The Soapbox

Now that the Canadian Mens National team's World Cup Qualification adventure has ended tragically everyone is lining up to figure out what went wrong...or are they?

If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

What is truly wrong with Football in this nation?

Canada is a proud nation of approximately 33 million people. We are a wealthy, developed nation where more youth and adults play "The Beautiful Game" than the nation's unofficial national sport of Hockey.

So what is the deal? We are, comparatively speaking anyways, as wealthy or moreso than our CONCACAF competition, we have equal or greater population paired with participation rates. So what gives?

My Theory: We are not consumers of the game, and the CSA bungles with the best of them. The Sports Networks in Canada fight and scrap over the broadcast rights to the overseas leagues and tournaments yet pay little to zero attention to our Professional Domestic Leagues Teams and our Domestic International Team. It all boils down to Adam Smith Economics, Supply and Demand.

Sportsnet would have broadcasted the Mens Team's games had they fealt they would have gotten value for money. Who are we to tell them how to run their business? They are the ones rolling in profit while we the frustrated soccer fans are angry at them for not helping "Sell the game" to folks that couldn't be arsed anyways. Is it not the same complaint we NHL savvy fans have with the Commissioner handing out franchises to non-hockey markets and alienating us educated fans in an effort to win over fans that aren't going to fall in line anyways?

It is a convoluted mess, as hard to figure out as a Mr. Base post.

The Voyageurs (A mostly lost group of donkeys that, for the most part, have probably never kicked a ball in their life) are fired up, albeit small in numbers, and passionate. They want to burn Dale Mitchell at the stake and Sack the entire CSA. But for what? Another group of muppets to come in and do precisely the same thing? Are the players to blame? Party, yes.

The whole thing boils down to the general Canadian Populace not giving a rat's arse. Would the MLS in Vancouver and Montreal complimenting TFC's presence help? Probably. It would/could go a long way to help remove some of the euro-snobbery that persists, at least amongst the Commercial Drive types.

Vancouver has now elected a Pro-Soccer Mayor. Even though he had problems sorting out his debts, and has since paid up, I have some faith he will, amongst his Communist left winging Muni Politikos, help further the Mythical Stadium Cause. Perhaps a beautifull park on the Waterfront or a renewed BC Place with an aging Euro Star of Italian or Portuguese Heritage will be the tonic to draw the "old world" folks out of the cafe's and eateries to take in the odd Whitecaps game.

That all being said, are we okay with what we have? Do we have a choice in the matter? I enjoy the Whitecaps games from the "Southside" it is a mish mash of folks from all types, one common thing is they try to replicate a true supporter-style atmosphere for about the best footy one can consume live and in the flesh in these parts of the world.

Last week over, or approximately, a thousand people showed up to Percy Perry Stadium to take in the VMSL Premier Division's "Battle of the Balkans" between Croatia SC and the Serbian White Eagles. Why? Heritage and pride I suppose. The game was a foregone conclusion prior to the game even kicking off. Yet the stands were packed with Croatian-Canadians, Serbian-Canadians and a whole lot of other people.

I guess at the end of the day I will sum up the above by saying we are, and need to realize we are, just a niche group here in Canada, and we have to get used to it.

We are "third world" when it comes to footballing, and I at least for now, am over it. Every dog has it's day, and some nice things will happen in the community every now and then, but at the end of the day, the average Joe Sixpack in Canada doesn't care about Soccer at most levels other than his kid's babysitting service twice a week for two hours.