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agree. HS football in canada is not at the same level as HS football in the US. i would even go further to say that HS football in canada is not at the same level as peewee football in the US.
it is a much stronger sport culture in the US than canada. the infrastructure/development is much more mature in the US for sports and its affiliates (cheerleading, marching bands), as well as the funding.
to be honest, i would love to see that school spirit in sports from the US rub on to our schools in canada.
I heard football is most popular in the prairie provinces. Maybe Alberta is where football is big?
There is no football in Canada that is comparable to US High School football. Now, if you want to discuss hockey...
Football is hardly a thing in Irvine, CA. It's all about soccer, tennis, and baseball. Then again, Irvine is plurality Asian. Then again, Vancouver is plurality Chinese and majority Asian. That explains why football isn't more popular in Canada.
Football is hardly a thing in Irvine, CA. It's all about soccer, tennis, and baseball. Then again, Irvine is plurality Asian. Then again, Vancouver is plurality Chinese and majority Asian. That explains why football isn't more popular in Canada.
No it doesn’t. The vast majority of Canada is nowhere close to Vancouver’s demographics yet football isn’t quite as popular as in the US.
The reason football isn't as popular is the same reason that no high school athletics are as popular.
There is not a giant feeder system of scholarships from literally thousands of colleges and universities awaiting student athletes in Canada. Team sports are viewed generally as a community organized activity, or small competition, and the larger, more popular sports are absolutely that way. Canadian school boards, for the most part, don't funnel millions of tax dollars into stadia and athletics, preferring to focus on education.
The reason football isn't as popular is the same reason that no high school athletics are as popular.
There is not a giant feeder system of scholarships from literally thousands of colleges and universities awaiting student athletes in Canada. Team sports are viewed generally as a community organized activity, or small competition, and the larger, more popular sports are absolutely that way. Canadian school boards, for the most part, don't funnel millions of tax dollars into stadia and athletics, preferring to focus on education.
This, absolutely. The emphasis in Canadian high schools is on academics, not sports. Yes, sports are an important part of high school, but they are viewed as extracurriculars, not too different from drama club, concert band, yearbook committee, and French club. You basically sign up for a sports team at a Canadian high school; you don't try out. On very rare occasions, you might be scouted by US college scouts if you show a unique aptitude (a local friend got his education through a scholarship at a US school because he could play baseball extremely well), but it is unusual.
The emphasis is on academics because that is pretty much the only way to get into university in Canada. For undergraduate programs, universities look at marks, and ignore participation in clubs, activities, sports, and interviews. There is no SAT or ACT in Canada; it is high school grades only, plus perhaps recommendations from high school teachers.
Canadian kids love playing sports, but as Mike pointed out, they tend to come up through community organizations. Like baseball players in the US, Canadian hockey players rise through local leagues that have nothing to do with school (if you play hockey for a Canadian high school, you are too bad a player to make your mark in a real league, and you have no hope to play beyond high school). Those of us who played football at high school knew we had next-to-no football career beyond high school. Football wouldn't get us into a good university; our grades would.
Gridiron football programs are expensive to maintain. The equipment, the uniforms, even the field itself all cost money. Many universities even down here in the US have dropped their programs all together. In my home state, Northeastern University, Boston University, and UMass Lowell all ended their football programs. Some high schools do not have football programs either and some do not have hockey programs. It all depends on interest and more importantly, school budget. And no, football is not followed the same way in all parts of the US. Down south in states like Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida with their stellar NCAA Division I programs, yes football at all levels is worshipped. Up here in New England, not so much, especially at the high school and collegiate levels. I've attended enough high school football games to notice either low attendance or attendance in which over half the audience are too busy chit chatting Friday night town gossip than paying attention to the game. New England states have few Division I programs but many Division III programs and all I can say, having attended a Division III school for graduate school (Tufts University), football is a lot more like a club sports option than anything really serious. So in that regard, football programs at schools like Tufts, Bates College, Middlebury College, or Bowdoin College are lot more like their Canadian counterparts, existing for enjoyment not prestige.
Anyways, I digress. I actually want to inquire if Canadian high school football teams follow Canadian football rules or do they modify the rules in any way? I might want to attend a Canadian football game just to see how its like later in the Fall but if I cannot make it to a CFL stadium, perhaps I might resort to watching a high school or collegiate level game.
Thank you, Acajack. I haven't decided which part of Canada to visit this year but hopefully I can watch a live game somewhere.
If you are going anywhere in Quebec for university football game I'd recommend a Laval Rouge et Or game at the PEPS stadium in Quebec City. It's the best university program in Canada and while the stadium is small it's usually quite full with 10-12,000 people (and often overflow crowds much larger) and there are tailgate parties before the game and lots of atmosphere.
For a pro (CFL) game in eastern Canada I would recommend a Tiger-Cats game at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario.
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