Reply With QuoteIt is so amazing and so flagrant and was so predictable and yet it seems that he may get away with it.
Any lawsuit may also make it worse, whatever happens it will not be nice at all.
Yeah, I was looking forward to your response on that one.quote:Originally posted by Gian-Luca
In my un-professional opinion (I'm not a libel or defamation lawyer), I think he does have a good case. It doesn't take much to read between the lines as to what Perkins is suggesting.quote:Originally posted by Free kick
I hope Tannebaum sues.
It is so amazing and so flagrant and was so predictable and yet it seems that he may get away with it.
Any lawsuit may also make it worse, whatever happens it will not be nice at all.
Here's the text of an email I sent to Perkins. Despite the message being entitled "Congratulations on your article" chances are he won't read it, so just to ensure somebody does I thought I'd post it here:
Dear Mr. Perkins,
Thank you very much for your article published in the Toronto Star today on the soccer stadium and the Federal government’s. It was most amusing.
I particularly enjoyed your hysterically funny suggestion that for much less than $27 Million dollars they are spending, four municipal “stadiums” could be upgraded and subsequently used to host the 2007 World Youth Soccer Championships. Apart from the fact that anybody who has ever been to those four “stadiums” (which presumably does not include you) knows that you would need a great deal more than that amount of money to make those “stadiums” serviceable for a prestigious international soccer tournament to be watched by millions around the world that will feature the biggest sporting stars of tomorrow, it is absolutely hilarious that you are giving off the suggestion that the 2007 World Youth Soccer Championships are to be held solely in Toronto, rather than all across Canada, which is actually the case. (Why else would you suggest that Toronto would have FIVE of the venues of this six-venue event?). Nice to see that you are on the ball when it comes to Canadian sporting issues once again.
The irony of course is that anti-soccer members of the media constantly are providing us with their opinion that soccer isn’t a popular sport to watch in Toronto or Canada, just for amateurs and little-leaguers to play. To avoid total embarrassment for Canada in front of the entire world, you would need to upgrade all four municipal stadiums to sit at least 10,000 participants minimum. Unfortunately afterwards you wouldn’t have four teams that would be able to regularly fill the stands (according to the North American anti-soccer sports journalist edict). Recreational soccer of course doesn’t need four 10,000 seat stadiums in Toronto. So in order to avoid having a 20,000 seater that will be regularly used, we could instead have four baby white elephants. What a wonderful way to spend taxpayers money – don’t give them something they could use and need, lets give them four things they won’t use or don’t need – which will cost them more! Brilliant stuff!!
The tears of laughter have been coming down my eyes with the thought of Argentina playing Germany at Esther Shriner Stadium with capacity expanded to seat 3000. Even better is the thought of a first round match between Italy and Brazil at Birchmount Stadium with several hundred members of the world’s press squished like sardines into a tiny press box that isn’t big enough to hold four Keebler Elves. I can stop giggling at the thought of any two international teams playing at Centennial Stadium, which has a pitch that’s too small for international soccer and is surrounded by a track, as they run down the pitch for the first time and wonder where the rest of the pitch has suddenly gone. I can’t wait to see the expression of the players, coaches, fans and officials from those nations unfortunate enough to be placed at Lamport Stadium when they see that a giant fishing net has to be erected behind one of the goals in order to prevent traffic accidents happening on King St. – such huge meshes are of course common place at soccer stadiums around the world. I smile at the thought of inviting the world to come and sit on a few decrepid wooden benches to watch the stars of tomorrow. Most of all I get a warm hearted glow of the thought of the powers that be taking you up on your suggestion at having these games played in a group of bush-league facilities in one city in Canada and having FIFA, the world soccer authority, take the tournament away from Canada altogether as a result and give it to the US instead.
Thank you again for the article – it was the most hilarious piece I’ve read in decades!
Well done Gian-Luca. Of course there is also the hilarious omission of the fact the the money was allocated, what, 1 or 2 years prior to Tannenbaum's or MLSE's involvement.
Have to wonder if this Perkins guy has ever attended a WYC event or even watched one on TV, clearly he knows nothing of what he writes on the subject. The fact that the WYC is second only in size and significance on the world soccer stage to the FIFA World Cup apparently has escaped him. Regrettably there are plenty of Star readers who are equally ignorant who will accept what he writes as gospel because they read it somewhere. I hope somebody sues his pants off and his newspaper. The underlying political message was equally despicable.
I don't think there is any question that he hasn't - I just wonder if he's ever attended any soccer match or watched one on TV.quote:Originally posted by Richard
Have to wonder if this Perkins guy has ever attended a WYC event or even watched one on TV, clearly he knows nothing of what he writes on the subject.
How the hell you worked in PR I'll never know...
Who works in PR?
Great article G.L I am delighted to see your comment about the media. I have been practically castrated by some of our board guys and as I said it brought a smile to my face. I did forecast this stuff and I did because it follows a pattern. I can tell you that Jerkins is not respedcted or even liked by his colleauges so maybe it shows this way,trying to get them over to his side,maybe trying to please them other jerks.It is all a mishmash of jerkolian fed with inferiority and downright good old hatred or deep dislikes.They will ignore whatever we throw at them because they know beforehand what the reaction will be. Oh Ja maybe I am gathering some believers on this board and maybe you will realize that our game has to be fought at the media levels, it is that important.
GL for prime minister!
It is funny but when I read the article I didn't get the same level of anger that the rest of you seem to have.
I think it is a bit of a stretch to try and make a political scandal out of this but that seems to be the flavour of the day in journalism.
As for the concept of renovating rather than building new, I agree. In fact I was all over that (on boards and in letters to politicians) when the CSA was looking for a place to build their new stadium. Only difference is that I was advocating using as much of the $35 million available ($8 million of provincial funds on top of the feds $27 million) to bring Lamport up to snuff and then use the balance to improve facilities in other cities.
I think it is unfair to try to imagine these young stars playing at the current Lamport when the proposal would be to spend millions improving it....just not $72 million! I bet that using half of that $35 million on Lamport could have delivered a cozy, comfortable, functional 15,000 seat stadium that would have been good for the tournament and our current needs....it just would not have been sufficient for MLS! I guess that is what bothers some of the critics....if we could have done everything we needed for the tournament for $20 million or so but needed to do more for MLS, then every penny above that figure can be seen as a subsidy to MLSE and MLS.
No where in the article does Mr. Perkins suggest that the entire tournament be held in Toronto. He just suggests that you could improve 4 stadiums for the price of one and then slot games into the stadiums according to their drawing power. Since the final is likely to be in Edmonton, what do we need a stadium over, say, 15,000 for anyway?
Before you start saying this is a big event with big crowds....I looked at some of the match reports from the 2005 tournament on FIFA.com and this is what I found:
Opening match Benin (who?) v Australia 4,500 attendance
Match 2 Holland (host nation first matc) v Japan 19,500
Round of 16 Holland (host nation!) v Chile 10,900
Quarter Final Germany v Brazil 10,000
Semi Final Brazil v Argentina 16,500
Semi Final Morocco v Nigeria 17,000
The Final Nigeria v Argentina 24,500
This is a big event....just not one with huge crowds....and this was in a traditional football country.
Aside from the scandal aspect, I see nothing wrong with Mr. Perkins view on the stadium choice.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks