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Opinion - Exciting year ahead for sports

With the flipping of the calendar Monday we have headed into a new year which in the world of sports could be one of the best in years – at least from my perspective.

With the flipping of the calendar Monday we have headed into a new year which in the world of sports could be one of the best in years – at least from my perspective.
No, this is not going to be a bunch of predictions from the armchair in front of a television in Yorkton. Instead, it is going to be a look at some of the really exciting things which are on the immediate horizon for a broad-minded sports fan.
To begin with I fully anticipate we will see the Canadian Football League take steps toward finally putting a 10th team in the Maritimes. The team was talked of during the lead-up to the most recent Grey Cup, and while it is unlikely a franchise will be fully approved this year, the process to facilitate a team will likely to be laid out. That process will include solid plans for a stadium, and perhaps a down payment on franchise fees.
The Toronto Blue Jays are not likely to be in the mix to top the American League East, but we should see whether rumours of the team being up for sale are true. If the for sale sign is out hopefully Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. will step up as buyers. The group has done a great job turning the Argonauts, Raptors, Maple Leafs and TFC into contenders so hopefully they could do the same for the Jays.
Speaking of TFC, while still not a soccer fan even with their Major League Soccer title, it will at least be interesting to see how the team does in the CONCACAF Champions League. Some people look down on MLS so it will be a good measuring stick to see how a team with the best season in the league’s history does against other league champs.Of particular interest to me, as a huge fan of 15s rugby, will be the launch of Major League Rugby in April. The new pro league will kick-off with nine teams, all in the United States, but several Canadians are signed including Ray Barkwell and Saskatchewan’s Hubert Buydens. The better news is that the Ontario Arrows are playing exhibition games in 2018, with strong indications they will join MLR in 2019, and that official announcement should come this year. And hints suggest a Vancouver team is on the horizon too for the MLR. Super 7s Rugby is also supposed to launch this year with a sort of barnstorming season across the US and into Canada, with a plan to formalize a league in 2019. Super 7s is a new rugby union sevens format featuring four, 12- minute quarters, with unlimited substitutions, for professional men and women’s teams, which could be a hugely entertaining addition to the sports mosaic. New for Canadian fans will also be a closer look at Major Arena Soccer League. Arena soccer is much like high scoring hockey, or box lacrosse, and is highly entertaining, and with a Toronto-area expansion team announced to start play in November for the 2018-19 season having a team to really get behind will be exciting, albeit losses are likely to occur often with an expansion franchise. When it comes to expansion the National Lacrosse League adds Philadelphia and San Diego this fall, so that is encouraging news from the league that is home to our Saskatchewan Rush. The NLL will also announce its next round of expansion for the 2019-20 season, expected to be two franchises although some hint at three. There is supposed to be a shortlist of five cities already in place, and while the list has not been released, Edmonton and Halifax are strongly rumoured to be on it, and that is more good news for the Canadian sports scene.As for the Canadian sports scene, the upcoming Winter Olympics are going to be interesting for hockey fans. Thanks to the pig-headedness of the NHL, International Ice Hockey Federation and the Olympics the world’s best players will not be showcasing the sport to grow its popularity internationally. That is a huge fail on all parties involved. But, it does leave Canada with a lunch bucket crew who will be interesting to watch based on their heart of the game.This will also be a big year for volleyball. The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has announced the Volleyball Nations League, which is set to begin in 2018. In both the men’s and women’s leagues, 12 core teams and four challenger teams will play to become Volleyball Nations League champion by playing in a round robin format. With a total of 130 matches throughout the league season, every team will play a minimum of 15 matches and each core nation will host at least one pool, bringing the action closer to fans around the world. That international scale league follows the development of the tournament-based The National Volleyball Association which began in November and continues into this year, and when Jamie Davis became CEO of USA Volleyball last January he set as a goal a pro league in the US by 2020, so news of that must come soon if it is to launch.
And finally, to make this a list of 10, there is some effort toward a new field lacrosse league for Canada. I am a huge fan of Major League Lacrosse, which runs April through August. Sadly without a Canadian franchise to follow the experience lacks something for me. The Canadian Professional Lacrosse League was suggested to start play this spring although from the outset that seemed overly optimistic, and recently news from the group on Facebook has seen unfortunately silent. Still I hold some hope they might find support through this year to see a league soon.