I’m worried about local sports
3 years ago
Today was a tough day for the local sports scene around Edmonton. The University of Alberta announced that their men’s and women’s hockey, basketball, and volleyball seasons have been shut down. It’s an unfortunate decision but it’s easy to see why it was made and sadly, I’m worried this might just be the beginning of the tough news for amateur sports.
With fans more than likely not being allowed at sports games until 2021, and the pandemic making it hard to fundraise for the upcoming season, teams and organizations are going to continue to hurt and continue to drop.
From a selfish perspective, some of my favourite memories of working at sporting events have come at Clare Drake Arena. The building is always rocking in the playoffs and the hockey is always entertaining. I’ll miss going to that rink. That program helps elevate players to professional hockey every single season and losing it, even for just a year, really hurts.
When I read the release from the U of A today, I immediately started to think about junior hockey as well. How will leagues like the WHL and the AJHL continue during a time like this? I’ve been told that if fans aren’t allowed in the buildings, it probably doesn’t make financial sense for their seasons to start.
In a league like the WHL, some teams have connections with professional teams. For example, the Edmonton Oil Kings are owned by the Oilers. A franchise like that could likely find the money to survive. But there are smaller teams in the league who might not be able to financially survive a season where they can only have 500 people in the stands for any given game. It just wouldn’t work. They don’t have a TV rights deal to fall back on like the pro sports leagues do.
For a league like the AJHL, which is pretty much entirely gate driven and owned by locals, it would be impossible to survive. If rinks were allowed to operate at half capacity, with social distancing, that would certainly help but then there’s also the number of sponsors who won’t be returning. The people and businesses that support these local teams and have helped keep them alive in the past are also struggling right now.
On top of that, owners of these teams have other businesses that they need to focus on. If their other business is hurting then it will be tough for some of them to find the money to keep their team afloat.
I know that league has considered some pretty radical solutions. They were talking about giving some franchises a leave of absence that would allow them to sit out one or two seasons. They were also considering introducing player fees for the upcoming season. I don’t believe that’s going to be happening, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they followed through on it.
If they did follow through on that, it could lead to some teams never coming back and some players opting to find different places to play. Some people will roll their eyes at this because they only care about the NHL, but these leagues are important. They give players a chance to start their career. When I look at the AJHL, not only does it give soon to be superstars like Cale Makar a chance to start their junior careers close to home but it also gives countless other athletes a chance to earn scholarships and go play college hockey in the NCAA.
While the WHL gives us a chance to watch players like @Connor McDavid or Alexis Lafreniere before they become multi-million dollar athletes, it also gives hundreds of other athletes a chance to get scholarships and receive a post-secondary education.
The University of Alberta not only provides a great spot to watch some fantastic hockey for a bargain price, but it also gives athletes a chance to receive an education while still working towards becoming professional hockey players.
I’m sad that these leagues won’t look the same when they return and I’m worried about what’s next for them.
The professional sports teams, no matter how much they try to tell you that they’re hurting, will always bounce back. The billionaires will still have their teams and the athletes will always get paid handsomely to play the sports they love, but there will be a lot of local teams who aren’t as lucky. They might not come back. There will be lots of young athletes who won’t get to play next season. They might not come back.
I fear that the economic impact of this pandemic will be felt across junior and amateur sports leagues for a long, long time.
Local hockey is a unique scene and while a lot of places around the country are starting to re-open, I worry that junior hockey and amateur sports won’t be able to. While a place like the University of Alberta will no doubt be back for 2021/22, I worry for the smaller franchises that might never come back and I feel for those communities who will lose their teams.
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