| CFL South America- Part 3 |
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After taking you around the Northern Division ,we’re going to take you further south where players can keep warm and keep their careers going. When Milt Stegall and Damon Allen decide to finally hang up their cleats or Chris Schultz and Matt Dunigan finally decide that it’s time to get out of doing the color commentator circuit for the CBC or TSN, where better a place to go than to a league that will let them pass on their years of wisdom to a brand new market and a brand new set of football players. It’s that touch of Canadian sass and class but with a beach-based vision that’s going to make these teams succeed.
The Santiago Sailors: Money, money, money. After twenty years of nearly uninterrupted economic success, Santiago has become one of South America’s most flourishing cities. Meaning that getting bums into the seats isn’t going to be a problem. With Santiago generating almost half of the country’s money, the seats and the sky boxes shouldn’t have a problem being filled here. The La Paz Pirates: The capital of Bolivia is just begging to be re-made as a football town. Like Denver, it’s elevated, so high up in fact that at an altitude of 3,600 meters, La Paz is the highest point in all of South America. It’s also cold and poor, two things that folks in Hamilton can relate to somewhat I’d think. Because it’s somewhat under-whelmed economically, you can expect the heart and the passion of La Paz to show through in its fans. Geographically, it’s also a really nice place to play football as well. For cardiovascular training, the players will have a leg up thanks to the thin air, plus, they’ll have better throwing time thanks to the extreme elevation they’re working in. With all of these factors together, La Paz can’t lose. The Buenos Aires Bone Crushers: The cultural and sporting hub of Argentina, Buenos Aires has been the home to many a legendary Argentinean soccer player. It’s these roots, that will make the place a thriving home for football. If you can accept and worship the lunacy of Diego Marradonna and make him a national hero, you can certainly open your hearts to a Canadian football league with a new kind of attitude. The Montevideo Maniacs: Given that Montevideo is the biggest city in Uruguay, you’re not going to have trouble filling the seats. Admittedly it’s not the most sporting of cities that you can ask for but if you tie in the tourist pulling beaches and the legendary Montevideo harbor and you guaranteed to get folk to show up, even if they‘re only in town for the weather. Considered also to be the city in South America with the highest quality of life, you’re going to get a different kind of fan, one somewhat more relaxed and hopefully the players will reflect that too. Could it be, the Toronto Argos of the CFLS? The Asuncion All Stars: Asuncion is the capital of Paraguay and one of the oldest cities in South American, bringing football here would be like bringing it to Montreal or perhaps Ottawa. With 65% of the city’s population under the age of 30 as of last count, Asuncion is rife with youthful energy, something that will be key to making the All-Stars a leading attraction. Get them action, get them girls and get market it right and this could be the Vancouver of the CFLS, a city primed with youthful dynamite and ready to explode with the right sport. The Brasilia Banditos: According to local legend, Italian saint Don Bosco in 1883 had a prophetic dream in which he described a futuristic city that roughly fitted Brasilia’s location. Today, this cosmopolitan urban oasis makes tourists feel like they’re in a sc-fi movie with its elegance and out of this world architecture. Yes, it’s going to be hard to compete with the national madness that is soccer, but by putting the team in Brasillia, it means you’re getting the staff for over 90 different embassies at your beck and call. The North American staff will flock to a new kind of sport and bring their friends wit them and in time, the entire city will adapt to the ways of the CFLS. Think that the idea is a big load of crap? Let us know at the Lions Fan Forum!                |