Vancouver rises for big occasions while NFL splits apart
BULLS OF THE WEEK
Toronto is Canada’s most bullish sport market in size of population and fan base, economic clout and media volume and it’s the only one with franchises in the NBA and Major League Baseball (along with NHL, MLS and CFL).
Yet the Pacific Gateway city of Vancouver is clearly emerging as Canada’s special event hub. The past week exemplified that yet again with success stories in both Rugby XVs and women’s soccer.
More than 29,000 fans — 29,480 to be precise — crammed into an extended seating capacity in the lower bowl at B.C. Place Stadium for an exhibition match between Canada and the Maori All-Blacks of New Zealand last Friday. That set a record for Rugby XVs attendance in this country, obliterating the previous mark set at BMO Field in Toronto by 30 per cent.
Less than a week later, on Thursday night, 28,017 went through the turnstiles at another lower bowl sellout at B.C. Place to take in a 1-1 draw in the home leg of international friendlies between the women’s national soccer teams of Canada and the U.S.
Add another recent rugby success story — the HSBC World Rugby Sevens that drew more than 38,000 on each of two days earlier this year and are anticipated to go north of 80,000 over two days in March of 2018 — and stellar crowds for Vancouver’s hosting opportunities at the FIFA 2015 Women’s World Cup (including 53,341 for the final), and you get a sense of Rugby Canada and the Canadian Soccer Association pressing all of the right buttons in partnership with local sport hosting and tourism promoters in Vancouver and B.C. Place in a way that isn’t happening anywhere else in the country.
BEARS OF THE WEEK
It’s never a good thing when a civil war breaks out. Yet that’s the metaphor for what’s happening in the NFL this week as big divisions began to emerge in a league known for almost two decades for its ownership solidarity and common front strength as the richest league in the world and North America’s sport television juggernaut.
Self-described “ranking owner” Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys is at the centre of the emerging civil war because of his efforts to block a new contract extension for commissioner Roger Goodell. This week, he went after NFL compensation committee chair Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons (and Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer), accusing him of misrepresenting and mishandling the contract talks with Goodell, who is poised to receive $40 million per year beginning in 2019.
Some suggest it’s sour grapes from Jones fuelled by the sixgame suspension levied against his star running back, Ezekiel Elliott.
It appears, however, that something much bigger is going on as owners digest declining television ratings, controversial stands on social justice, slowdowns in key merchandising markets, sponsor unrest and bearish stadium attendance in places such as Los Angeles.
Goodell hasn’t made things easy for himself by bungling a series of high-profile discipline issues (Bountygate and the New Orleans Saints, Deflategate and the New England Patriots and the Elliott and Ray Rice domestic violence files).
Add it all up and, as we previewed last month, never in 30 years has the NFL been in such a mess.
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