Interesting article in The Star today about the end of baseball in Ottawa. Ottawa Lynx have folded and are likely moving to the States. In addition baseball fields in Montral are being changed into soccer fields. Soccer was also given as one the reasons the Lynx have closed down. Are we really seeing the sports world changing a little in favour of our favourite game?
Quite possibly. I've even heard something along the lines of Lynx Stadium (JetForm Park, for those that remembered) being converted into a soccer stadium. Possible USL-1 or USL-2 team, perhaps?
This really isn't anything new. Minor League baseball has been disappearing in Canada for more than a decade now. Its weird in a way though, as there has never been so many Canadians in the Majors as there are now. So even though there aren't many professional teams in Canada, good Canadian baseball players are finding their way to the the big time. Maybe Canadian soccer can learn something from baseball in that regard.
And what's even more weird is that the Blue Jays are the only baseball team that plays above the single A level. Scary, when you think about it. All of us needs to try and make sure the same thing doesn't happen to soccer in this country.
I stopped being a baseball fan during the last strike (1994 I believe) which also co-incided with my eldest child turning 5 and being eligible to play Tim Bit soccer. As the club was short coaches I offered to take a team and this progressed to getting my various licenses until I had completed my senior licence and had coached both boys and girls rep soccer. Since 1994 I can count the number of baseball games I've watched on 3 fingers. Since my kids got in to soccer and I got involved in coaching, etc, I must now have watched at least a thousand games, amateur and pro. There is absolutely no comparison and I want to thank pro players for going on strike so in my anger I could introduce my daughter and son to the great game of soccer.
I grew up playing baseball. Now I umpire baseball as a summer job. Baseball at a rec-level is hurting badly. It's still fairly strong in some areas, notably smaller towns, but in the suburbs and big cities it has dwindled quite shockingly. Just to get enough teams at a 'AA' level they are combining 16, 17 and 18 year olds, in my hometown of Mississauga. Numbers have fallen off dramatically from where baseball 'used' to be. The baseball strike does have something to do with it, it also has to do with the Blue Jays being bad. In the peak years of Blue Jays dominance ('92-'93) the numbers for baseball was up. Now they are down, there does seem to be a correlation. Let the growth of soccer continue! It can only be good for the long term.