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Toronto columnist bashes Edmonton hosting Women's World Cup opener, misses mark
It wouldn't be a Canada-hosted sporting event without someone trying to stir up regional controversies, and that's what Globe and Mail columnist Cathal Kelly has done ahead of the Women's World Cup. With the tournament set to kick off Saturday when Canada faces China in Edmonton, Kelly has penned a screed titled "Kicking off the World Cup anywhere but Toronto is a mistake." If anyone was looking for a piece to reinforce the stereotypical narrative of the Canadian media being Toronto-centric, this would fit that bill, but it's not even a good one, as Kelly's piece conveniently ignores the facts in favour of dubious arguments and doesn't make a compelling case. He's managed to get people talking about him, though, so hopefully he's happy with that. Here's part of his rant in favour of Toronto and against Edmonton:
What we know is where this game should be played, and why it isn’t.
It should be in Toronto, where there is a very expensive, purpose-designed structure of which its proper name is the National Soccer Stadium (BMO Field).
You and I paid for it to be built. Why did we do that if it’s not going to be used for the most important national soccer game that has ever been played in this country? Taxpayers got talked into buying a fridge, and now the bureaucrats want to use it as a bookshelf.
Also, there is the small matter of Edmonton. This requires some delicacy.
Edmonton, God love you. In some ways you are the romantic home of soccer in Canada. But when the whole country has to stand up in front of the rest of the world, you can’t be the first one talking. We just need you to stand there quietly, looking supportive.
No, no, not in front. They’ll see you. Stand behind Vancouver. No, on the other side of Montreal. All right, why don’t you just crouch down behind Halifax and we’ll hope everyone thinks you’re Ottawa.
If that's his idea of "delicacy," we probably really don't want to see what Kelly thinks is rude. His facts are way off here, though. First off, yes, it's somewhat unfortunate that there aren't any games in Toronto, as it would have been nice for soccer fans in Canada's largest city to be able to take part in tournament. That's on Toronto itself, though; the city declined to bid to be one of the Women's World Cup host cities, saying their preparations for the Pan-Am Games (which take place July 10-26, shortly after the Women's World Cup wraps up) would get in the way. Their decision can be debated, but the decision to leave out Toronto has nothing to do with Canada or the Canadian Soccer Association; it was a decision made by Toronto.
Beyond that, BMO Field would be fine for a few World Cup matches, but there's a strong case against using it for the opener or the final. Even with its recent expansion, it can only accomodate 30,991 fans. By contrast, Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium can hold 56,302, almost twice as many; Vancouver's B.C. Place, where the final will be held, holds 54,320. Kelly rants that Commonwealth was 5,000 seats short of a sellout for the opener as of Thursday, but that still means that 20,000 more fans will be able to watch the Canadian team kick off the World Cup than if they'd played the game at BMO Field. Even Alanis would agree that it's ironic to see a Toronto columnist whose general argument is "We're the biggest, so we're the best" arguing for a huge Canadian sports moment to be played in front of a smaller audience. (Although, in Kelly's mind, perhaps people in Toronto simply count more than those lousy provincials.)
What's also hilarious is how Kelly attempts to cite history, beginning his column by discussing how the last Women's World Cup was opened in Berlin's famed Olympic Stadium. He talks about how that stadium has seen so many memorable moments over the years, including Jesse Owens' 1936 Olympic victory. Then, he goes on to argue against Commonwealth Stadium, which has been around since 1978 and hosted the Commonwealth Games, four Grey Cups and many of Canadian soccer's most significant moments, in favour of BMO Field, which only opened in 2007 and has mostly seen Toronto FC's epic struggles. As Daniel Squizzato noted on Twitter, Commonwealth saw some of the Canadian men's team's greatest moments, including a 1993 World Cup qualifying win over Australia and a 1994 draw against eventual World Cup champions Brazil.
Perhaps most importantly, Commonwealth hosted the Canadian women's team throughout the U-19 Women's World Championship. That tournament saw Canada make an incredible run to the silver medal, with almost 50,000 fans turning out for the final, and proved an unforgettable introduction to current national team stars like Christine Sinclair, Erin McLeod and Carmelina Moscato. Thus, it's arguable that Commonwealth Stadium might be the most significant women's soccer site in Canada. It's debatable whether "historic" should be a key point in picking a venue, but if it is, Commonwealth Stadium wins that one over BMO Field in a first-round knockout.
Ultimately, Kelly's trolling here is merely a look-at-me act rather than anything with an actual point. That's further corroborated by his tweets implying he's at risk of physical violence from Edmonton residents (without much to back that up), and suggesting he's the brave voice in the wilderness telling like it is. No, he's just an arrogant bloviator who thinks the universe revolves around him, one who can't bother to research his ideas or make a compelling argument. He also rather drastically overestimates his own importance. It should be noted that Kelly doesn't represent most people from Toronto, or most Toronto media, many of which have done a great job of covering the run-up to this World Cup. He's doing a terrific job of living up to the stereotypes, but that doesn't mean they're true for everyone; they're just true for attention-seeking trolls.
