With all due respect to the Winnipeg Goldeyes organization who’ve won the American Association title the last two seasons, it’s been so long since our city has won a major sports championship (Yes I regard the Grey Cup as major considering the country we live in) that I can’t really remember what it felt like.
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I’ve been a Bomber and Jets fan since I was knee high to a crumbling Winnipeg style curb and I’m sure it was awesome when the Jets in their old WHA days were winning Avco cups, but what did that really mean?
I recall Leafs or Habs fans back then would simply smirk and ask, “What’s an Avco cup?” Or maybe they’d try to humour us Jets fan a little bit just trying to be nice. Looking back at it I’m sure I would have responded much the same way myself.
The Bombers became a powerhouse back in the 80s and won three Grey Cups between 1984 and 1990. I remember the first time they won, at least since I’d been a fan. It was the 1984 Grey Cup. The game was a rout so we knew they’d win the cup but after it was over people were running around on the streets downtown, some shirtless, drunkenly screaming and shouting that we were number one and that was pretty cool.
They’d never won the big one in my lifetime at that point so somebody I was with at the bar actually had to grab me be the shoulders and say, “They won. They won. We won the Grey Cup.”
When I finally absorbed that information I didn’t go all crazy fan. I just kind of sat there and took it all in.
Did it do anything positive for the city? Did we have an economic boom in those years? Were people moving to the city en masse because they wanted to be part of the amazing spirit of a winning metropolis?
Uh, no. That didn’t happen. As a matter of fact we were going through an economic downturn at the time because of the early 80s global recession. Even if there wasn’t an ongoing recession back then it probably wouldn’t have made much of an economic difference anyhow.
Veteran sports writer Kavitha Davison of the Chicago Tribune writes, “Study after study by sports economists continues to debunk claims that winning breeds economic booms, yet every year we’re inundated with ambitious estimates from gov’ts and pro sports owners designed to make us go ‘wow’ and justify the subsidies and tax exemptions given to teams for the stadiums that might ultimately host these events.”
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Did winning make us feel good?
Well, yeah, it did. Winning makes you feel fantastic. As Ebby Calvin Lalouche said in the movie Bull Durham, “I love winning man. I love winning. Know what I’m saying? It’s like…better than losing!”
Your city’s team winning a major championship is great for the morale of the entire city. Even the people that don’t really care will probably feel the positive vibes emanating from the fan base who are beside themselves with indescribable joy.
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As we get set for Game 7 of the World series tonight, the Houston Astros, a team that’s never won the title, goes up against a team that’s won six. As a matter of fact the city of Houston hasn’t won anything major since the Rockets won the NBA championship back in 1995. Meanwhile Los Angeles has two of everything. Two NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB teams, plus Disneyland.
As a beleaguered Bomber and Jets fan, you can guess who I’m gonna be rooting for?
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