Nicolas Duvernois believes that Montreal is much more a city of basketball than baseball. (Photo: 123RF)
GUEST BLOG. It was with great excitement that I went to the Verdun amphitheater on Sunday with my oldest daughter Victoria and our creative director, Nikolaos, to attend the very first game of the Alliance de Montréal, the new professional team of the CEBL (Canadian Elite Basketball League).
Although Victoria was super happy to see her very first professional sports game, the excitement was more than palpable in Niko and I, true basketball enthusiasts and former players in our time.
Personally, my expectations were high. In the past, I have several times shared my opinion that Montreal was much more a city of basketball than of baseball. So I was eager to confirm, or not, my belief.
Having done my schooling in a sports-study program in basketball, you might think that my love of sport colors my words, but believe me, my thinking is much deeper.
Let’s analyze it all more closely. For more than a century and with all the reasons in the world, Montreal has been a hockey city. Indeed, in addition to being the national sport, the very first indoor hockey game was played right here, in Montreal, on March 3, 1875. Since then, over the years, our Glorieux have marked our collective history, particularly in giving birth to people’s heroes such as Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau, Guy Lafleur and many others.
Faced with this true religion, aside from the golden age of the Expos, which lasted some thirty years, it has always been difficult for any other sport to carve out a place for itself in the hearts of Montrealers.
Since then, the demographic portrait of Quebec and especially Montreal has changed. The Montreal of today is drastically different from that of the 70s, 80s and even 90s. The different waves of immigration, the aging of the population combined with the arrival at adulthood of first-generation immigrants have changed our different lifestyles.
Today, our tastes in terms of food, music, fashion are greatly influenced by various influences. Sports are no exception.
The crowd that filled the auditorium during the game was a perfect reflection of today’s Montreal: cosmopolitan, of all ages and lots of young families. I was overjoyed to see how much this sport resonated with a heterogeneous clientele, all of whom have one thing in common: love for this sport.
Going to see a basketball game is much more than going to see athletes practice a sport, it’s an event, a show that gives you a great view. Not only through athletic prowess on the field, but also off the field. The exhilarating atmosphere encouraged by the music of the DJ who very rarely stops, the breaks animated sometimes by a crowd leader, sometimes by a dance troupe, not a single minute without something happening.
I sincerely cross my fingers that the Alliance de Montréal will be a great success and I particularly congratulate Annie Larouche and her team for the tremendous work that has made it possible to set up the whole thing in less than a year. With the victory in hand, both Nikolaos, Victoria and I left satisfied with our experience and can’t wait to go back to the next game!
