By Ilyas Hussein
I sat in the stands of the empty dark rink at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Feb. 25, 2023. Five of the six varsity squads that play in the winter were in post-season bouts that day. All five lost.
To some, that was the darkest day in Bold history. To me, that was the day I decided I wanted to become one of The Eyeopener’s sports editors.
I slowly walked around the rink and stared at the spot where my photo was taken for The Eye’s Gaming at the Gardens cover just months before. The only thing that could be heard was the sounds of my sneakers shuffling on the floor as I stepped around the outside of the glass.
I made my way around the MAC to the balcony above the basketball court and perched over the railing. Just like the rink, the court was dark and empty. As I stepped away, walked over to the elevator and put in my AirPods, I didn’t have to think about ‘The Decision’ any longer.
I went to watch the final road games left on the docket that day at The Eye office with last year’s sports editors, Gavin Axelrod and Jack MacCool. There, I saw the behind-the-scenes of what it looks like to be an Eye editor. After that day, I knew where I wanted to spend my late nights and it was right where they were sitting.
Once I was elected nearly two months later, people never failed to remind me and my co-editor Daniella Lopez that we had big shoes to fill. But I didn’t want to just reach the high bar set by Axelrod and MacCool, I wanted to raise it even higher. I wanted my name to go up in the rafters alongside them and for the legacy of The Eye’s sports editors to continue.
Including this issue, we have published nearly 190 stories in this section over the last eight months—that’s if my math is mathing. And, we’ll most likely go over that number once the school year is done.
We couldn’t have done any of this without our lovely contributors. Or, as I like to call them, our bullpen. Each person who has contributed to our section has been a valuable arm to us all year.
From shenanigans in the office until six in the morning, to interview stakeouts at the MAC, to even filing recaps with the flu, we appreciate you. It’s not a team sport without a team—and all of you are our team.
But, before we hang up our sneakers, we have one last mic drop for you.
To the non-sports fans out there, it might seem confusing as to why people care so much about some stranger shooting a flimsy piece of rubber into a net or throwing a bumpy orange sphere into a basket.
There’s one answer to it all:
For the love of the game.
Fans are the reason why millions of people will attend a championship parade—otherwise known as watching a bus drive slowly across the city. Fans are the reason why cars get flipped over after a team wins a championship. Fans are the reason why Union Station gets clogged up on a random Wednesday night.
The world of sports is greater than a random activity played on ice, court or grass. And the stories you’ll find in this issue will reflect that in a way everyone can enjoy.
You’ll come across the impact of sports memorabilia, see how sports affect families across generations, learn about how athletes battle with injuries and much more.
So, as I have been saying all year long:
Let’s finish the story.
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