Raise the Hammer

Hi Bob,

I will not bore you with yet another list of logical reasons as to why the West Harbour is a better location for "your" stadium than the East Mountain; I'm sure you have heard them all by now. It has become painfully obvious that you know nothing about, or choose to ignore, current progressive and contemporary urban planning practices. If it does not involve acres of parking or naming rights, you do not want to hear it.

What I will tell you is that you are doing a fine job of polarizing this city and alienating Hamilton Tiger-Cat fans. It is apparent to me, as well as other fans that I have spoken to, that you are striving to cater to everyone other than the traditional Tiger-Cat fan. Your hypothesis that fans from London, Niagara Falls, GTA, etc. will flock to "your" East Mountain location is based on what, exactly? If these fans wanted to attend Hamilton Tiger-Cat games, they would be.

People do not go to sporting events because of ease of access. The best stadium atmospheres in professional sports can be found in dense, URBAN locations across both North America and the world (again, I will not bore you with evidence of numerous examples from wonderfully PROGRESSIVE cities). There is something about walking through historic city streets on the way to the game, or enjoying a dinner and a drink along the way or after, that is lost at a suburban stadium. You preach game day experience; acres of open field/parking and a Home Depot does very little to enhance a fan's game day experience.

So, when you get "your" East Mountain stadium, I'm sure you will get the crowds you desire in the very short-term (heck, you may even get the odd curious fan from London or Niagara Falls that you so desperately desire!). But the novelty will wear off very soon, and what you will be left with is another suburban, North American white elephant of a stadium (except this one will be embarrassingly constructed in 2010 rather than 1970). However, who knows if you will still be around to really suffer any of the consequences? Good luck, Bob.

P.S. As a lifelong Ti-Cat fan, I will never spend another dime on the Ti-Cats if they play on the East Mountain. I doubt that I'm alone.