We can now, once and for all, put to bed the notion that the Canadian sports media hate soccer.
So compelling was Christine Sinclair's impact on the Canadian sporting consciousness that the media voters who determined the 2012 Lou Marsh trophy winner willingly overlooked other impressive (and in some cases, unprecedented) achievements by Canadians in cycling, tennis, speed skating and yes, even hockey.
Even though it was the narrative of redemption woven by her entire team that likely put Sinclair over the top in the minds of the Lou Marsh voters, they were still fully justified in finally recognizing what those of us in the Canadian soccer community have known for years -- that Sinclair is one of the best female soccer players on the planet, and the greatest Canadian soccer player in history.
But much like the Olympic medal itself, Sinclair's Lou Marsh award should not be viewed as a final accomplishment, a laurel to be rested upon. Instead, we should see it as what will hopefully be a jumping-off point for the sport of soccer in this country.
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Lest we forget that in the same year that Sinclair was honoured as the nation's top athlete, she also lost her day job, as the league in which she was playing ceased operations. It's a stark reminder that for all the kudos she is receiving from the media and fans for her Olympic performance, it's still difficult even for a player of Sinclair's undeniable talent to earn a stable living playing the game of soccer. Whether the new North American professional league -- in which Sinclair will likely be involved -- will help alleviate this problem remains to be seen.
Sinclair's newfound status as a household name in Canada will also do wonders for the profile and domestic success of the 2015 Women's World Cup, widely regarded to be the last hurrah for Sinclair and a number of similarly long-serving Canadian national team members. But to presume that Sinclair and Canada are guaranteed the storybook ending three years hence would be exceedingly dangerous -- even head coach John Herdman has admitted that maintaining the high standard his team set in London will be challenging.
That challenge will be magnified immensely when Sinclair eventually retires.
So it's incumbent upon those in the Canadian soccer community -- those of us who knew what she could do long before the rest of the country learned her name -- not to become complacent. The glory of these Olympics will fade. General sports fans will adopt new heroes in 2013. Sinclair's name will forever remain among the pantheon of sporting greats who've claimed the Lou Marsh trophy in the past. But the women's national team cannot bank on that honour in five or six years' time. They'll need to bank on someone new to put the ball in the back of the net.
Canadian sports fans -- and, by extension, the media -- have shown time and again that they're more than willing to rally behind athletes who succeed while passionately and proudly representing the country. Sinclair undeniably fit the bill this year. But someone else will fit the bill next year. And in the same way Canadian sports fans will gladly stand behind athletes they feel are representing them admirably (see: women's national team, 2012), they've also shown no sheepishness about abandoning those who they feel are not (see: men's national team, for most of its existence).
The Lou Marsh award is a remarkable and deserved honour for Sinclair, and has revealed the reality that Canadians will indeed support Canadian soccer players -- so long as their team is succeeding.
So perhaps the greatest legacy of Sinclair's breaking of the 76-year-old Lou Marsh soccer hex will be that all young soccer players in this country, the hundreds of thousands of them, will now know indisputably that if they work hard enough, if they strive hard enough, and if the fates smile upon them, they too could one day be honoured as the country's top athlete.
The more Canadian youngsters who carry that dream, the healthier our national soccer program will be. And the healthier our national soccer program is, the more we will perceive Canadians supporting Canadian soccer as normal, rather than a novelty.
So, congratulations Christine. And thank you.
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