We love sports. So does the rest of the city and the world is recognizing it too.

By: Eddie

Since the turn of the 21st century Vancouver has stepped up to be one of the best places to play sports, host a tournament and develop a successful franchise. Ranging from the World Hockey Juniors to the Grey Cup, Vancouver leaves its mark on athletes and fans alike.

There are a few grizzly marks on our city’s sports franchise history and perhaps this can be summed up with Vancouvers short lived adventure with professional basketball.  The Vancouver Grizzlies came  to Vancouver with a lot of support from the Griffiths family, but in 2001 citing low attendance the franchise was sold and moved to Memphis.  Three years later, our NLL (National Lacrosse League) team, the Vancouver Ravens played three seasons and then folded because of attendance and problems with their lease at GM Place. This was ironically the same year that the Molson Indy Vancouver would be held for the final time. What was going on? We have a great city, great fans, but things were looking grim for the future of Vancouver sporting, but there was light at the other end of the tunnel.

Well there seems to be a happy ending to this Cinderella story. Sporting events hit Vancouver like a wildfire, sending local sports fans into a frenzy. We have seen more events and sports in the last 5 years than we have ever seen. Vancouver continued to grow and has gained the status as one of the "top dogs" in North American sports cities. To date, four professional sports teams call Vancouver home: the B.C. Lions (Canadian Football League), Vancouver Canucks (National Hockey League), Vancouver Canadians (Northwest League Baseball), and the Vancouver Whitecaps (United Soccer League/First Division). Not to be left out are the Vancouver Giants, widely regarded as one of the elite teams in the Western Hockey League. Vancouver has come a long way, overcoming hurdle after hurdle. The best has yet to come as evidenced by the recent announcement of a group involving Steve Nash successfully getting an MLS soccer franchise for Vancouver!  We also can’t forget that the eyes of the world will be on our city with the 2010 Winter Olympics!

Vancouver is a great city for fans and athletes alike so let’s give our teams and events the support they deserve! You can step up and get involved by checking out a game, volunteering for the Olympics or showing your support. Together, we'll show the world the reason why Vancouver won the bid for the 2010 Olympics!

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