New look Grand Slam with focus on entertainment, global expansion

Content of the article

Content of the article

Content of the article

“We're not doing exactly what we did for the Waste Management Open in Arizona, but it's a celebration event that everyone wants to go to and you can hardly find tickets anymore,” Morris said in a wide-ranging report. in an interview with Postmedia on Wednesday.

“People don't go for the actual golf, they go for the entertainment and the experience. We want to do something similar to curling. It's going to be a lot of fun.”

Content of the article

A two-time Olympic gold medalist, three-time Brier winner and world champion curler, Morris is away from the playing side of the game and will play a key role in shaping the format and venues of future Grand Slam events. athlete communication and many other curling related solutions Curling Group.

He has strong faith in the new organization's CEO Nick Sulsky, most recently PointsBet Canada, and other principals of The Curling Group, including Rumble Gaming founder Mike Cotton and former NFL star turned competitive curler Jared Allen. The group also brought in Olympic gold medalist and six-time Scottish Hearts champion Jennifer Jones as one of several strategic advisors.

Content of the article

Content of the article

“I've known Nick for a few years and he's got some great ideas,” Morris said.

“He is very passionate about growing the sport of curling and helping athletes better market themselves. It's really exciting because there's a really good chance of achieving great potential here.

The Grand Slam of Curling, which will consist of five events all played in Canada during the 2023-24 season, has been owned and operated by Sportsnet since 2012.

Although Sportsnet remained as the broadcaster, there was a belief in the curling community that for the tour to really grow outside of Canada, it needed to be separately owned.

There are no immediate plans to replace the Grand Slam series – which features 16 men's and 16 women's teams from around the world and offers major prize money based on a world ranking and Canadian team ranking system points – but it will certainly push for expansion. new group in the coming years.

Content of the article

“The landscape of curling has changed,” Morris said. “Canada has been at the forefront of curling for many years with our athletes and teams and hosting events, but curling has spread all over the world and we want to take advantage of this great opportunity to grow curling. We want to emphasize that we want to globalize this again.

“I wouldn't be surprised if down the road we start to see some Slams in other countries, including the US, where we can really explore that market. There are great Asian, European curlers all over the world and we want to help bring marketability and curling to the countries that really embrace it.”

The news was greeted with open arms by the curlers competing in this week's Grand Slam Players Championship at the Mattamy Athletic Center in Toronto.

Content of the article

“I think it's a win for everybody,” said six-time Grand Slam champion Kevin Ko. “The new ownership team is all in and they are leaving no stone unturned in terms of promoting our events.

“Everybody has been saying for a while, 'For the game to grow, it has to grow outside of Canada.' It's easy to say, but it's interesting. You want people to have new ideas. They want to own it, build it and improve it. They want to promote the curlers as well and everyone hopes it works.”

At 49 years old and nearing the end of his career, Coe may not curl up long enough to really see the results of these ambitious new plans, but there are plenty of other prospects who could benefit greatly.

Content of the article

“This is something curling has been waiting for and I'm really excited,” said Matt Dunstone, a regular on the Grand Slam in Winnipeg.

“Getting names like Nick Sulsky, Jared Allen and (former NFL linebacker) Mark Bulger is what curling needs, ultimately, to get more exposure and move the dimensions forward. I have high hopes.”

Dunstone is 28 years old and has spent most of his adult life in the sport, trying to make money on the tour, trying to win Canadian championships and trying to qualify for the Olympics.

Content of the article

The type of growth being discussed is music to his ears.

“We're so established in the Canadian market that we need to start branching out,” Dunstone said. “For now, we can take sports only in one country. Canada is the best country to ban curling, none, it's not even close, but just getting more eyeballs, getting more exposure, getting more exposure is what's moving the dimensions of this sport.

“It would be really interesting to see a Slam schedule where we play in the States or around the world in a few years. I think this is something that can and will happen and this is exactly the direction that the Slam Series needs to go in order to continue to grow and give it a new look.”

[email protected]

X.com/Ted_Wyman

Content of the article