Quote:
Originally Posted by Muta
So Calgary isn't a soccer city because they don't have the proper facility? I disagree with you there. Calgary actually is a soccer city and has always had problems finding enough playing surfaces to field games. There's always a shortage. I'm sure Mango and Ozy can testify to this, too.
And I'm sorry, but if you think McMahon isn't an embarrassment of a stadium, you obviously haven't been to many stadiums. This city has the money to do so much better. Sometimes, you have to make an investment. Would you keep a car for fifty years because you don't feel like spending money on a new one? I sure as hell wouldn't. Millions of people around the world purchase new cars every year - ones that run better, have better technology and are more suited to today's lifestyle. Not sure why arenas don't count here.
Last thing - Calgary wouldn't be able to host another Olympics unless another massive injection of money came in to upgrade the crumbling facilities we have... they're outdated and not suited to today's Olympic standards - McMahon included. This isn't 1988 - that was a quarter century ago.
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I didn't say I don't think McMahon is an embarrassment. I'm actually not embarassed by it, but I am well aware it's not a world class facility. But it's certainly good enough to host a CFL team (2nd rate league) and CIS football.
The point was (and not because Calgary doesn't have lots of soccer enthusiest), is that Calgary doesn't HAVE to have a world class facility for everything to be world class. If we don't have a world class facilty to host international soccer, MLS or NFL football, that doesn't make this city second rate.
Calgary will never get an NFL franchise, and a one off event (world cup) and CFL football likely don't justify the creation of a world class outdoor (or dome) facility for this city. Now, if the business case is there for MLS and CFL to share the facility, along with larger concerts, I'd actually be excited to see something like this built in Calgary.
But if that case doesn't exist and the stadium never gets built, that absolutely does not make Calgary embarasssing, not in the slightest.
Everything esle you said I addressed in other posts.