JUSTCAWS

One way to tone down the rhetoric is for the political talking heads to get back to changing minds rather than seeking attention. After the assassination attempt on former President Trump, there has been a rightful call to turn down the political heat and division in the United States. Elected officials and opinion makers across the political spectrum have condemned political violence and called for unity.  This of course is the right response, but many don’t think it will last. The problem is that in our desire to be heard online we lost our ability to have a civil discussion.  You would think if the point of giving your political opinion was to persuade others to your way of thinking - we would be much better at it.  We’ve lost the art of persuasion and have mastered the put down.  How did we get so far down the rabbit hole?  Many will point to social media and while it is the main culprit, I can’t give them all the blame. We have to be better as citizens and ...

Back  in 2020 made some suggestions of what Rogers could do if they were going to build a new stadium or make some major renovations. We all know now that they chose the latter. They did most of the heavy lifting already, but there’s always more that can still be done. The kids, well not kids anymore, and I have toured quite a few ballparks prior to the pandemic. We’re up to 17 now. Love doing the tours and taking notes of what works and what doesn't.   Had noted some of my observations for ideas on how to improve the Rogers Centre for baseball. Here were my Top 10 suggestions and a comparison for what they did and what still may be to come.   1.  Angle the Seats  - they did do this - but the steep incline has now created a significant blind spot down the line. So expect these seats to be in less demand than the better value ones in the upper deck.  2. Permanent Team Standings Display  - idea here is to have the courage to show everyone where...

With another Jays upon us I thought it would  be a good time as any to reflect on what a dud of an off-season might portend for 2024.  The Blue Jays marketing team likes to give every season a new slogan. “Rise Up”gave way to “Next level”, with fans still wondering if  last season’s road playoff exit was a level down. This year the slogan is “To The Core”, which only brings the word rotten to my mind.  If I was in charge, I would use the phrase “Wait and See”. That seems to sum up management’s commitment and fans' current attitude.  After appearing to swing and miss at Ohtani, the Jays front office made a few low risk tweaks, preferring to see if running it all back might somehow deliver a better result.  I don’t necessarily disagree with their business logic, but it was hard to swallow management’s willingness to spend $700 million on one player, but then get budget conscious when that player decided to go to the place every other team already knew he...

With the NHL All-Star game upon us I thought it would be a good time to propose some league changes to give the league a boost in the States.   First up, let's revamp the divisions and place them based more on geography. Suggest putting all the Canadian teams together to not only reduce travel, but more importantly reducing the number of times Canadian based teams play their American counterparts. Canadian teams are a bad draw both at the gate and on U.S. television, so reducing their number benefits the league on both fronts.   EASTERN   CONFERENCE  NORTHEAST   METRO     EAST                      SOUTH TORONTO           NY RANGERS             BOSTON               TAMPA BAY MONTREAL        NY ISLANDERS             PITTSBURGH   ...

Last post explained how parity through a strict salary cap has contributed to NFL media dominance. Now will look at some of the other reasons they rule over all sport and entertainment properties.  First off, as any television sport broadcasting expert will tell you, football is made for TV.  Plays begin with all participants on screen and usually last under 5 seconds. The remainder of time allows for a good number replays of past plays and close ups to build up to the next.  The basic rules of the game and lines on the playing surface are easy to follow.  There are plenty of embedded stoppages in play for sponsors and casual phone glancing. The game can also be easily manipulated by officials (if desired) to keep scores close. I could go on and I am sure you have your own, but I want to get into what I believe are the more meaningful factors. A short, meaningful regular season and playoff matchups decided in one game.  All the other three majors pro sport leag...

In case you still had any doubts, the television placement of this weekend’s playoff games once again proves the NFL is the king of sport leagues.  Of the four time slots for this weekend’s NFL playoff games, the most watched time slot will be Sunday primetime. This marquee time slot is reserved for teams who league and tv execs believe will deliver the biggest audience. For most leagues this slot would be given to large market cities with their significant fan bases ie. New York and LA. The NFL, however, is not most leagues. While a small market play off matchup between Buffalo and Kansas City would depress other league executives, the NFL places this game between two star quarterbacks in its favoured time slot.    This year’s MLB’s World Series between Arizona and Texas was a ratings dud . Oh, how happy the league and tv partners were that Ohtani signed with LA and not Toronto.  In the no salary cap league of Major league baseball, only the big market, high sp...

  Trust but verify, was a line from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. I have heard it being used more now as there seems to be an erosion of trust in global affairs. It is a line I believe our news media needs to follow in a world where deciding between what is fact and fiction is only going to get more difficult. I have been an avid consumer of news for decades. Whether it be from watching a nightly newscast or getting the daily paper to now streaming and digital subscriptions - I will follow. Obviously, the evolution in the distribution model is what people will point to when discussing change in the news media, but I believe a more profound transformation has taken hold. Some argue that once the U.S. News became a profit centre for networks that the decline in journalism began. Just take a look at this prophetic article from 1986 in the LA Times that predicts pending doom . The onslaught of social media was the next salvo to hit the news as more people discovered they could b...