Toronto Star Olympics Article W/Golden Skate Quote Used In It!!

amateur · Feb 13, 2009

This situation with the Asain-Canadian (or simply Asian) fans neutralizing the "home ice advantage" is not specific to this situation. As an example:

The World Basketball Championships were held in Toronto in 1995 or thereabouts... I remember watching a game - an important elimination game - of team Canada versus Greece I believe (or was it Argentina? I remember a blue and white flag - but I'm thinking Greece because they have a sizeable community in Toronto). Canada did not enjoy any sort of home-team advantage in this game! You know when fans make noise and wave those foam things trying to distract a player from the visiting team from making a free throw? This was happening more AGAINST the Canadian team, IN TORONTO! It was a close competitive game; Canada lost and was eliminated from the tournament.
The crowd may well have been a deciding factor.

I think Canada must be the only country in the world where this sort of thing can happen (somewhat regularly) in sports. Most Canadians, I think, just accept this as how our country is.

edit: I actually went and read the article in question AFTER posting this little anecdote, only to see that it was indeed mentioned there...

Mathman · Feb 13, 2009

Maybe Canadians are just gracious hosts.

Like when you invite a guest for dinner, quite naturally you give the guest the biggest piece of pie. That's just common courtesy. :yes:

amateur · Feb 13, 2009

Mathman said:
Maybe Canadians are just gracious hosts.

Like when you invite a guest for dinner, quite naturally you give the guest the biggest piece of pie. That's just common courtesy. :yes:

Well, to me it also has something to do with our views on multiculturalism... where immigrants are, for the most part, in most regions of the country, ENCOURAGED or welcomed to keep (and share) much of their native culture, and form their own communites within the larger community, so that our society is seen as a "mosaic" of cultures... One is not necessarily expected to assimilate into the "melting pot" (our common contrasting view of the US) and leave one's originating culture behind. Of course this does cause frictions in some situations, but for the most part Canadians pride themselves on this sort of tolerance and openness. And so people feel no shame in rooting for their own "motherland" in a sporting event. From what I gather from other countries such as the US, this would not be acceptable to even nearly the same degree as it is here.

Mathman · Feb 13, 2009

amateur said:
...One is not necessarily expected to assimilate into the "melting pot" (our common contrasting view of the US) and leave one's originating culture behind....

To get serious for just a momnent, in the U.S. that is a huge and hotly debated public policy issue. There are strong feelings on both sides

Tonichelle · Feb 13, 2009

Mathman said:
Like when you invite a guest for dinner, quite naturally you give the guest the biggest piece of pie. That's just common courtesy. :yes:

Bet me. I get the biggest piece no matter what. :rofl:

amateur · Feb 13, 2009

Mathman said:
To get serious for just a momnent, in the U.S. that is a huge and hotly debated public policy issue. There are strong feelings on both sides

Interesting. Is that debate translating to any sort of palpable shift (should we care to expand on a serious topic)? I don't profess to really know anything about the state of such things in the US, beyond what we were told in 10th grade geography class (the mosaic vs. melting pot distinction/generalization). And the fact that the US (and certain other countries, such as France) seem to be a whole heck of a lot patriotic than we are in Canada. Canadians are always analyzing our (relatively few) diffences with our large powerful neighbour, the US; we have a bit of an identity complex here (in English Canada anwyay - not so in Quebec!)

Another bit of trivia: Canada is the only host country not to have won a single gold medal in an Olympic Games that it hosted (neither '76 in Montreal nor '88 in Calgary). So we are perhaps even more sensitive on issues of home-team support, around the Olympics. :laugh:

I can see the need for a full-blown media campaign, on rooting for the home team, such as what this article seems to be starting.... :laugh:

It wouldn't indicate any serious and long-lasting anti-foreigner sentiment though.

bekalc · Feb 13, 2009

Another bit of trivia: Canada is the only host country not to have won a single gold medal in an Olympic Games that it hosted (neither '76 in Montreal nor '88 in Calgary). So we are perhaps even more sensitive on issues of home-team support, around the Olympics. I can see the need for a full-blown media campaign, on rooting for the home team, such as what this article seems to be starting....
It wouldn't indicate any serious and long-lasting anti-foreigner sentiment though.

Well let me say this I find the articles insulting, and I find the articles insulting if it was my own country doing it. The reason I find it insulting, is because it's not like home court advantage is earned.

The Olympics is every four years, most of these athletes will never get a chance to compete at the Olympics at their home. So the idea of Canadian athletes getting some kind of special advantage or deserving a special advantage frankly "sucks".

amateur · Feb 13, 2009

bekalc said:
Well let me say this I find the articles insulting, and I find the articles insulting if it was my own country doing it. The reason I find it insulting, is because it's not like home court advantage is earned.

The Olympics is every four years, most of these athletes will never get a chance to compete at the Olympics at their home. So the idea of Canadian athletes getting some kind of special advantage or deserving a special advantage frankly "sucks".

I'm not sure where you are from, but most Canadians who would say or write such things, would be doing so with a touch of self-effacing or ironic Canadian sort of humour. It's not meant as a real tirade against anything or anyone, as I read it

Home team advantage is seen as reality - "deserved" as you put it, or not - in many sports (though to what degree, is debatable), and so we find it sort of humourous that we don't seem to enjoy this advantage as much as others, and we hope that might change sometime. Though I do agree with you, that such things shouldn't *really* matter... The media often will latch onto things to entertain itself, or to try to stoke national pride (in a country that is not particularly patriotic compared to many) Something that I don't like is that the media takes a tone implying we need to prove ourselves with a high medal count - as the *most important* aspect of the games - and need to turn all our attention to the big medal hopes, and judge them on whether they delivered on that promise... this is getting increasingly annoying and rather turns me off enjoying the Olympic coverage these days.

But we really do generally wish everybody well!! And we like to moan about how we're far from being the best in most sports - "and look, we don't even get cheered for that much in our home games" (

)... etc., Certain people sometimes take it upon themselves to snap us out of this, to rally us and tell us that we should strive to prove that we are among the best. But the "rallying" is not meant in any mean-spirited way against others!

bekalc · Feb 13, 2009

amateur said:
I'm not sure where you are from, but most Canadians who would say or write such things, would be doing so with a touch of self-effacing or ironic Canadian sort of humour. It's not meant as a real tirade against anything or anyone, as I read it

Home team advantage is seen as reality - "deserved" as you put it, or not - in many sports (though to what degree, is debatable), and so we find it sort of humourous that we don't seem to enjoy this advantage as much as others, and we hope that might change sometime. Though I do agree with you, that such things shouldn't *really* matter... The media often will latch onto things to entertain itself, or to try to stoke national prode (in a country that is not particularly patriotic compared to many) Something that I don't like is that the media takes a tone implying we need to prove ourselves with a high medal count - as the *most important* aspect of the games - and need to turn all our attention to the big medal hopes, and judge them on whether they delivered on that promise... this is getting increasingly annoying and rather turns me off enjoying the Olympic coverage these days.

But we really do generally wish everybody well!! And we like to moan about how we're far from being the best in most sports - "and look, we don't even get cheered for that much in our home games" ()... etc., Certain people sometimes take it upon themselves to snap us out of this, to rally us and tell us that we should strive to prove that we are among the best. But the "rallying" is not meant in any mean-spirited way against others!

Well I guess I got annoyed because there was an article which also said well because of the complicated system it would be hard for the judges in figure skating to give Canadian skaters a boost.. And that for me was going very far..

I get "home court advantage" in other sports but normally in those sports everyone has a shot at playing at home. But I'm sorry NOT AT THE OLYMPICS. At the Olymplics let's hope the most deserving athlete wins, no matter what nationality.

amateur · Feb 13, 2009

bekalc said:
Well I guess I got annoyed because there was an article which also said well because of the complicated system it would be hard for the judges in figure skating to give Canadian skaters a boost.. And that for me was going very far..

I get "home court advantage" in other sports but normally in those sports everyone has a shot at playing at home. But I'm sorry NOT AT THE OLYMPICS. At the Olymplics let's hope the most deserving athlete wins, no matter what nationality.

I get what you are saying, and I agree :yes:

bekalc · Feb 13, 2009

amateur said:
Well, to me it also has something to do with our views on multiculturalism... where immigrants are, for the most part, in most regions of the country, ENCOURAGED or welcomed to keep (and share) much of their native culture, and form their own communites within the larger community, so that our society is seen as a "mosaic" of cultures... One is not necessarily expected to assimilate into the "melting pot" (our common contrasting view of the US) and leave one's originating culture behind. Of course this does cause frictions in some situations, but for the most part Canadians pride themselves on this sort of tolerance and openness. And so people feel no shame in rooting for their own "motherland" in a sporting event. From what I gather from other countries such as the US, this would not be acceptable to even nearly the same degree as it is here.

In the US, I wouldn't say that everyone is expected to completely leave behind their original culture (although they do want you to learn English) If you talk to my Dad's family they are Irish (even thought hey are 3rd Generation removed, and well they are half Polish as well) they still feel some attachment to their previous heritage.. In ethnic areas there are parades, holidays celebrated etc...

But what does happen is that eventually people intermarry with other groups and do become more American than let's say Irish.. But I have a strong suspician that the same thing happens in Canada, that third generation Canadians feel more of attachment to Canada then they do to their country of origin. (could be wrong but that's my suspician) This is what happens when people interrmary etc.

But really I bet too that a lot of those Asian Canadians don't even know who Joannie Rochette IS.... Plus, I also suspect that there's the feeling of ethnic pride because Yu-na for example Yu-na is the first Korean skater. Canada has had lots of top skaters and so Yu-na is special to them... I'm sure though that they could be pursuaded to cheer for their new country too.

Toronto Star Olympics Article W/Golden Skate Quote Used In It!!

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