 19:21:43 I’m not about to suggest that I have all the answers for solving Winnipeg’s problems, but I must say that I think it’s absurdly ignorant to suggest that professional sports teams will save Winnipeg’s reputation. First of all, Winnipeg can’t afford an NHL team, plain and simple. Comparing Winnipeg to Calgary and Edmonton is irrelevant. What Calgary and Edmonton have--and what Winnipeg clearly lacks--is TONS OF MONEY! Suggesting that Winnipeg should have a team because Anaheim and Carolina have teams is also irrelevant. Anaheim may not have the population Winnipeg has, but they’re right next door to LA! My guess is that the number of tourists drawn to Winnipeg for the Festival du Voyageur every February (the only winter attraction in the city) is much smaller than the steady flow of tourists visiting the Anaheim area for Disneyland and Hollywood other local attractions. And Raleigh NC--one of the wealthiest cities in the US--is full of rich doctors and researchers who can afford to support an NHL team despite the unlikely location. Once (if) Winnipeg becomes more affluent, bring on the NHL team. But until then, it just isn’t going to work. Either accept it or move to one of the aforementioned cities… Anonymous says: 2006-06-01 09:31:54 You seem to be such a "supporter" of sports in Winnipeg. When it comes to purchasing a ticket you probably don't go to any. You are the same as everybody else. All talk and no action. Going to one sporting event is not support. Anonymous says: 2006-06-01 09:36:00 You seem to be a shut-in. Lose some weight and try to leave the TV. If you want sports the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are starting up football shortly and it should be an exciting season. As for pro hockey its dead here. No one is going to support over priced hockey players anyways. Rigel says: 2006-06-21 16:34:30 Blackthorne continues to delude himself into thinking an NHL team will make a huge difference to life in Winnipeg. If he'd think back a bit, he'd recall that when the Calgary Flames missed the playoffs seven straight years, whole sections of the Saddledome were closed down for lack of attendance. Meanwhile before the salary cap, Edmonton was one of the teams that was being considered to be moved. As for the NLL, box lacrosse is one of the most useless team sports in existence; it's just a poor---real poor---imitation of hockey, and you can see how much attention it draws on the world stage. Do cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles have teams? I wonder why not? One thing Blackthorne is right about is the viability of a WHL team here since Edmonton is coming back into the league next year, and Winnipeg is the only major Canadian city without one. Anyone who's realistic about Winnipeg's chances of getting an NHL team again should realize they're about as good as the NHL landing a big US television contract. And with TV hockey ratings in the US being even lower this past season than they were before the lockout, our chances and the league's are mighty slim. If the NHL had any brains, it would reduce the length of its season. Who needs one that drags on for 8 1/2 months? If hockey lasted from Nov. 1-April 30, it would still run for six months and that would be more than enough. One of the NFL's secrets of success is the fact it has a 5-month season, and even the CFL is smart enough to keep theirs about the same. The NHL also needs to reduce the number of teams, not merely shift them to other centers in the hope they could connect. Actually the recent Stanley Cup wins by Tampa Bay and Carolina don't bode well for Winnipeg's chances because the league will believe there's still a future for hockey in the US. So if it decides to move any teams, it'll try places like Houston, Kansas City and Seattle before Winnipeg. In fact, I'd predict it would disband teams before moving them here. And since it's raised the salary cap by 18% for next season, it may unintentionally start putting teams into a financial bind again. But if that could be part of a hidden agenda, it shouldn't surprise anyone. BigB says: 2006-06-22 07:35:44 I love how we are comparing the booming metropolis' of Alberta to Winnipeg. Like he honestly thinks we are comparable. Winnipeg hasn't had equivilent populations to the two listed cities in 20 years. What teams does Saskatoon have? I am getting really sick of hearing you beak off about the Jets. For the last two years you have posted probably 10 rants on the same damn issue. Commitment will not revive a burnt out city. Try to discuss some of the different issues that have arised on the site. jeffrey says: 2006-06-22 22:59:54 If you don\'t have season tickets to the Bombers, Moose or the Eye\'s you have no right to \"sound off\" I would even settle for a T-shirt or Jersey of either. Or easier, move! If your not part of the solution, your part of the problem. JT says: 2006-06-27 11:25:24 I'm gonna get a payday loan from Money Mart tonight so I can buy the Goldeyes and fold em. Then me and my fat friends can play our beer league slow pitch at Can Jew Park JetPilot says: 2006-06-27 20:18:32 Hey JT, count me in too! GoldenEye says: 2007-04-18 16:44:57 You guys just don't get it do you? Leave Winnipeg for a sporting event sometime. You'll see what we're missing out on. BigB says: 2007-04-21 12:39:10 Hey Goldie...ya, you. Are you retarted? Of course we no what we are missing out on. Do you think we don't travel to Minneapolis 5 times a year to watch NFL? Which is a sport we will never have? Read the comments above. It's clear the reason why we don't have any real sports. JT, you are hilarious. |
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Yeah, drunken louts destroying the downtown after a hockey game. That's exactly what Winnipeg needs.