The Manson Cup is awarded to the champion of the Quebec Junior Football League every November.
But this year the championship game was only a day or two away from being suspended – a prime example of politics interfering in sports.
A controversial decision to use an ineligible player has shown the ugly side of sports, a side Ottawa knows too well.
The Quebec football league’s rules state that players must play at least two regular season games to be eligible for the playoffs. Ottawa Sooners receiver Steven Hughes didn’t meet that requirement – well, not entirely.
Hughes played in the Ontario Football Conference earlier this season, and when his team was eliminated from playoffs, the Sooners added Hughes to their roster for the last two games of the season.
Then, when Hughes and the Sooners beat the Châteauguay Raiders in the semifinals of the Quebec League Championships, the Raiders protested the game.
Hughes didn’t play in any regular season games, so the Raiders said he didn’t qualify to join in the playoffs.
But the Sooners argued Hughes was listed on the game sheets, and technically, the rule doesn’t state a player has to participate in the game.
End result? The league upheld the Raiders protest, forfeiting the Sooners’ win.
The league was lucky to sort this out because football should be settled on the field, not the courtroom.
Postponing the championship game for the sake of a political dispute is disheartening and paints a black mark on the sport.
The Ottawa Junior Riders, the other team in the final, had to prepare for both the Raiders and Sooners until a decision was finally made.
Not all controversy in sports is team–driven. Who can forget the greed and griping of Alexi Yashin?
The short–lived superstar of the Ottawa Senators appeared to be the cornerstone of a budding Sens team in the mid ‘90s. He was named team captain at age 25 and led the team in scoring during four of his six seasons in Ottawa.
But Yashin’s speed and skill on the ice were overshadowed by his off–ice antics. He sat out on three different occasions over contract disputes, including the entire 2000–2001 season.
He cared more about the numbers on his paycheque than the numbers on the scoreboard – a slap in the face to fans.
Yashin’s greed and waiting games led to a backlash from Sens fans in his final season during 2001–2002, and he was jeered whenever he touched the puck on home ice.
Despite a strong regular season with 88 points in 82 games, Yashin lost any remaining supporters with his lacklustre play in the first round of the playoffs.
The Russian centre folded like a cheap tent, recording only one assist as the Maple Leafs swept the Sens.
The following summer, Yashin and his hefty contract were sent to the New York Islanders for two players and a draft pick.
Unfortunately for Ottawa, owners can’t be traded or shipped away. This city has had a front row ticket for the mismanagement of professional sports teams.
The CFL and the city have tried to connect for a successful franchise a number of times but they always seem to fall a few yards short.
The teams haven’t seen success on the field or at the ticket gate since Bernard and Lonie Glieberman came to town in the early ‘90s.
After taking ownership of the team, the Glieberman’s made all the wrong moves. Firing popular coaches, bringing in troubled players like Dexter Manley, and then threatening to move the team to the U.S. (which they eventually did). Fast–forward to 2005, when the Glieberman’s again took ownership of Ottawa’s CFL team.
But again, the Glieberman’s continued to drive away their fan base with promotions such as Mardi Gras nights that excluded families and offended women.
This time, they ran the team into the ground, piling up almost $4 million worth of debt. By 2006, the team was a disaster and the Glieberman’s pulled out of the ownership.
Their failures have basically taken the pride out of professional football in Ottawa. They created a mess that Jeff Hunt and his team are trying to clean up today, as they look to bring Ottawa another football team.
For most athletes, sports are about winning and losing. For fans, sports are supposed to offer entertainment and enjoyment.
But when the politics of sports are exposed, the fans end up losing.