Stackhouse’s 10 Weekend Thoughts

2 – PADDY THE BADDY – There was some thought Paddy Pimblett made a big mistake in requesting a fight with Benoit Saint Denis but Paddy, clearly, knew what he was doing.  Despite going in as a minor underdog, Pimblett choked Saint Denis unconscious 52-seconds into round one, which now sets him up for either a rematch with Justin Gaethje or first in line to face Ilia Topuria once Topuria recovers from the beating he took from Gaethje at the White House card last month.  In a post-fight interview, Pimblett joked that he would be willing to step back into the octagon and fight Holloway so the fans could get their money’s worth for the night.

3 – CFL ATTENDANCE – One of the latest explanations for the CFL misleading everyone with their attendance numbers comes from former Bomber play by play man Bob Irving, who has unfortunately destroyed his reputation by having an X account.  He says people who go to games in Winnipeg actually watch from the concourse and don’t sit in their seats.  I’m not saying that doesn’t happen, but there seems to be an excuse in every city as to why the announced attendance is correct but the eyeball says otherwise.  I mean I’ve seen games in Winnipeg where the seats are full so is it only certain games where they like to watch from the concourse?  It truly is the only league that I can think of where people drop money on tickets and then don’t actually go to the games because they would rather watch on tv, watch from the concourse, or they want to go but it’s too windy, too cold, too wet, too hot, too early in the day, too late in the day or on the wrong day altogether and now from Edmonton we are hearing there were a lot of mosquitoes. 

4 – SPORTS RADIO – Perhaps the biggest news of the week concerned Rogers shutting down radio stations, including two all-sports channels in Calgary and Vancouver respectively.  I haven’t heard much of an outcry from Vancouver but there does appear to be a sense of loss in Calgary and the reality is this:  if those stations were making money Rogers would not shutter them.  I know many of you feel radio is a dying entity but when done right, there is still a demand for it.  I would submit it’s actually never been easier to do what radio and local television were intended to be but the suits in the couple of companies that own everything in this country haven’t a foggy clue how to capitalize on it and they are finally following through on a message that I have given to radio and tv people for a number of years when it comes to excuses given as to why certain events aren’t covered…if you can’t afford to own a radio or tv station, then don’t.

5 – EXPOSURE TO CASUALS – Die hard sports fans are always going to find outlets to get their fix, whether it be through podcasts or websites or social media.  What’s lost when mainstream media decides it’s not going to cover local sports teams is the casual fan.  When there used to be local coverage in the newspapers, radio station sportscasts and late night sports tv highlight shows, it would catch the attention of the casual observer.  When I worked for CKX-TV in Brandon, we would have a 12-minute sportscast during the evening news and it was full of Wheat Kings, Bobcats, high school sports, and other human interest stories.  That’s all gone now.  Not just in cities like Brandon.  But larger centres like Regina, Saskatoon, Red Deer, and now Calgary and Vancouver.  Heck, the Flames don’t have a radio station to carry their games now.  Putting them online just makes it harder to find for people who have an interest but aren’t going to put forth any extra effort.

6 – OPPORTUNITY IN THE MARKET – We can bemoan how certain levels of sports aren’t supported, namely university sports, lacrosse, CEBL, junior football, junior hockey, etc.  But I believe the extra fans that would go to these games aren’t even aware of what they are missing because they used to be exposed to it by accident.  Having said that, there is a real opportunity out there for someone who has the business sense to throw together a local news/sports package and run it daily.  The beauty of this is that you aren’t mandated to fill a full hour.  If there is a lot going on, you can produce an hour program.  If there isn’t and you only have 34 minutes, then that’s how long it is the next day.  The key is building that following from people within your community and making your show part of everyone’s routine just like reading the morning paper or watching the evening news used to be.  If I was still as keen on the industry as I used to be, I would absolutely do it.  If you think I’m wrong, look no further than Just Bins.  The following is what it is because nobody else is doing it.

7 – WALKED AWAY – When I broke into the broadcast industry in the mid-1990s, the fad was voice tracking which was eliminating a lot of jobs.  I will never forget the moment I was listening to a Halifax station during the afternoon drive home where the announcer stopped after a song to detail that he had just been told he was being laid off in two weeks because of restructuring and his position was being eliminated for voice tracking.  After going on a well done rant about how he felt disrespected, he took off his head set and got up from his on-air chair and walked out of the control room.  The timing was perfect.  The office staff had all left for the day but were stuck in rush hour traffic so there was dead air for a good 20-minutes before a song kicked in and programming carried on as if nothing ever happened.  I saw some comments on X this week about the hosts of the local shows in Calgary and Vancouver not getting an opportunity to say ‘bye’ on air.  My example above would be why.

8 – NAMES ON CUP – I have mentioned in a previous column that Tom Dundon is a bad sports owner but gets a free pass in hockey because the media are all bought and paid for by the NHL.  In the NBA, it’s not quite as well controlled by the league so you do get the odd critical story and Dundon’s tenure as owner of the Portland Trail Blazers has shown what a POS he truly is.  Dundon made some waves this week by having the names of his wife and five kids engraved on the Stanley Cup even though they have nothing to do with winning it.  Left off the Cup are names like Joel Nystrom, who played 38 games this season as well as equipment trainer Bobby Gorman, a 50-year employee.  Decades ago, Peter Pocklington pulled a similar stunt and had his dad’s name engraved on the Cup.  The NHL has since put a row of X’s over top of his name.  I’m sure there are similar instances of this over the years and I don’t get it.  When it comes to names on the Cup, it should just be whoever played the games in the playoffs as well as the coaching staff and GM.  That’s it.  That’s not to discredit anyone else but when you leave it wide open, you get morons like Dundon who abuse it and, frankly, cheapen the prestige of hockey’s top trophy.

9 – CEBL/WCBL – It’s the stretch drive of the CEBL season and the Saskatoon Mamba have some adversity as they try to secure a playoff berth.  Forward Jaylin Williams has left the team for a spot on the NBA Summer League Minnesota Timberwolves roster.  Hard to blame him for that.  The Mamba also played this week without leading scorer Tevion Jones due to personal reasons so his return will be crucial over the final eight games.  On the NBA note, I’m a little surprised the Mamba haven’t done a better job promoting the fact Elijah Harkless went to the NBA’s Utah Jazz after playing for the CEBL’s Rattlers.  Harkless, this past season, averaged 6.8-ppg in just over 21-minutes per game through 26-games.  Watching the CEBL could mean you are watching future NBAers but the league remains a widely kept sports secret.  I’m not slagging the Western Canadian Baseball League, but attendance for a Mamba game and a Berries game run pretty much equal and while I’m a bigger baseball fan than I am basketball, I will take the CEBL over the WCBL 10/10 times if they are on competing nights.  Having said that, congratulations are in order to Carter Beck for being chosen in the first round of the MLB Draft on Saturday.  Beck was the WCBL’s Rookie of the Year and Top Canadian in 2024 and a league all-star in 2025.  The Carnduff native has a tantalizing combination of power and speed.

10 – RIGGED SPORTS – I’ve never really held soccer in high regard.  FIFA is right there with the IOC but nevertheless the story this week about Donald Trump confirming that he intervened and asked FIFA to review a red card handed out to Folarin Balogun, a striker with the US men’s soccer team is up there with the most ridiculous of all-time.  The infraction meant Balogun would miss the team’s round of sixteen game against Belgium but once Trump got involved, the red card was rescinded and Balogun was allowed to play.  I’ve never seen such a thing in sports ever before and it just adds more fuel to the fire for the increasing numbers of people who are becoming more and more cynical about the integrity of professional games.  I have to admit, when I see how much money is at stake through gambling I am also skeptical over the legitimacy of certain matches although I’m at a loss as to how so much corruption could have a lid kept on it without even one person breaking ranks.  I keep watching, myself, because whether games are fixed or not I do not know what’s going to happen so my suspense level is maintained.  It’s like professional wrestling.  You know it’s fake but do you know what’s going to happen?

(Mike Stackhouse is a freelance writer/broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter at @Stack1975)