Every nation has something that highlights it on the globe. For Canada, it’s more than one thing; you could consider its amazing four seasons – especially winter, perhaps it’s very well-mannered and good-natured people, or it’s considerably advanced and efficient lumbering system. Be that as it may, another thing that echoes Canada is sports. In case you didn’t know, in as much as most people associate basketball with the United States, this sport that many have come to revere was actually invented in Canada. Other sports that were born in Canada are the 5 pin bowling, lacrosse, and the one everyone thinks about when Canada is the subject of the conversation; Hockey (ice hockey). These are just some of the sports that Canada not only gave birth to but is also particularly fond of and exceptional at. Consequently, these particular sports and others that were eventually introduced led to the rise of some of the top sports stars in the world.
Naturally, human beings are social creatures, and like bees, no one person can exist on their own. Trying to do so is a recipe for disaster. One of the things we came up with to encourage and strengthen our social lives was sports. Sports present a means for us to socialize, bond, pursue our goals, and above all, to have fun. Canada is one of the countries that realized this fact about human nature (maybe accidentally or on purpose) and has ever since embraced it. This is evident in the number of sports that one can participate in the country, either professionally or just for fun. There are more than 30 different sporting activities one can engage in, both at a professional level and as an amateur. Furthermore, all these sports are further backed up by the Canadian government. This indicates how much the country values sports.
Every sporting event has those who are exceptional at it. As a country, Canada is exceptional in ice hockey – the prevailing winter sport of the nation. It’s such a big deal there that you don’t have to be specific about which hockey you are talking about when it’s the subject of a conversation. Just say, “hockey” and everyone will assume you are referring to ice hockey. It’ll be your fault if you meant another kind of hockey and you weren’t specific about it. If you’re wondering how many types of hockey exist, there are around 7 types of hockey (field hockey, bandy, street hockey, ice hockey, roller hockey – quad, and roller hockey – inline). Other sports that Canada treasures as a nation are lacrosse, soccer, football, baseball, and curling. Lacrosse is the major sports event in the summers of Canada, and it’s also the oldest sport in the nation, dating all the way back to the 1630s. You can see that Canada is very mature and experienced as far as sports are concerned. Considering the theory of evolution, the past 5 centuries have played a significant role in leading to the emergence of some of the best sports stars in the world, and Canada’s top sports stars.
The Canadian government values sports so much that is has established policies meant to manage and promote the activities. The policies are meant to introduce sports to the Canadian citizens, ascertain high performance in the various sporting events, and ultimately for the development of the country. The fruits of all these efforts are evident in the number of world-class sports stars with their roots in Canada. There are more than 100 significant sports characters from Canada. Just to mention a few; George St-Pierre, the outstanding martial artist with the utmost respect at the Ultimate Fighting Championship; there’s Missy Franklin, the 22-year-old five-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer; what about the 24-year-old professional basketball player, Corry Joseph. Please don’t be mistaken, these are not the top three but just some of the most outstanding sport’s characters from Canada. Then we have:
- Donovan Bailey (Sprinter)
- Nancy Greene (Champion alpine skier, and Senator for British Columbia)
- Gordie Howe (ice hockey player)
- Wayne Gretzky (ice hockey player)
- Lionel Conacher (athlete and politician)
- Clara Hughes (cyclist and speed skater)
- Cindy Klassen (long track speed skater)
- Ferguson Jenkins (former professional basketball player)
- Chris Benoit (professional wrestler)
- Edge (professional wrestler)
- Ben Johnson (sprinter)
- Natalya Neidhart (professional wrestler)
- Roddy Piper (professional wrestler)
- Andrew Wiggins (professional basketball player)
- Rick Fox (basketball player, actor, businessman)
And the list is way longer than it appears to be.
Obviously, Canada has invested so much in sports due to the value it has brought to the country, and it has paid off dearly. One of the significant things the Canadian government intended to achieve with its sports policies is to employ sports to promote positive values both at home and abroad. Evidently, it has not only achieved this objective, but it’s also excelling at it. So many exceptional sports characters have stemmed from the country and they continue to do so as time goes by.
Recap
Canada is a country with many talents, particularly in sports and character. Sports provide us with a means to socialize, bond, exercise, and ultimately, to have fun. Canada realized the value of sports centuries ago and has invested in it ever since. Consequently, due to the many years of experience in sports, it has eventually invented some of the most captivating sports events, as well as some of the most celebrated and high-performance sports stars in the world.
