Last Saturday night, I had the pleasure of attending a Vancouver Canadians game with a group of family and friends. Having spent the last year focused on learning the basic rules of soccer so that I could muster my way through a Vancouver Whitecaps game without completely embarrassing myself, I’m flummoxed and somewhat hesitant to admit that I somehow lost all of my knowledge of baseball. After receiving a crash course (and braving the incredulous response I received from my husband, who asked more than a few times, ‘you’re joking, right?’), I was able to sit back, enjoy the game, and, more importantly, critically analyze some of the key differences and similarities between Vancouver’s sports teams. In no particular order:

1. The fans

The ever-enthusiastic Whitecaps fan base

One of the key things that struck me was the difference in tone, atmosphere, and make-up of the fans. The Canadians game was definitely more family-friendly – a claim I can confidently make after astutely observing the large number of families in attendance. That, plus the fact that I left the game without hearing one swear word or having any beer spilled on me – two things one can always count on at any given Whitecaps game. What’s more, I didn’t notice a lot of folks on their cell phones or wearing business suits, which tend to be frequent sites at Canucks games.  I chock this difference up to – not surprisingly – the low cost of tickets and marketing efforts geared towards families.

2. The food

Sadly, the food is one similarity that I wish was different. It tends to be overpriced, unhealthy fare no matter what the venue or sport. While fans justify overindulgence with the explanation that, “you gotta have [insert unhealthy food option here] when at a [insert sport here] game!”, for those of us who care about what we put into our bodies or where our food comes from, having some healthier options would definitely be appreciated.

3. Advertising and corporate sponsorship

Advertising at the Nat - No space left unspoken for

While advertising and corporate sponsorship are of course prevalent across all sports organizations, I found there was quite a difference in advertising methods, dependant on opportunities for promotion within the structure and coverage of the game. Given the continual flow of soccer, with few breaks other than half-time, advertising is done through marketing materials, clothing and gear. With a large Bell logo on the front of our jerseys that we wear to every game, we the fans advertise on our team’s behalf. On the contrary, with the frequent commercial breaks and high viewership of Canucks games, most advertising is done through commercials. In the most hilarious of advertising efforts, the Canadians squeeze it in where they can: between innings. A Smart car driven around the field between second and third inning? That will do!

So there it is – a few observations from a casual fan, slowly learning about the fascinating world of Vancouver sports.