I moved to Vancouver from Toronto about six years ago, and I’ve noticed some differences as far as sports goes. Whether Vancouver is a legitimate sports town is a loaded question. But hey, I’ve got nothing else to do so I’ll go ahead and explore this further.
It might be the fact that Vancouver only has one major sports team, but it seems like this area produces some of the most fair-weather fans I’ve come across. Fans of other Canadian hockey teams are appropriately diehard, but Canucks fans seem to come and go depending on their recent performance. Some will point to the fact that the Canucks have been through a lot of anguish, which leads to the current state of affairs. To that, I would point to the Toronto Maple Leafs and all they’ve gone through in the last couple decades. The fans keep coming out in Toronto, despite the struggles.
My theory is that Vancouver is the only major sports city in Canada that offers a wealth of outdoor activities, with a mild climate. I find that you have a lot more people that are going skiing or hiking or mountain biking than those that are looking to slug beers in a sports pub and watch the game. This isn’t to say that nobody does it, but it just seems less common.
Hi Toronto. As a fair weather sports fan from Vancouver, I just wanted to say that I’m really excited about the @Raptors, and if they don’t win…. BURN THE CITY TO THE GROUND
— Dan Mangan (@danmanganmusic) May 26, 2019
This leads into another minor grievance I have about Vancouver: all you can chicken wings are not a thing here. You’ll basically exclusively see them served as a $15 appetizer with celery sticks and carrots. In other Canadian cities, pubs will routinely hold weekly wing deals that leave you eating about 40 of them until you enter a wing-induced coma. I mention wings because I feel like they go hand in hand with watching sports. If you’re waltzing into a pub and having wings and beer, chances are you’re also paying attention to the game.
Despite the sports-watching culture lacking in the city, it’s not to say that there isn’t plenty of professional sports to see. Besides the Canucks, you’ve got the Canadians baseball team, BC Lions CFL team, and Warriors lacrosse team. Maybe things would be a bit different if the Grizzlies had stuck around Vancouver as well.
I think I missed the sports-watching culture when I initially moved here, but I’ve learned to appreciate what other things the city offers instead. Being able to go to the beach and go skiing in the same day is something that almost no other city in North America can boast. Who cares if the fandom isn’t what it is in other parts of Canada. I now understand that there is more exciting things to do with your time here than to watch sports in a pub.