Why Vermont does not need professional sport teams. a. b.

There are four main reasons why that statement is true. The Vermont Lake Monsters University of Vermont Athletics Champ and Rally!!

Vermont Lake Monsters Vermont broke into the NY Penn League in 1994 as the Vermont Expos. This past summer the name was changed to the Lake Monsters. They play in the summers at Centennial Field in Burlington, VT. b.

University of Vermont of Vermont Athletics UVM competes in the Division I American East Conference. It has teams for 8 men’s sports and 10 women’s sports. All of these programs continue to improve every year. c.

What would these teams be without their mascots? d. e.

A pro baseball team? Even though the Lake Monsters are a semi-pro team, the fans do not mind that this is not a pro baseball team. People of all ages enjoy going out and watching the Lake Monsters play. It doesn’t matter how many games they win; people go to see a game in person (and for the kids to see Champ) to experience America’s pastime sport.

I’m not a skier but I live in Vermont. UVM has very competitive soccer, skiing, basketball, and hockey programs. The Men’s hockey team has risen up to 18 th in the country this year. Last year they were seeded as high as 3 rd in the national rankings one week. This competitive program allows over 3,600 fans (excluding students) to watch each hockey home game.

Who said basketball can’t be played in cold weather? The UVM men’s basketball team won the American East Championship in 2003, 2004, and In 2005, they even upset #4 seeded Syracuse in overtime in the first round of the NCAA tournament. This year both the men’s and women’s teams have upset nationally ranked (#14- mens and #22-womens) Boston College.

Why say no to the pros? Vermont has fan-friendly and competitive teams already in place. The programs are improving every year. Building big sports arenas would go against what Vermont stands for. They would take away from the rural ideal.

References a. University of Vermont logo b. Lake Monsters History logo c. University of Vermont Athletics logo d. Champ picture e. Gov Douglas, his wife, and Rally picture