Homerism alive and well at Games

VANCOUVER -- Interesting experience Wednesday night taking in the Canada-Russia men’s hockey quarterfinal at Canada Hockey Place.

The game? Yeah, that was fantastic.

But what’s intriguing as a first-timer covering the Olympics is how the other media from other countries cover the Games.

Example: the Russian journalists all wear ‘Russia’ jackets and hats and openly cheer for their athletes in the press box.

I don’t know what the protocol is over there, but that would be akin to me wearing a Bomber jersey in the press box during a game and jumping up and down every time they scored a touchdown. That kind of behaviour would get you banished from Canad Inns Stadium in a heartbeat.

Covering a game with an impartial view? Apparently that doesn’t exist in Russia.

Anyway, so there I was Wednesday getting ready for the puck to drop when two Russians plop down beside me. They asked me to take pictures of them. They didn’t take notes, didn’t have a laptop...nothing. One of them, an elderly lady, slammed her hands down on the table every time Canada scored and by the end of the second period they were gonzo alonzo.

What’s a shame about all this is the high-demand events, like every Canadian hockey game, are called ‘ticketed events.’ That means that even if you have accreditation you still have to apply for a spot to sit down in press row. I know of at least one journalist – my colleague, Randy Turner - who wasn’t even allowed into the building because he didn’t have a ticket.

Oh well, now that the Russians are out of the hockey tournament I doubt we’ll be fighting their ‘journalists’ for space in the press box any more.

-- Ed Tait