Ryerson and MLG - Some Thoughts
Let me preface this by saying that I am still uncertain as to how concrete this deal is. There have been enough ideas and deals made by Loblaws since they bought the building, all of which have fallen through. I am sceptical, but I suspect it will go off.
There are obviously multiple issues surrounding this deal. First and foremost, Loblaws need to make this 13 Million dollar historical site productive. Second, Ryerson needs to hop on the OUA bandwagon and upgrade their athletic facilities like Toronto, Western, and Queen's have done in the last year or so. Finally, Ryerson needs to do something to make sure that people actually think of 3 schools when they use the term "Toronto University". It seems that U of T and York have had exclusive rights to this title in general conversations, and its just incorrect. That all being said, it's the latter two issues that concern me.
There is a lot of potential here for Ryerson, the OUA, and the CIS if this deal goes through as planned. Not only do you have the potential to have a beautiful facility for student-athletes to use, but it just so happens to be housed in one of the most historical stadiums on the continent (Harold Ballard years aside). Sure a lot of schools across the country have great facilities, but none of them can make the claim that it is in Maple Leaf Gardens which (biases aside people) has been privy to some of the glorious moments in Canadian sporting history. Whether you consider the Leafs historical Stanley Cup wins (1942 coming back from 3 games down comes to mind, as does Bill Barilko's famous goal and subsequent curse), Muhammad Ali's fights, the 1972 Summit Series, and so on and so forth. To have your athletes play there, and the opposition coming in there is a steroid-esque boost to the credibility of your Athletics program. Moreover, it would be flat-out cool for those athletes, although by 2011 (slated date of completion) I would wonder how many of them actually went to or even know of Maple Leaf Gardens.
It's no secret that Ryerson doesn't jump off the page at people when you consider Canadian Universities under any criteria. Academically they're seen as middle of the road with a few exceptional programs, and Athletically it's the same kind of deal. This type of move for the school is loaded with potential. In fact, it may even be worthy the type of comparison to a solid professional sports team looking to may a jump into contention, so they go out and get someone to put them there. The phrase of 2009 in Toronto (sports specifically) has been "Culture Change" (Good one Brian Burke! You're doing a bang-up job!), and this could be the tipping point for Ryerson. All of a sudden you have what has the potential to be an elite athletic facility, and you have made yourself a type of landmark within a metropolis. With a couple tweaks here and there, all of a sudden Ryerson may become the 1A of the Toronto university environment, surpassing York who have had a few years to forget. I say that they may pass York, because I don't think you can touch U of T, it's too much of an academic behemoth that is entrenched in the city. Regardless, this type of deal could have that effect for Ryerson, and one that could propel them into the upper echelon of universities in Canada.
As much as I will sob heavily when MLG is a grocery store with a hockey rink et al. I much prefer this option to what is going on. MLG has been rotting for the better part of a decade, and its time it got a makeover. That being said, we may as well help out a university looking for a booster shot in the process. For all my fellow students at Ryerson, I am thrilled for you. If this goes down I propose a new tradition: you have people playing against your teams upstairs, they sell tomatoes downstairs. Do the math.
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