For Ronda’s sake, it would be better off for Ronda Rousey to retire

 

(Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Before I begin, it should be known that I know next to nothing about UFC fighting. I don’t pretend to be a journalist in this sport. That being said, there’s no doubt that UFC is growing in popularity each and every year. When Georges St. Pierre first broke onto the scene, many fans in Canada were excited that one of the pioneers in the sport was making his mark on a growing sport. Now he’s regarded as one of the greats of all time.

Ronda Rousey has gone through the same meteoric rise, having gone on an undefeated run of victories and bringing a new name to UFC. However, it all came to a crashing end after her loss to Holly Holm. Since then, many people have questioned on how Rousey can return back to the spotlight. There has also been discussion on how she dealt with the loss already (Hint: She didn’t take it very well, and it is very depressing just to think about), and how she can recover from the situation that she has been in for the past while.

But at a perfect time in her career, Ronda Rousey has the best chance she has to retire now and go out on a personal high.

Why? Well, if she returns, there are two things that can happen if she returns back to the ring. If she wins, there’s now an added pressure to keep on winning, and that can’t be the best thing for someone clearly undergoing some serious mental trouble. The last thing she needs is more external pressure. If she loses, then obviously there’s the pain of loss that has happened, and that can’t be good for anyone, never mind someone like Ronda Rousey. It’s a no-win situation.

Also consider the physical toll of these matches. I’m no doctor, but if football players can get CTE by simply being tackled and hit by moving players, I can’t imagine what a UFC fighter must go through during a match. Conclusion: the results don’t look too good for all the concussion activists everywhere. And who’s to say that her mental problems may or may not have been caused by the senseless beating she has taken over the years.

It’s not like Rousey is going to leave lots of money on the table by quitting UFC. She already has worldwide fame due to her talents, and has taken full advantage of that. She has a movie deal, she landed the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, and there’s no limits as to what she can do in her career, after she gets her mental problems sorted out. She could even coach the next generation of UFC fighters if she chooses.

The question isn’t what Rousey will do when she retires from UFC – it’s when she decides to retire. Right now, she is at a crossroads not only in her sporting career but also in her entire life as well. What she does can ultimately decide the fate of the sport as a whole. It would be remiss to dismiss this impact, and Rousey should listen to her gut – and her mind- to make this important decision.

Crazy and bold predictions for 2016

(The Canadian Press/Chris Young)

2015 was a crazy year for just about every sport, and there were a few moments that people simply could not forget. Who could have predicted  that the Blue Jays would make the playoffs after the All-Star Game? Still, we try to predict the unpredictable, and given what’s happened in 2015, here’s what I predict in 2016;

MLB

• The Jays get off to a slow start in 2016 – naturally the GM tries to make some trades but it only makes the team worse and the Jays finish last in the AL East. Gibbons somehow keeps his job.
• Aroldis Chapman still gets investigated but doesn’t get fined a dime for his troubles. He becomes the most hated pitcher in America. The most hated pitcher in Canada, of course, will be David Price.
• Division winners: Yankees, Kansas City, LA Angels, Nationals, Cardinals, Dodgers. Wildcards: White Sox, Rangers, Mets, Pirates. None of the wildcards win more than one game in the playoffs.
• Both MVPs will be from non-playoff teams.
• A reliever will make a case for winning the Cy Young. A starter will win it anyways.
• We won’t have any no-hitters, but we will have one ruined by a blown call.

NFL

• The Bengals still won’t win a playoff game. The Packers won’t, either.
• New England defeats Carolina in the Super Bowl. Belichick will set up a timeline for his retirement but won’t do it at the end of the next season.
• Over-Under on people arrested who are playing in the NFL: 22.5.
• Tom Brady doesn’t win the NFL MVP because of deflategate. Cam Newton wins the MVP instead.
• Rex Ryan gets fired after Buffalo misses the playoffs again next season.
• A 6-10 team makes the playoffs while a 11-5 team misses the playoffs in the same conference. The NFL will be pleaded to change the format but will ignore everyone.

NBA

• The Golden State Warriors will go 72-10 in the regular season. Despite this, the San Antonio Spurs upset them in the Conference finals and win the NBA title.
• The Dunk contest won’t be remembered for its dunks anytime soon. Despite this, Vince Carter somehow makes his mark on the All-Star Game in Toronto.
• A key player in Toronto will fall out of form and the whole team will collapse, but will still make 8th seed in the playoffs. They get swept by the Cavs in the first round, however.

Premier League/Soccer

• Top 7 in the PL: Man City, Leicester, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, West Ham, Manchester United.
• Despite finishing in the Top 7, Louis Van Gaal gets sacked anyways.  Ryan Giggs replaces him.
• Manuel Pellegrini joins Bayern after going out on a high and Jose Mourinho replaces him.
• Jamie Vardy gets transferred to Manchester United during the summer and flops.
• Olivier Giroud gets the most goals in the PL, and then gets transferred to Real Madrid or PSG for a large sum of money.
• Relegated: Swansea, Sunderland, Aston Villa. Somehow, Newcastle finds a way to not get relegated and continue their miserable ways.

As the Blue Jays get eliminated, reality sets in for Toronto

(Matt Slocum/The Associated Press)

There’s no doubt that the Toronto Blue Jays captivated a city, and even a whole nation, for the past three months as they ascended from perennial cellar-dwellers to Postseason contenders. Winning their first AL East title in 22 years finally put an end to decades of miserable mediocrity as the Blue Jays laid themselves in an existential crisis, and eventually led themselves to make themselves must-see action by doing one thing and one thing only – winning.

So where does the Blue Jays – and the fans – go from here? Well, the first priority has to go towards retaining their star players; David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, and so on. If the Blue Jays want to keep their run going next season, they’ll need the players which nearly got them to the promised land in the first place. The fans will thank the front office for it. Toronto has had enough of playing runner-up for the past few years, and the Jays can’t win big if they’re not willing to pay horrendous sums of money to get those players playing for the Blue Jays. Alex Anthopoulos should know that going into discussions with David Price.

But the Blue Jays are the least of the problems for Toronto, however. The other teams that have been playing during the playoff run have been completely ignored by the rest of the city. The Maple Leafs, for instance, have only won one game since the start of the season in October and nobody seems to be batting an eye about that. But the expectations have been exceedingly low for the Maple Leafs this season, so this comes as no surprise. The Argonauts have been ignored by the city for years, and the Jays playoff run only exasperates their stadium problems. Playing in your rival team’s city, Hamilton, doesn’t help matters, either. The Argos made the playoffs but their offense is sputtering and the players know most of the city doesn’t care much about them anymore.

It’s not all bad news for the rest of Toronto’s sports teams, however. Toronto FC made the playoffs during the Jays playoff run, for the first time in their existence. Their star player, Sebastian Giovinco, is a heavy favourite for Most Valuable Player, and has been the anchor for the team for the past few months. Even with the Jays playoff run, attendance has been decent for the team which hasn’t found much recognition in the past few years. The Raptors are also hoping they will win another division title this season, as they prepare for the new season which starts in November.

Despite have a very good season, Sebastian Giovinco finds himself overshadowed by the Toronto Blue Jays. (The Canadian Press/Aaron Vincent Elkaim)

But overall, things are looking up in Toronto. The teams are finally getting better and the teams are finally aiming for real victories instead of moral victories. Toronto is becoming more than a world class city, it’s becoming a winning city for a change. And that’s the way it should be.

Is nothing sacred with stadiums anymore?

(Jeff McIntosh, Canadian Press)

An announcement was made today from the Calgary Flames that they plan to build an arena and stadium to replace the Scotiabank Saddledome, first opened in 1983, and the McMahon Stadium, first opened around 1960. Both stadiums have character and sports lore from games from the past, not to mention memories and atmosphere not found anywhere else in their respective leagues. But that apparently does not matter, as both are planned to be replaced within the next five years – and all on the taxpayer dollar.

This seems to be a troubling trend where stadiums and arenas at a frightening pace. Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena, having shown no glaring problems despite its age, is planned to be replaced in 2017. Atlanta’s Turner Field is also planned to be replaced around the same timeframe despite being built for the 1996 Summer Olympics, and then renovated again for the 1997 season. There’s also rumours that the Washington Redskins are also planning to replace FedEx Field, opened in 1997, with a new stadium either in Maryland or in D.C. (the Redskins currently play in Virginia), and many other teams have replaced old stadiums with new ones in the last few years. Some, like the Marlins Stadium in Miami and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, were justifiable as they replaced a two-in-one stadium (the Sun Life Stadium) and a stadium that clearly was getting old (the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum). Others, like the replacement of the Yankee Stadium, did not make much sense, given the history and the aura of the place. It was almost similar to tearing down the Statue of Liberty or Mount Rushmore. The old Yankee Stadium was a national icon.

History and lore can go a long way in sports. Take the Montreal Forum, a place where legend had it where the ghosts of the legends who played there were bouncing the puck to the Canadiens’ favour. The Canadiens haven’t won the Stanley Cup since moving out of the Montreal Forum. Sure, there are more reasons why they haven’t won since then, but the legend that was the team still hasn’t been the same. There have been more teams that have had similar situations, and I wonder if that will be taken into play the next time a long-running stadium gets torn down.

It’s not just about having the flashiest looks or the biggest capacity that makes a stadium great; it takes atmosphere and great teams to make a stadium great. You put a good team anywhere – even in the cavernous Rogers Centre – and people will show up and watch them play. Doesn’t matter where you go. Even Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field (you know, the derelict dome that always has pop flies bumping the roof?) was packed during the Joe Maddon era.

The bottom line remains that the perfect stadium is one that not only serves the people who pay to get in but also serves those who win on the field as well. Stadiums with good heritage and good facilities are growing fewer and farther between, and hopefully more designers will grow and notice this.

How does a city stop a losing culture?

A typical situation for a team that always seems to lose. (Ed Suba Jr./Akron Beacon)

Have you ever heard of the fan who can’t stop complaining about anything, no matter what the situation? There’s always something to complain about, even if their team is up by a few points.

“They’ll find ways to blow the lead.”

“This win means nothing.”

“The other team is fielding their B-squad anyways.”

“Who cares, they won’t do this again next week!” And so on.

If you come from Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto, San Diego, or any other town that needs a grandparent to recall the last time their team went all the way, you probably know very well of this fleeting feeling that comes every time the team plays. The question is how does a team – nay, city come around and break that curse? Even perpetually cursed teams like the Red Sox and the Cubs had their neighbours in the same city win titles without much issue, but the pain always feels worse when nobody seems to be winning.

Sometimes it takes a change comes in team ownership. Take the Chicago Blackhawks, who were so bad before drafting Toews and Kane that the arena looked more like that of Phoenix than the Madhouse it is today. When Rocky Wirtz took over from his late father, Bill, the team suddenly changed fortunes and are now debatably one of the best dynasties in all of sports. But even the most ardent critic of any owner wouldn’t wish death on anyone, so we have to take that part of the equation. But a change in ownership is sometimes necessary.

Take the L.A. Clippers, who turned from a laughing stock last year into a team that were legitimate contenders in the playoffs. And all under one year of ownership under Steve Ballmer. The Clippers look genuinely like a team that can finally break over their hump and win on a consistent basis. Even in the Sterling era, the drafting of Blake Griffin and the hiring of Doc Rivers have turned the team for the better. Ballmer’s optimism gives the team a new sense of hope.

That’s more that can be said of teams such as the Buffalo Bills, who have now coined themselves as “loveable losers.” When fans go to the point that a loss is a good thing, there’s definitely something wrong with the way the team is run. Rex Ryan might change that, given his achievements in New York (at least until the last two seasons), and the team isn’t exactly dry either – take Sammy Watkins, for example. The same can be said for John Fox for Chicago and Todd Bowles in New York, but playing the game is the only way to truly know which way the team is headed. Which brings the biggest way a team can reverse a losing culture – the players.

There’s an idiom that says that it takes a village to raise a child. And it’s certainly true that it takes   city to raise a star athlete. Sometimes that can go awry, as it has happened to all the Number One draft picks in Edmonton (Nugent-Hopkins, Hall, Yakupov). Sometimes a little support is all it takes, while other times harsh criticism is what’s needed.

Then there are the divas of the world, who are numbered in huge numbers that I won’t even begin naming names. Sometimes the best thing to do is to simply trade them, while if the divas are clearly talented and still playing well, divine intervention from the coaches is necessary to make the divas read on the same page as everyone else. Sometimes great (not just good or average) coaching is needed to create a spark on a team or bring in revolutionary tactics or training that gives an advantage over the whole league.

Sometimes all that’s needed is a few players who can win – and win consistently. Take the Detroit Lions, who went from cellar dwellars to consistent playoff candidates. If Detroit can pull it off, why not anybody else in a deep funk?

The point is, the one thing that makes a difference between a winning city and a losing city is the attitude that the fans bring in. A city like Cleveland that’s used to losing will have less expectations than a team in New York or Los Angeles that expects titles every year. It’s all based on perspective. But the bottom line is that a winning attitude is what makes a difference, and if there is a losing culture in any team – anywhere – sometimes change is what’s needed to make a team finally succeed.

Accredited Sources:

“The Culture of Losing,” by RK, Esq. Published November 12, 2013. <http://hockeylandcanada.com/2013/11/12/the-culture-of-losing/&gt;

Looking back at the Pan American Games in Toronto

It’s been at least six years of waiting and worrying and doomsday theories from the traffic studies, butjust like that, the Pan American Games are suddenly at an end.

(Rebecca Blackwell/The Canadian Press)

The Canadians won over 200 medals at the Games, including (at the time of publishing) 77 Golds, a Canadian record. For the first few days of the games, the Canadians even managed to hold a lead in the overall standings over the United States, the undisputed juggernauts of the Games.

The venues that the Games have left behind also holds some promise. The new velodrome in Milton has the potential to create more track cycling stars in the future. The same goes for the track centre in York University, which could also give the Toronto Argonauts a new home in case their deal with BMO Field goes south. (Hopefully it doesn’t.) In any case, the track centre will give a permanent place for Track and Field to excel – without needing to rent out the Rogers Centre should the city hold another track meet in the future.

There were a few things that could have been improved. For one thing, the volunteering system needs to be better run, as many people (like myself) are still waiting on whether or not they were accepted as a volunteer. The months left waiting probably forced hundreds to make alternate plans, and the lack of updates made the application very frustrating. If you managed to get in the Games as a volunteer, I congratulate you.

The media perception could have been better as well. It appeared that all the media was focused on was how bad the traffic was going to be for the Games. There’s obviously some work to be done on the highways and on the transit lines, but for the most part, the traffic flow ran rather smoothly and didn’t have any catastrophic problems.

Attendance was low in some events, considering the relatively low cost of the Games, though I suspect that fears over traffic may have caused some people to stay at home. Other times the venues may have been a bit too far for some (rowing in St. Catherines? Come on now.), while the ticketing system was just plain absurd, as you needed to look at each individual date for each individual event, instead of being able to search all open dates at once. (It also doesn’t help when the website is overloaded with traffic and has a slowdown loading the ticket screens.)

But despite all the minor gripes, the Games have to be looked at as a success. They went on without half the fans being stuck on the Gardiner, the Canadians kept their cool in the medal rounds, the streaming on CBC’s Pan Am App kept their cool (despite their best efforts), the sky didn’t fall, the meteroites stayed away from Toronto, and Rob Ford didn’t crash his way into the ceremonies, doughnuts and all. Overall, the 2015 Pan Am Games will definitely be remembered fondly.