Which of these cities have the best downtown: Montreal, Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver? (school, gardens)
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Surely one could see the economic benefits of pro league sports beyond "I don't like sports so this is of no use." I'd expect a more intelligible answer from as well traveled a person as you.
I can't believe I'm defending Botti LOL
Did he actually say what you quoted? I'm too lazy to check the whole thread. If the quote is just to relay how you understood his comment, then I'd have to disagree.
I see the economic benefits of pro sports to a point, but I pay no real attention either. I only go to games if someone gives me free tickets. I don't care what team wins in pro sports because a city's team isn't composed of people from that city, or even the country. It's all just a corporately run stage show.
I've seen people cry when the Canucks lose. I put those people in the " slightly on the edge " mentally, and wonder why they invest so much emotional energy into what amounts to a fake representation of the city.
Don't get me wrong, I understand the appeal for many, and not all are so blind, but I get Botti's point as well.
I pay no attention, nor do I play, any kind of group sport. I always enjoy individual sports such as tennis.
I never could understand the pride people feel about their city based on some team sport. So Toronto beats Ottawa, how could that make me happier or sadder? It is a culture I will never assimilate into.
A confession I recently made on City-Data, is that I've been a huge pro sports fan all my life, but in recent years I've begun to realize how illogical it is to be rabidly passionate about a sports team that doesn't have one of your kids, a family member or at least a friend on it.
And yet I am still a fan of a number of pro teams that I have none of these personal connections to, though not obsessively so.
I think all of this appeals to something fundamentally tribal in humans.
I was in part playing the Devil's advocate, but on a serious note, I would love to see some stats, if there are any. I know the people I hang around have various interests in professional sports....but part of me still doubts it the majority of people, and even the level of " knowing " Portland, outside of North America ,because of it.
And he is the foremost expert on pro sports interest in Canada.
If you think that not all of the fans of other sports are automatically hockey fans, then you're well over half of the population that follows some kind of pro team sport.
It's not "everyone" of course, but it's huge. Most non-fans are likely sharing a household or at least have close relationships with people who are fans.
Surely one could see the economic benefits of pro league sports beyond "I don't like sports so this is of no use." I'd expect a more intelligible answer from as well traveled a person as you.
I'm not entirely convinced that pro sports are a huge windfall for cities (as is often claimed), but they can provide a lot of visibility and bring other benefits. The value of which is sometimes difficult to put a number on, though.
While not as well known globally as Vancouver (BC), Portland has more global renown than people give it credit for due to having a professional basketball team. Pro sports in general contribute to a city's "fame" even if people who aren't sports fans don't always realize it.
American football is not that popular worldwide but Green Bay is still one of the most well-known small American cities due to the presence of the Packers (and the fact the team has been immortalized in popular culture to some degree).
And pop culture in general is a huge factor. People of a certain generation may know of Milwaukee due to Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley, or at least the general "feel" of coastal Washington state due to the Twilight movie series. (Even though it was filmed in BC, I am pretty sure.)
Europeans and/or Asians would know about Portland because of basketball?
I'm not a sports fan but given the popularity of soccer elsewhere in the world, I would be amazed if Europeans knew anything about basketball teams. I'm not even sure if any of the rabid a Canadian hockey and baseball fans I know would know that because the subject of basketball never comes up.
And he is the foremost expert on pro sports interest in Canada.
If you think that not all of the fans of other sports are automatically hockey fans, then you're well over half of the population that follows some kind of pro team sport.
It's not "everyone" of course, but it's huge. Most non-fans are likely sharing a household or at least have close relationships with people who are fans.
Ok, but still trying to understand the point that Portland Ore is known ( better known according to Saturno ) internationally than Vancouver because of a sport team, or Nike or????
It's just in all my travels, in all the encounters I never found people knowing Portland Ore at all...nada. Heck when and if I had to explain to some where Vancouver was and mention Washington State, let alone Seattle, they hadn't a clue. Vancouver much more so now than before, but still always a glint of recognition over Portland.
Ok, but still trying to understand the point that Portland Ore is known ( better known according to Saturno ) internationally than Vancouver because of a sport team, or Nike or????
It's just in all my travels, in all the encounters I never found people knowing Portland Ore at all...nada. Heck when and if I had to explain to some where Vancouver was and mention Washington State, let alone Seattle, they hadn't a clue. Vancouver much more so now than before, but still always a glint of recognition over Portland.
You ask people if they know Portland OR when travelling abroad? I admit to having no idea if foreigners are familiar with Syracuse or Rochester...
Europeans and/or Asians would know about Portland because of basketball?
I'm not a sports fan but given the popularity of soccer elsewhere in the world, I would be amazed if Europeans knew anything about basketball teams. I'm not even sure if any of the rabid a Canadian hockey and baseball fans I know would know that because the subject of basketball never comes up.
Basketball is the second most popular team sport in the world. Lots of people overseas follow the NBA. I have lots of friends from abroad (non-US) who follow the sport and I see chats on Facebook in various languages all the time.
Basketball is the second most popular team sport in the world. Lots of people overseas follow the NBA. I have lots of friends from abroad (non-US) who follow the sport and I see chats on Facebook in various languages all the time.
Interesting. I had no idea.
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I was in part playing the Devil's advocate, but on a serious note, I would love to see some stats, if there are any. I know the people I hang around have various interests in professional sports....but part of me still doubts it the majority of people, and even the level of " knowing " Portland, outside of North America ,because of it.
