Quote:
Originally Posted by kirjtc2
I can say that as an NBer, seeing Moncton do all the dirty work so far, if it ends up that Halifax gets the only team, I will NOT be supporting it.
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I personally don't support the idea of boycotts and I know that if Halifax ultimately wins this fight, that I
would make the trip down there a couple of times a year to catch a game.
I would however be "definitely bummed out" by this turn of events and my support of a Halifax based team would certainly not be guaranteed. Let's just say that if the game were between the
Halifax Harbour Pooper-Scoopers and the
Calgary Stampeders, that I would likely be inclined to cheer for the Stamps......
Distance to Halifax
is an issue however for many Maritimers (such as you
kirjtc2) and can have an impact on any decisions to go to a game. Moncton is close enough that a daytrip to catch a game is an option. Fredericton, Saint John, Charlottetown and Sydney however are all four hours (or more) from the great metropolis and to catch a game would generally mean a hotel stay. This means that the decision to go to a game would not be a casual one and would require some planning and forethought and therefore the game becomes an "event". Most Maritimers thus would think twice about the long trip to Halifax. Maritime support for a Halifax based team cannot be guaranteed......
If Halifax really wants to have a CFL team that can be considered
the Maritimes team then it will
really have to be marketed as such. This means getting out into the regions and actually visiting the colonies; having the players visit high schools in Woodstock, Summerside or Mabou, holding team practices in Charlottetown or perhaps some exhibition or regular season games in Saint John or Moncton. Would a Halifax based team be willing to do this? I'm not so sure.......
Unless marketed appropriately, the greater Maritime region will always view a Halifax CFL franchise as a Halifax-only team, and as such, yet further evidence of Halifax-centrism and paternalism. We get this attitude all the time in the media. The greatest current example is the huge amount of boosterism on CTV regarding the Canada Games in Halifax. Excuse me, but the Canada Games are frequently held in the region (most recently in Charlottetown and Bathurst) and in those cases, there was nary a peep in the Halifax based media about the success of those events.
There is more to the Maritimes than just Halifax! Half the region's population doesn't even live in your province for cripes sake.....