Week two of the CFL is upon us...and the Edmonton Elks are on a bye week. Not to worry sports fans, the sports scene in the capital City has a plethora of options for you.
Basketball
Almost 8 years after the Canadian Elite Basketball League was born, let's talk a little about our Edmonton Stingers.
Their website is thestingers.ca but to see more than just their home schedule you need to visit cebl.ca/games.
Been a season ticket holder from day one and enjoy the atmosphere at the Edmonton Expo Center. The court holds 4,000 fans and usually looks about 2/3 full. Concessions options available at $5 (including beer) makes the games affordable with the only foible being parking is almost the same as an entry level ticket.
Team is off to a 3-4 start this season with two of their losses being by 2 points and one of their losses being by one point.
"Target time" continues to be a struggle for the Club. "Target time" is the first whistle after the four minutes remaining mark the clock is turned off. If the score is 72-69, 9 (it's always 9) points is added to the leading score, in this the example the number is 81, and the game becomes a race to 81.
Games are usually streamed on edmontonsportstalk.com including the upcoming home game on Saturday June 13th. A humble suggestion is to check out a basketball game if you haven't already. One warning though, the aisle seats in the second level are not great viewing because of the stair rails, so if you snag yourself a pair of entry level tickets, aim for the middle of the row.
Baseball
Thing one to know about the Riverhawks, a fun atmosphere at the ballpark is top priority. You go to remax field to be entertained and oh by the way there is a baseball game being played. Masterful stuff actually.
The Riverhawks play in the West Coast League and are the only Alberta entity in the league. This is a different league than the Edmonton Prospects at the turn of the decade. The WCL & WCBL are basically equivalent in talent but the Riverhawks focus, as noted before, is entertainment.
You can listen to most of their games on edmontonsportstalk.com.
The Hawks come home for a 6-game homestand with each night having a special promo:
- Tuesday: Strikeout Cancer
- Wednesday: School Spirit
- Thursday: Theatre Kids Takeover
- Friday: Bollywood
- Saturday: Pride Night
- Sunday: Santa Toy Drive
You do not have to be a baseball fan to enjoy a Riverhawks baseball game. Check one out if you haven't but arrive early if you need a good parking spot.
Soccer
My soccer fandom started with FC Edmonton and stalled with their death. So my interest in the World Cup is the peripheral "Go Canada" fandom.
The Voyageurs watch party is at the Canadian Ice House downtown across from Rogers Place. It is a ticketed event, link below.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/canadaworldcup2026/2242709
Go out and enjoy yourself some sport ball. Good for the soul although it can be hard on the heart.