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¢ The sad state of Vancouver sports teams
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The sad state of Vancouver sports teams

>» Vancouver is mired in an unprecedented state of losing amongst its sports teams

  

Craig Allan
Staff Writer

with allegations of sexual misconduct
brought upon the team by members

 

n 20u1, Vancouver sports could not
have been in a better place.
With the Vancouver Whitecaps
winning their inaugural season in

of the Whitecaps women’s team from
2008. The team was accused of not

taking the allegations seriously enough.

The incident caused widespread anger
amongst the teams’ fans, who showed

The Canadians also finished last
in the NWL, but when it comes toa
development team like the Canadians,
you are not in as much control as a
professional team. For the crowds, if
it’s asunny day, there’s ice cream and
foot-long hot dogs, they are not really

Major League Soccer (MLS), the
Vancouver Canucks making it to

their frustration by walking out of their
game multiple times during the season.

focused or interested in the standings
and scores.

bottom in every case?

Illustration by Athena Little }

Candidate blank

» I'm strongly considering voting blank and you should too

Craig Allan

Staff Writer

2? Ol was the first year I was eligible
to vote. | remember being so

proud that year to walk into the voting
booth and cast a ballot. I have always been
a proud Canadian, and to finally be able
to take part in one of the most patriotic
activities a citizen can possibly do filled me
with great joy.

That year I voted Conservative. I know
it’s not the most popular party among
people my age, but I have always identified
myself as a moderate Conservative, so
to me they were the best choice. The
next election I voted Conservative again.
They lost, but I didn’t feel sad because I
contributed in the electoral process that
makes a democracy like Canada great.

This year, with the Conservative party
being, in my opinion, driven off a cliff by
the indecisive Andrew Scheer, I thought
about writing an article about why I can’t
vote for the Conservative party this time
around. However, seeing this year’s election
and how all the parties have been acting,

 

along with the fact that none of them will
do anything about the issues I really care

about—I realized that the best option of all

may be to vote for none of them.

The reason why I am so interested
in the idea of submitting a blank vote is
because I do not believe that any of the
parties are going to make any significant
strides in fixing the issues that plague me
today. Take tuition for example. When it
comes to tuition, the Liberals plans are to
increase government grants—which all
the parties want to do— have two years
of interest free loans so students can “get
started,’ and add a five-year interest free

grace period for people with new children.

What are the chances I will be able
to get my hands on any of these grants? I
have little faith. A two-year grace period,
meaningless. A five-year grace period if ]

cc

game seven of the Stanley Cup finals
(subsequent rioting aside), the
Vancouver Canadians championing
the North West League (NWL) in
their first season, and the BC Lions
winning the Grey Cup at home in
their newly renovated BC Place
Stadium, Vancouver sports shined.
Who could have predicted that by
the end of the decade, the cities
teams would be scraping the bottom
of the barrel finishing near the

First there was the Whitecaps,
who after losing rising Canadian
soccer star Alphonso Davies,
completely plummeted this season—
finishing last in the Western
Conference, and as the second worst
team in the league behind only
the expansion FC Cincinnati. Not
only that, but the Whitecaps also
suffered from off the pitch issues,

The Canucks, Lions, and
Canadians can be thankful that at least
their terrible situation is just on the
field. The Canucks finished last season

fifth in the Pacific Division and 23rd in
the league. Sure, they are rebuilding—
but it is such a far cry from the team
that came one win away from claiming
the Stanley Cup for the first time.

The Lions, while rebounding as
of late, are last in the Western Division
and will have to hope for some luck if
they wish to make the playoffs (though
that hope may be gone since they lost
to the Edmonton Eskimos this week).
Same with the Canucks, the Lions are
also rebuilding with a new head coach.
Devon Claybrooks is now at the helm
of the team. Still, not being able to win
your first home game until September
13, and going 1-10 before that is avery
poor showing.

have a kid. Well, I don’t plan to have kids,
so goodbye to that. The comprehensive
nothing that the Liberals have is the same
as the NDP and Greens plans, which I
believe are built on the fantasy side of
paying off all of Canada’s current and
future student debt with no idea of how
to pay it off, and the Conservatives plan of
basically nothing.

Justin Trudeau says “You're nervous,
and we hear you,’ and “Young Canadians
heading off to school should be excited
about embarking on this new journey,
but are instead losing sleep, racking their
brains over how to pay for it. That’s not
OK.” All of that sounds like the words
of an out of touch politician that is just
saying what he needs to say, and that is the
problem with all the party leaders. They
are all out of touch with what I’m going

I do not believe that any of the parties are
going to make any significant strides in
fixing the issues that plague me today.

 

with the out of the playoffs and finished

It hasn’t all been bad news though.
In the Western Hockey League (WHL),
the Vancouver Giants came within one
game of reaching the Memorial Cup
this year, falling to the Prince Albert
Raiders in the WHL Championship.
Additionally in eSports, the inaugural
season of the Vancouver Titans has
seen the team make it all the way to the
Grand Finale of the Overwatch League.
Sure, the sports purists may not
consider eSports “sports,” but in times
of great struggle, Vancouver sports fans
should take what they can get.

Sure, the sports landscape in
Vancouver may be down, but that does
not mean it is out. The Canucks started
their 50th season with 8-2, drubbing of
the Los Angeles Kings. There is hope
in the Vancouver sports market, and
in sports sometimes hope is the most
valuable player.

 

Illustration by Cara Seccafien

through, and what I feel many people are
going through.

I didn’t get into affordable housing,
or the easier access to well-paying jobs,
but long story short, it’s pretty much the
same—and I have the same low belief that
any of it will be enacted.

With this in mind, why should I give
any of the parties my vote? I was dreading
the idea of having to give any one of these
parties my vote. Then I discovered that I
don't have to. I can just go into the voting
booth and fill in a blank vote. I’m not
saying that I am swearing off all the parties,
but I am saying that I shouldn't have to just
settle for a party that is not going to help
me in any way. The parties and their leaders
are all out of touch, and if they are our only
options then the best candidate may very
well be candidate blank.