The Brier - An Ice Alternative 2015

[Noeller]

One of many reasons I dislike Alberta sports fans....

[iso_55]

They set attendance records in 1997 & 2009 at the Saddledome. But this year, not so much. I guess the fact Kevin Koe blows are keeping crowds down. I don't know if they consider Team Canada a local team. Whatever it is, the attendance isn't what it used to be. 

[Noeller]

Wiecek says they're on pace to do HALF the total attendance of 2009. Craziness!!

[17to85]

Has to be related to a lack of the known names this time around. It's such a new group of teams this year, all the old familiar faces aren't around. 

 

Either that of the demographic that watches curling is just so old that that many people have died since 2009. 

[Noeller]

Has to be related to a lack of the known names this time around. It's such a new group of teams this year, all the old familiar faces aren't around. 

 

Either that of the demographic that watches curling is just so old that that many people have died since 2009. 

the last one. Sadly, it's literally a dying sport...

[17to85]

It's a damned shame too. It's a great sport but the younger generation doesn't give it enough respect. Too concerned with their NFLs or UFCs. 

[Noeller]

I ******* hate kids today....so very much.

[iso_55]

Has to be related to a lack of the known names this time around. It's such a new group of teams this year, all the old familiar faces aren't around. 

 

Either that of the demographic that watches curling is just so old that that many people have died since 2009. 

They say this years Brier was a tough field but they way it played out I think there were a few past Briers with as better teams than the one in Calgary this year. If it was as tough as they say NO wouldnèt have nearly run the table. I think people had not heard of a lot of the teams. 

[iso_55]

With Team Canada in the Brier now & apparently going to stay it is time to eliminate Northern Ontario & just have a single provincial championship.No province should have 2 representatives if another province wont be there. Totally stupid on both counts. 

[Noeller]

This Brier was a middling WCT event, at best...

[iso_55]

Really noticed the difference this year as far as the buzz for the Brier went. It really hurts the event no matter where it's held if the host team sucks & if Manitoba doesn't do well. I don't think the addition of Team Canada (especially because THIS Team Canada isn't the same team that won the event last year) helped at all. The lack of big names other than Morris, Gushue & Jacobs also hurt attendance. Like Noeller said this felt like a big WCT event & not our national championship. Doesn't help also when the sponsoring radio station in Calgary (CHQR) has remotes all week with some of their shows coming from the Saddledome & the biggest ass clown on Calgary talk radio (Roger Kingcaide) kept comparing curling to cricket mocking the game. 

[TBieber]

 

Has to be related to a lack of the known names this time around. It's such a new group of teams this year, all the old familiar faces aren't around. 

 

Either that of the demographic that watches curling is just so old that that many people have died since 2009. 

the last one. Sadly, it's literally a dying sport...

 

 

Not sure that's entirely the case. TSN is doing amazing with their ratings for the Brier and Scotties. Like the CFL, more people are electing to watch from home.

[iso_55]

I don't know if it's dying but I have noticed that a lot of colour & flair has gone out of the game for spectators.. Players all play alike. They all throw alike. They all look alike. Most even act alike, that is to say with little or no emotion. They all have roughly the same shot percentages. The Brier seems pretty well vanilla a lot of the time nowadays.

I miss the days of the different types of slides, the big strong front ends sweeping a rock down the ice in unison as well as the noise associated with that. The real characters of the game are gone. Like Ernie Richardson, Don Duguid, Kerry Burtnyk, Jeff Stoughton, Ross Howard, Orest Meleschuk, Ed Werenich & others. Those guys were very unique & colourful.

The game is better in a lot of ways today with superior ice & shot making but it's also worse in some ways as well. There's a lot less individualism now than in days gone by. In previous Briers the fans would latch on to a few of the players & cheer for them... just because of the way they played both the game & to the crowd. There was a skip from Quebec 20 years ago that Brier crowds really liked even though his team never won the championship. But he was a crowd favourite & everyone loved him.

I'm not bemoaning the by gone days. I'm just pointing out that the game isn't as colourful as it used to be & that may be hurting attendance. As is TSN televising every round from Day 1 to the championship. This year they even broadcast two games a draw. Why buy a ticket when you can watch it from the comfort of your home?

[Jacquie]

THIS Team Canada isn't the same team that won the event last year)

Three of the four are the same team that won. If any position other than skip had changed I doubt you would have said that.

[Brandon]

Has to be related to a lack of the known names this time around. It's such a new group of teams this year, all the old familiar faces aren't around.

Either that of the demographic that watches curling is just so old that that many people have died since 2009.

Its shuffle board on ice what do you expect?

[iso_55]

Great draw to the button by Team Canada's Simmons to win the Brier 6-5 over Jacob's NO team in an extra end. 

[Noeller]

Brier ended for me on Thursday. Already stoked for Jonesy to romp through the Women's Worlds starting this weekend...

[17to85]

Brier ended for me on Thursday. Already stoked for Jonesy to romp through the Women's Worlds starting this weekend...

and I heard that the biggest cashspiel of the circuit goes this weekend too.... or something to that effect anyway

[Noeller]

Brier ended for me on Thursday. Already stoked for Jonesy to romp through the Women's Worlds starting this weekend...

and I heard that the biggest cashspiel of the circuit goes this weekend too.... or something to that effect anyway

Attendance numbers similar to tour events, anyhow....

[Mr Dee]

Fantastic finish for the boys who took over the title of Team Canada and after making that unselfish change, played smart, controlled games the rest of the way and defeated some very good teams along the way.

All I wanted was the best representative for Canada and I had believed that that was Team Jacobs, but when you can play them 11 ends and come out on top, you deserve to be Team Canada.

Kudos to Pat Simmons, John Morris, Carter Rycroft and Nolan Thiessen for believing they could still win after the change in skips, and then going out and proving it.

 

[iso_55]

And Kevin Coe stays home watching his old team at the Worlds. 

[blueandgoldguy]

The high attendances in the Brier's history occurred over a relatively short span - late 90s to late 2000s.  That coincides with Boomers hitting middle age and late middle age.  So it's not surprising that crowds have started to dwindle.  Boomers are the largest segment of the population and as they age and are less likely to attend these events, the age group replacing them will be comparatively smaller.  Thus, the smaller crowds.

 

Prior to the curling boom period, the crowds at the Brier were no better than they are now.

[iso_55]

Well attendance & participation in every sport is down. All kids do nowadays is stay home getting fat playing video games. 

[17to85]

The high attendances in the Brier's history occurred over a relatively short span - late 90s to late 2000s.  That coincides with Boomers hitting middle age and late middle age.  So it's not surprising that crowds have started to dwindle.  Boomers are the largest segment of the population and as they age and are less likely to attend these events, the age group replacing them will be comparatively smaller.  Thus, the smaller crowds.

 

Prior to the curling boom period, the crowds at the Brier were no better than they are now.

well that would also correspond to the free guard zone coming in and some truly all time skips rising to prominence. Martin and Stoughton had been fixtures at the top for a long time, The Howards too I suppose you can add. Wayne Middaugh was good for a lot of those years too. So you get the game improving to the point where there's big shots and lots of rocks in play, TSN and their coverage you can see why it grew to that point. Now that there really has been a changing of the guard in terms of the teams I think it's natural to see a drop in interest. Especially when it seems there's less interest in participation in the game in general. I don't think it's entirely on the boomers, though it likely plays a role. 

[iso_55]

If Curling Canada can't get the kids more involved then the interest for the game will die off. It'll never totally die but we may not be the curling power we are now. Which would be unfortunate.