strobe_z Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 I haven't seen this posted anywhere here... but low and behold, the Aviators have trouble and this idiot starts spouting off about how the "Canadian sports media is cramming soccer coverage down our throats" http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/EdmontonSun/Sports/2004/07/18/547191.html No surprise that soccer is losing again locally WES MONTGOMERY, EDMONTON SUN FREELANCE Did I miss something again or why is the sorry state of local soccer getting so much attention from the ever-lovin' media? Obviously, not too many people care, given the small crowds the Aviators men and women have drawn this year. Did anybody but a small minority ever think it will survive? I know what a great sport soccer is and what a great sport it is in other parts of the world, but in Portugal, Greece and Italy they aren't really breaking down doors to watch hockey or football, so why do so many media outlets keep forcing soccer on so many of us Canadians who really don't care that much? There are actually some critics who are blaming the media for poor attendance and financial woes. In this columnist's opinion local soccer has been the most over-covered, undeserving sport this city has been exposed to for over 40 years. I've heard sportscasts at different stations in Edmonton during that span and they always included soccer info. And I've been hoping, although never believing, it might catch on, because I'm a big fan of Joe Petrone and Ross Ongaro and respect their passion for a sport they love so dearly. OVER-COVERAGE BY THE MEDIA But it never happened. Not back then, not this year and it likely never will despite over-coverage by the media, who have turned their backs on local sports and supported Petrone's and Ongaro's heartfelt dream. I've got three grandchildren who play and love soccer and we all got excited watching our national junior ladies team perform at Commonwealth Stadium a couple of years ago. But they couldn't name two players on either Aviators team despite the great coverage from the media because they don't care. And trust me, my grand kids are great athletes and sports fans. I wish I had the talent of the Sun's Scott Zerr when it comes to writing, because someday this aging reporter might eventually be a hit. The young Mr. Zerr is one of the best local writers to have come down the pike since the days of Lacombe's Terry Jones, who is among Canada's best. But if Scott does make my prediction of excellence look good, it won't be because of his coverage of soccer. Not that it matters, but if I were 40 years younger I would have given some coverage to an exhibition baseball game in St. Albert on Friday night. Now baseball is a sport that most Edmontonians can relate to. Yet there was nothing in the papers despite the fact the 2002 dominion-champion Triple A senior Tigers were taking on the defending two-time provincial Triple A junior Tigers under the lights at Legion Park. ''We got to the old guys,'' chuckled junior team manager Doug McLennan, ''by a score of 10-5 ... and there were a couple of hundred fans in the stands.'' TWO LOSSES IN 22 GAMES In fairness, the seniors have two teams and will be putting their best together for the provincials. The juniors have played 22 games this season and have lost only two - once to the elder Tigers and a tournament game in Red Deer against the Calgary Outlaws. ''I think we're a better team with more depth this year,'' offered manager McLennan. ''We finished fourth last year in the dominions, but I think we'll be tougher this time when we head to this year's dominion championships in Trois Rivieres, Quebec, at the end of August.'' Meanwhile, no surprise in Viking last weekend as Cam Maxwell and his media buddies pulled off another successful fundraising celebrity golf tournament, which saw the Sutter brothers participating and some $29,000 raised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis_Rancagua Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 This guy is a complete moron. I really don't care of his narrow-minded opinion. He is grossly exagerating his facts. Coming from the Sun Media Corp, it doesn't surprise me. In fact half these guys who write for this paper are actually street vagabonds who finally managed to get a job. Some of them happen to be high-school drop-outs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Montgomery is the totally obnoxious type of low-brow neanderthal that spouts off on the local radio. I don't view it as political, it's just appealing to the lowest common denominator. When you hear him on the car radio, usually accidentally, you feel like you want to go home and take a shower to wash him off. You have them all over Canada now, but they often seem worse in the West. However, some of the sports writers on the Edmonton Sun are quite good, and they have done their best. The Zerr and Jones fellows do write on a simple level becuase of their audience, but they truly like soccer and try to help out the local community, and are seldom spew the garbage that Montgomery and some of the others in the local media sometimes do. Unfortunately, the Journal has steadily been going down too, ever since Southam sold the chain about a decade ago. Doyle has been crtical of the Sun, at least during the past week) for negative coverage of the Aviators, but at least there has been more regular coverage than the Journal since the season started. I can see where Doyle is coming from, he wants the Aviators to succeed and he sees the negative comments about the administration and coaching (two different issues by the way) as hurting the presence of soccer in Edmonton. However, all of us are involved in the debate because we all care. Montgomery is totally wrong about sports coverage of soccer. I documented that during the weekdays leading up to the critical home opener on May 30, there were zero articles in either paper about the Avaitors. There were also no ads from the Aviators. The Aviators share the blame with the media, as they are responsible for creating the buzz, and they did almost nothing. Being right-wing is defendable, but being a little ignorant Hitler like Montgomery can never be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Surprised that Luis is still typing away. Wes is part of the old guard of Edmonton sports. The problem with the Journal as much as the Sun is the lack of a true soccer journalist. Scott Zerr is no doubt the columnist because the Sun needs to keep him busy. Much the same way the Journal is doing with Colin Gallant. When the soccer season ends, they go back to their regular reporting jobs and do it with much more zeal than they would with soccer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Some of the old guard in Edmonton, like John Short, can be populist and gentlemanly without being obnoxious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Keeper Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 I wish canada all the success in the world at every sport we want to play. But I dont understand how things like baseball and basketball are thought to be so "Canadian." Or as this guy puts it, "something we can relate to." We are lucky if pro teams can make it in Toronto and one or two other cities. It always seems to me that our love affair with these games is usually based on that of the Americans. Our mens national basketball team players put there heart and soul into their games, but dont get half the respect of an MLB or NBA team. There are only a handfull of Canadian players on the raptors and jays usually to boot. They are about the big bucks and marketing not usually about the development nationally. If they are so engrained in the Canadian culture, why dont they take the same form as in the USA? Could it be that perhaps it is the media who are being conservative and over reporting these other games? To me that would certainly explain why soccer often doesnt get proper exposure yet, and mabey will over time. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 quote:by Dill-hole reporter: I've got three grandchildren who play and love soccer and we all got excited watching our national junior ladies team perform at Commonwealth Stadium a couple of years ago. But they couldn't name two players on either Aviators team despite the great coverage from the media because they don't care. And trust me, my grand kids are great athletes and sports fans. I think this is the important bit of this old farts commentary. For years we have whined on this board (including the old board in the generic sense ) that there is not enough media coverage. Well, I think in general the amount of coverage has gone up. But here's the rub, the quality of that coverage is now the important factor. In all other sports the media files story after story based on personalities. They write about transfers and trades, records being broken, the effect of injuries to star players, personal battles between managers and players both teammates and opponents. And the teams use this and expand on it with community programs getting the players "seen". But it is still the media who do post-game interviews (with pictures!) of the athletes, who show training shots and highlights that make the names recognizable. What we mostly seem to get is game reports with little in the way of the sort of coverage other sports get. Yes game reports are a start (especially coverage of away games) but people want to know the team they are supporting. They want to recognize the players and connect with them. Crap, I really don't know where I am going with this stream of consciousness but it feels like it is crucial. We have to start asking for better coverage, not just more coverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 It was quite sad to listen to the morning show on TEAM 1260. Jake Daniels had with him a host from TO who took shots at the Lynx as well. The show became somthing almost like a 'Jim Rome Show' Carbon Copy. Those that came to the defence of soccer got cut down by the dumb hosts. This is even more sad given TEAM 1260 is the Aviators media sponsor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishman Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 The media coverage, or more specifically the quality thereof, is undoubtedly an issue. As with most issues in mass media, the impending doom / chicken little scenario receives the most attention. Witness: the Edmonton Journal now providing front page (sports section) real estate to the Aviators, and the possible folding of the franchise. In fairer weather, they were relegated to the back pages, and even then, it usually was a quick score sheet type of blurb. I rarely look at the Edmonton Sun, as I consider it a dumbed-down rag. The article by Montgomery doesn't surprise me in the least. He is a huge curling guy, and helps to flog carpets for some discount flooring house. His comments should be treated as more of an editorial piece from an uneducated, uncultured hack. But I digress. Many people complain about the quality of media coverage...but does anyone petition the Journal (forget the Sun...it isn't fit for a birdcage) to provide better stuff? Why doesn't someone, with a golden pen, ask to do some freelance writing on a weekly basis for the Journal? They might even accept it, or offer a meagre piece-work wage. Truth be told, most writers are "stuck" with soccer, and in no way are attached to the sport. Not like one sees with hockey, football, or even (yuck) baseball. Don't expect better until someone occupies the soccer beat with a background in the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 A lot of people (including myself) like to hound the media for lack of quality coverage of our soccer teams. However, we should also be on the case of the teams themselves for not generating news of the happenings within the squad. Teams in the UK and the rest of Europe generate many news stories regarding the players and coaches. They have in-depth injury reports, player profiles, interviews with the manager, post-match breakdowns, and previews of upcoming matches. A problem with Canada's A-league clubs is that they don't do this (especially here in Calgary). Sports writers, as a rule, are a bunch of lazy buggers who would rather have the work done for them. If they were peppered on a daily basis with well-written articles about the goings on of the club, they would be more likely to cut and paste it into their newspapers. The Flames and Stampeders receive tonnes of background articles (ranging from team members growing beards to who has a new baby, etc.) because the clubs are throwing this info at the paper (or the reporters are being given tonnes of access to the inner workings of the club). The Mustangs could do this, if they showed a little initiative. Oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torontosupport Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 quote:Originally posted by some comedian from Edmonton... OVER-COVERAGE BY THE MEDIA That's the funniest thing I ever heard. A Canadian sports writer claiming soccer gets too much coverage. Someone get me a gun. As for Cooks' comments, I think they're bang on. Teams need to generate some hype themselves, even if it's only within circles such as us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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