McGill has a long history of pioneering innovation within the sports world: James Naismith, the creator of basketball, studied at McGill, the university’s annual carnival hockey game first took place in 1883, and McGill participated in the first American football game of all time. In April 1874, McGill played Harvard[Read More…]
Behind the Bench
The unstoppable growth of sports betting must be met with education
In February 2023, Loto-Québec and Groupe CH––the parent company of the Montreal Canadiens––announced their intent to build a mini-casino adjacent to the Bell Centre. The mini-casino was set to include 350 video lottery terminals and a dedicated sportsbook area. However, Loto-Québec promptly abandoned their proposal after the office of Montreal’s[Read More…]
More than gold: The psychological impact of winning a UFC championship belt
In one of the most remarkable upsets in the promotion’s history, Sean Strickland, a controversial figure in mixed martial arts, shocked the world on Sept. 9 by beating Israel Adesanya, arguably the face of the promotion, to capture the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title. The looks of astonishment from[Read More…]
No more settling for mediocre soccer
Canada and the United States are often criticized for their lack of soccer culture. Though some cities’ enthusiasm shows that the two countries’ soccer culture is alive and well, the city-concentrated support for Major League Soccer (MLS) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) teams is not as pervasive as it[Read More…]
Sorry Canadiens fans––the Bruins are poised to take the cup
This might offend some Habs fans, but let’s be honest, the Bruins rock. Sitting at the top of the power rankings with 105 points and having played fewer games than many of their division opponents, the Bruins have dominated the NHL 2022-23 season—they could be coming for the Habs’ all-time[Read More…]
A sports defibrillator: Is Full Swing golf’s savior?
Drive to Survive, Netflix’s heavily dramatized Formula 1 series, brought millions of viewers to the sport and reversed its slow, decade-long decline in popularity. With the release of its sister show, Full Swing, on Feb. 15, fans are wondering if the media conglomerate can work its viewership magic once again—this[Read More…]
Canada Soccer president resignation must be a force for progress
After more than two years in the position, Nick Bontis—the president of Canada Soccer—resigned following an escalation in the ongoing labour dispute between the organization and the Canadian Women’s National Team (WNT). Bontis’ resignation is certainly a step in the right direction towards a more productive relationship between Canada Soccer[Read More…]
Maternity in sports must be brought into modernity
The past decade has seen remarkable progress in protections for pregnant athletes. In 2020, FIFA and the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBA) introduced mandatory paid maternity leave. The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) also has paid maternity leave and maintains that no player can be released from their team due to[Read More…]
No more Pride: The slow erosion of 2SLGBTQIA+ initiatives across the NHL
Pride night at hockey games always presents itself as somewhat of an oxymoron. Like all major men’s professional sports leagues, homophobia courses through the veins of hockey from youth leagues all the way up to the National Hockey League (NHL). So often, players, coaches, and analysts not only fail as[Read More…]
How the Habs let down their stars
The Montreal Canadiens are having nothing short of an absolute dumpster fire of a season this year. Currently sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic division, the Canadiens have a 0.1 per cent chance of making the playoffs, on par with their performance last season. With troubles coming from every[Read More…]