So, I am reading the paper as I do every morning - i admit its the Province, they have the best sports coverage!!. I read the Sports first as always - and I noticed that hardly a line dealt with the Paralympics (Olympic games for physically challenged athletes!) going on in Turin right now.
There are 3 pages on the Canucks and the fact that a bunch of overpaid sissy-poo's can't get their asses in gear (but that's for another rant), a column by some local sports celeb (Dave Pratt), who's views on sports rival those of Paul Martin's views on politics (they both make NO sense and are totally annoying!!), curling, a little bit of tennis, some minor hockey coverage, lots of US sports coverage (baseball, football, basketball), the NHL scoring stats of all players (like who really cares that Ryan Flinn played 2 games and had nothing but 5 PIM's?) and two pages of the same stats we just read about in long columns, just neatly columned for better viewing.
In the middle of all that is a 3/4 article about the paralympics. I almost missed it too...I thought it was about the FIA season! When I read the article, it turned out to be more the profile of an athlete then coverage of THE event for those with physical challenges. As much as there is nothing wrong with profiling our athletes, do it BEFORE the games start. I want to know what they DID over there.
All I found was 5 lines about Canada blowing a lead in wheelchair curling and that we have 3 medals - 1 G and 2 S.
During the "regular" 2006 Turin Winter Olympics we had coverage of every broken toe nail our athletes had. We had stats, articles, profiles - heck we even knew what color underwear Cindy Classen wears.
So why cant we give our paralympics the same coverage? Are we as a society so turned off by someone who's blind, an amputee, a paraplegic or otherwise physically challenged? Are we so afraid of being "politically incorrect" that we dont DARE cover the event? G-D forbid we call a one-armed athlete a one-armed athlete!!!!!
I am annoyed at the fact that our Vancouver Canucks can get more coverage then the coronation of a new pope - heck - we had camera's fixed on a little chimney waiting for some smoke for days!!! (no offense to anyone catholic). Here, all the local media (TV, RADIO and Newsprint) can talk about is how much the Canucks suck. Well, newsflash...they suck for the last 30 years!
i am a HUGE canucks fan - but i am also a SPORTS FAN! I was driving to work the other day and two of our local sports talkshow hosts were ranting about the fact that if you like hockey but dont like college basketball you are NOT a sports fan but a HOCKEY fan.
As a SPORTS FAN i want to hear and read about our countries athletes over there doing something extraordinary - competing against other extraordinary men and women who beat all the odds that life has thrown them!!!
Guys, Gals - my head is off to you!
Cheers
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