——— provement in his game. ~

db y Andy Fraser |

‘Butisit sport?

When Krazy George leaps from his. helicopter

or pounds his little drum from the back of a bored

elephant; when the home team comes out.in new.

‘agressively’ designed uniforms; when cute

cheerleaders do a bump and grind routine to rival
anything from the old Victory burlesque in
Toronto, then you know you have really arrived
and aré watching professional sport.

The past few years have
‘seen the émergence of a new
kind of sports promotion. A
new approach to the old
sports theme.

Some promoters call it
gloss, or color. What it
means is that a new wrinkle,
or gimmick, will be in-
troduced to give the patron
an. illusion of an = im-

For some of us; who have
grown --up around
professional sport, it has
been a strange evolvement in
the world of the off field
entertainment.

_ JUST A BAND

An example: Many many
years ago the Ottawa Rough
Rider fans were entertained
at half time by the band of
the Governor Generals Foot
Guards.

Then one day, out came a
drum majorette to lead the

band. Fans thought it
somewhat strange, but no
one really objected.

Little did they know that
they were witnessing the
birth of a new secondary
industry in sports.

Today the Dallas Cowboy
Cheerleaders probably sell
more posters than the Dallas
Cowboys. Their tryouts
draws just as much attention
as the team they are sup-
posedly cheering for. Then

there are the costumers, the

between the different bands
of cheerleaders to see which
side could get a little more
jiggle and bounce without
creating a fall out problem.

LITTLE
DRUMMER BOY _

All pro football teams
have cheerleaders. Have you
ever heard any fans cheering

’ wolves,
fireworks, guys on horses |

~~ along with the girls?” Of

course not. So we bring in
Krazy George. A real wild
and crazy guy who can
manipulate mobs with his
silly little drum and a
professional (which means
money, buddy) sell to the
team executives.

This guy wanders around
the pro circuit making
people cheer. Whether .or
not good old George sup-
ports the team or not doesn’t
matter. It’s a job.

When the girls can’t make
the fans yell, and when the
team on the field is busy
perfecting the sure cure for
insomnia, then somebody
brings on Krazy George or
some other exotic
manifestation from the front
office.

Now there is this strange
chicken that wanders around
baseball fields, basketball
courts and of course, that
great sporting event of the
North Shore, the World
Bellyflop Championships.

Just what does a chicken
have to do with sport?

oe

Heaven forbid the silly.
thing to anything remotely
connected with sport. He
just has to be there and the
fans ate supposed to think:.
“Gee, isn't pro sport great?”

- Some places, obviously

not as couth, don’t have
chickens. Some have bears,
giant cannons;

that ride madly up and down
the field when someon
scores, and more girls. _

And then, of course, there
is another concept cf pro
sport promotion that has
taken Vancouver by storm.

That’s the costuming

department. Not for —the-

L. athletes.

periphery entertainment,
but for the real down to
earth. honest to goodness

Remember the old silly

- There is something
strangely unreal and, slightly
frightening about all the off

. the field hoopla,

When a man can stand

Saying that “Clothes make

the man?” Well, by gosh, the,

.. Vancouver prosports people’

believe it.

‘Remember last year when
the Canucks came out with
their new, zippy uniforms,
with the “more aggressive”
colours and design?

Or the B.C. Lions who
spent a fortune on having the
logo and uniform design
altered?

Or the Whitecaps
wert from the red maple leaf
inside the soccer ball to the

mew, marketable ball
bobbing aimlessly out on the
ocean? They too changed
color, design, logo and
uniforms. | _

DOESN’T HELP

None of these changes
have done a darn bit of good
for the teams or for their
performance, but they sure
have created a great little

spin off industry for
someone out there is the

land ef make believe.

_ Aug. 18th.
The New Look of the PNE is here!

Western Canada’s biggest parade kicks off PNE ’79 this Saturday, August 18.
ul

mM
the PN

NASA Space Exhibit

“Out of This World’’ — stunning
Jupiter from the Voyager Spacecra

pictures of
t.

A specially protected Rock from the Moon
brought back by Apollo 16.

Showcase °79

Fantastic performers keep the good times
rolling throughout the Fair.

Heart — August 19 at 8 p.m.

(festival seating) Tickets — $9.50

Super Vatu Circus —

August 22 & 23 at 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.ni.

’ who

ore than ever before! Entertainment, sides, displays and
E Is back with all your favourites and something new for everyone!

with a little drum and-make
people do what he demands;
when he can make them
curse an official or set up
aimless cheers, it can be
frightening.

When fans and the media —

spend so much time being

titilated by groups of rather -

healthy and nubile young
females all the while
pretending they are in-
terested in football, it is
more than a little strange.

’.-When the fans become

. enraptured of some foolish

chicken running up and

down and then saying how

great the ball game is, then
this is a bit peculiar.

Remember the old 18th

‘and 19th century tricks of

putting on copious amounts
of perfume to cover up the
simple and unescapable fact

that. someone hadn't
washed? It really didn’t
work.

Oh, maybe for a little

while it had some effect, but |

it didn’t take long before
people started to realize that

n—_—

~

Page BS, Alagust 15, 1979 - North Shore News

‘something was. wrong un-
derneath. .

COSTLY FUN

Perhaps .all these great
extras are simple, harmless
(but expensive) fun. But we
can’t halp” but” wonder
whatever happened to the
concept of the sport being
able to sell itself by what is
taking place on the field?

If the sport is good, then
why do we need all this other
distracting nonsense?

Or do we have all this
carrying on because it is not
so much a case of fun, but of
distracting the fans from the
fact. that their sport is
perhaps diluted and not of
the strength of the past?

Perhaps the chicken, the
Georges and the girls are riot
so much gloss, but a simple
case of whitewash.

re eet ae

The New Look of Playiand
34 major rides and attractions headtined by

that incredible JET STAR

i. And for the

younger set — a separate Kiddieland, featuring

17 kiddie rides.

Grand Prizes

You'll need your PNE Prize Program to get in
on this year’s $150,000 Grand Prize Home, GM
Car A Day Draws, and A pliance A Day Draws.
And there are Barrels of ‘Good Times” Prizes
to be won throughout the Fair.

Guinness World Record Challenges

An 80

ound donut, a swimming

ool full of

anes a0 Ue

a enemas

choercographers, the bands, STRANGE August 24 at 11 a.m.,3p.m.&7:30p.m. = ° jello? Believe It! Throughout the Falr, peel
_~ .andonand on. ve arene ore COON es ait GK ta-on=sale -only.at:Super.-Vala. Stores° 12 vii De-atte “hth in -Boo
: at + ARERR SR . =n$1. ne eM epantee one "1
_ iommameaa's'{

jand -their“hame
omrrecn

ESSO Talent Festival B.C.
From competitions held throughout the
province this spring - the 24 semi-finalists are
ready and the stage is set for the Esso Talent
Festivat B.C. CBC Television will broadcast the
finals on August 27 live from the Coliseum
with the Grand Winner receiving a host of
prizes and a chance to appear on a nationally
televised CBC Variety Show.
August 25 at 7 p.m. — Semi Finals
August 27 at 8:30 p.m. — Finals
Miss PNE Pageant

Take forty qoun ladies trom around the

rovince, ju Re them on charm, personality,

eauty, Intelligence and public speaking
ability, and you have Miss PNE ‘79.
August 20 at 7:30 p.m. — Semi Finals
August 21 at 7:30 p.m. — Finals and crowning
of Miss PNE for 1979.

B.C. Wine Garden

For the first time you can try B.C.'s finest
wines at the PNE as we turn the North Forum
into a delightful Country Fair!

~All Of COURE Hl aHOWBANS ” Vet Good ola¥os Fan, like ,

to the point where the Paviov’s dogs, goes into
competition on the field was squealing paroxysms of
being usurped by the delight when this chicken
competition on the side watks out on the field.

BOY'S SOCCER

Fall Registration

Thursday Aug. 16 6p.m. -8p.m.
Boulevard Park - 15th & Grand Blvd.
Ages 6-16

For more information call
Don Gould 987-9991 aft. 6p.m.

VIKING SOCCER
ASSOCIATION

gue 29 at 1:30 p.m. & 8 p.m.

Au

Tickets - 1:30 performance (festival seating) —
GOLDEN AGERS - $1.50

Regular - $5 &p.m. performance (reserved) —
35, 36, 37

JON! MITCHELL —

September 2 at 8 p.m. (reserved)

Tickets — 38, $9

PRISM - Special Guest Elvin Bishop
September 3 at 6 p.m. (festival seating)
Tickets — %8

Buy your tickets today at any Vancouver Ticket
Centre, Concert Box Office outlet, or Eaton's
and Woodward's stores, for these exciting
appearances at the Coliseum.

NORAD Command Band
The musical ambassador of American.
Canadian goodwill — The NORAD Command
Band - will be performing their “Showcase of
Music”, dally from August 25 — September 3,
with a special "‘Satute to America Day" on
August 31

Agriculture & Livestock, Music © Displays — The Good Times Roll
with More Free Entertainment Than Ever Before tor Just the $2.00
Price of Admission

PACIFIC NATIONAL EXHIBITION