Comment 66873

By Fred Street (anonymous) | Posted July 25, 2011 at 11:06:58 in reply to Comment 66820

In terms of reclaiming the golden era of Ivor Wynne Stadium/Civic Stadium, you'd be asking an awful lot. Back then there were precious few social environments or large-scale community events – Hamilton Place didn't open until 1973, for example, and Festival of Friends didn't launch until 1975. Entertainment options were greatly reduced, as was stay-at-home entertainment: this was an era of a handful of TV stations, and the largest movie theatres (The Palace, The Capitol) were closed/ demolished by 1971. That and the pro sports universe was considerably less complex: unless you crossed the border, there was only the NHL and the CFL. That and the home team was a legendary powerhouse – habitual division leaders that managed regular Grey Cup appearances and wins – that even managed to topple the Bills. Season averages were above 30K a game. That's obviously not anywhere close to the reality of the modern era, and it's probably the most fundamental reason the appeal of IWS has changed. Concerts and special events extend the appeal, but the core reason for coming to IWS will always be the Cats and if the on-field product is poor, it doesn't matter what sort of amenity-rejuvenation program you're running. And the standard of excellence that was commonplace on the Civic Stadium gridiron has been elusive for almost 40 years. IMO, fielding humble champions matters infinitely more than clever branding.

Permalink | Context

Events Calendar

There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?

Recent Articles

Article Archives

Blog Archives

Site Tools

Feeds