Read Up!

If there's one date on the North American sporting calendar that the masses will make time for, it's the Super Bowl. Even non-sports fans tune in (though much of the appeal may now be the half-time show and all of those crazy commercials). The game itself remains a spectacle, and regardless of why you're there watching, the Super Bowl has become a holiday of sorts, an opportunity for people to get together and have a party. From a scheduling perspective, it makes sense why the Super Bowl became the big draw; the other three core North American sports – baseball, basketball, and hockey – all have a "series" playoff format. Meaning, two teams play up to seven games in order to determine a champion. Because of this it's hard to pin down the day to huddle around the TV and see the action. With football, the date is saved well in advance.  The interesting thing is that professional football did not always have the public's heart. For the first half of the 20th century baseball reigned supreme in the United States. College football was also popular, but the professional game was looked on with uncertain eyes. It may feel like it has always been there, but the Super Bowl was first played in 1967, 64 years after the first World Series. Super Bowl I, as it is now known, was a bit of an experiment. Before 1966, the National Football League and American Football League were actually separate, rival leagues. After years of fighting for players and fans, the two decided to make peace and merge (which was scheduled to officially occur in 1969). Thus, a "World Championship Game" was born in order to determine which league had the true champion. The NFL's Green Bay Packers won this new title game, supporting what many already thought: that the established NFL was far superior to the upstart AFL. The Packers also won the season following. More NFL dominance was expected in Super Bowl III – the first to officially carry the "Super Bowl" title – as the heavily favoured Baltimore Colts, lead by Johnny Unitas, were set to face Joe Namath's New York Jets. The Colts had only lost one regular season game in 1967 and in the NFL title game whomped the Cleveland Browns 34-0. The Jets were 18-point underdogs, though that didn't stop Namath from "guaranteeing" victory for New York three days before the game.  The Jets, as their quarterback promised, would make good, a holding off a 4th-quarter surge by the Colts to win 16-7; for the first time an AFL team was number one, which legitimized the new league and the Super Bowl itself. From there the big game only got bigger. And while professional football's massive popularity growth would undoubtably still have occurred, the Jets' performance in Super Bowl III played a large part in speeding up that process. 

Fall is upon us once more, the best time of the sporting year. The NHL, NBA, NFL, and NCAA football seasons are now underway, and for the MLS and MLB, it's been playoff time. As the summer dies out, sport blossoms.  It makes sense, then, that at this time of rebirth there are some exciting goings-on at The SPORT Gallery, too. We have new product rolling in, an exciting partnership with TSN Radio to announce, and the launch of our new website.  First and foremost, the website. No drastic renovations have been made to our home on the World Wide Web -- it's merely received light remodelling and a fresh coat of paint. The site is hopefully more of a visual experience now, a better reflection of what you might find in one of our physical galleries.  The new site -- sites, really, we have one for Canadian visitors and another for US -- has all of the prints, apparel, accessories, and books you'll recognize from our three locations. The interface is simple and user-friendly. And the beautiful thing about thesportgallery.ca and thesportgallery.com: they allow our doors to be open 24/7.  Next on the docket is TSN Radio and The Art of Sport. For those who don't know, TSN is ESPN's Canadian brother, the best the North has to offer in terms of sports coverage. TSN Radio has a wide reach on the dial, from Vancouver to Montreal with five stops in-between. One of its top programs is The Sport Market, hosted by Tom Mayenknecht. As of October 7, The SPORT Gallery will be content partners of The Sport Market. In addition to sponsoring part of the show, we'll be contributing a segment called The Art of Sport. Just as we do with our galleries, the segment will analyze and discuss the points where sport, art, aesthetics, and history intersect.  In The Art of Sport, we'll use artwork and other product from the gallery as a jumping off point for conversation. Our prints, for example, can help bring a period of history to life. The much over-used saying, 'a picture paints a thousand words,' is, in this case, fitting.  We have a gallery favourite called "Turning Point, 1948," a black-and-white shot of Jackie Robinson narrowly avoiding the tag of a Phillies third baseman. It serves as a fitting metaphor for Robinson’s greater struggle for tolerance and acceptance. In 1947, a year prior, Robinson weathered a now-infamous verbal assault; Phillies manager Ben Chapman directed endless racial slurs and taunts towards Robinson mid-game, the severity of which inspired considerable backlash At a time of inequality and segregation, it was significant to have the public defend Major League Baseball’s first African-American. This is the sort of thing we'll be discussing on The Art of Sport -- why certain products we carry are popular, their artistic qualities, and the story behind them. It's going to be a fun project to continue to work on, and if you'd like to catch us on the air, tune in between 7:00 and 11:00am PST on Saturdays on Vancouver 1040 and Toronto 1050. Additional airings will occur on a tape delay throughout Canada. You can also hear past shows online here. The last bit of news to touch on is our new product. As those familiar with the gallery will know, our apparel and headwear tends to change with the seasons. A big haul of hockey, plus some basketball and football product will be on its way, while baseball is dropping off. We have great new NHL kids and youth gear, for teams like the Canucks, Oilers, Flames, Canadiens, and Leafs. Being a fan is a life-long endeavour, and we can help get your little ones started early. There's plenty of options for adults too. American Needle is a really great brand that's hard to find here in Canada, and right now we have three sleek Canucks headwear styles to check out. Our favourite is the Waxed Taylor, a '90s-style distressed flat-brim with the now-famous "flying skate" logo. The body of the hat is, as the name suggests, waxed, which is a unique feature. The wax waterproofs the hat, making it perfect for those rainy Vancouver winters.  If you don't either find your team or a style you're fond of at the gallery or online, odds are that over the course of the fall and winter we'll have something come in -- be sure to keep checking back and to put your name in our customer request list! That's all the news for now. Enjoy your time on the site, and be sure to also give us a look on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.