2012 BC Summer Games Guide

Canadian banks offer sports credit cards with NBA, MLB, CFL, and NFL rewards. They feature bonus or rewards points that can be redeemed for memorabilia, cash back, fan experiences, travel, and more. Plus, customers are free to choose from different card types, including Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

Best Cards with Rewards Points

MBNA

Big banks such as MBNA and Scotiabank offer sports credit cards with discounts on online purchases, promotional interest rates, welcome bonuses, and low annual fees. MBNA for example, offers a selection of products to show support for Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, and St. Louis Blues teams. Cards feature bonus points that can be redeemed for game tickets, NHL merchandise, charitable donations, gift cards, travel, etc. There are cards with no annual fee, a long grace period of 21 days, and a promo rate that can be as low as 1.99 percent. The introductory rate is usually valid for 10 months but there are cards with longer intro periods. MBNA usually requires good credit to qualify for a sports credit card: https://www.lifeoncredit.ca/bad-credit-personal-loans-in-canada/ In order to apply, customers are asked to provide information such as housing status, home address, monthly payment, and employment status (i.e. whether unemployed, employed, student, homemaker, permanently disabled, etc.). Customers also need to provide details such as annual household income, source of personal income, and spousal income.

MBNA features different rewards categories such as gift certificates, business and travel, electronics, and household essentials. Sports reward categories include things like appearance by ACE, spring training trips, and others. The catalogue includes sports experiences such as the CFL Players Awards Show, Trip to the Grey Cup, Packages for the CFL Semi-Final Game and Division-Final Game, and VIP Grey Cup experience. Cardholders are also offered embedded benefits such as pre-trip information, emergency cash transfers, legal assistance, etc. Customers also benefit from concierge services such as seats to major shows and concerts, dinner reservations, hotel, travel, and air bookings.

Bank of Nova Scotia

Scotiabank also features sports credit cards to show support for the Carolina Hurricanes. There are plenty of benefits for holders, including a rewards program, bonus points, and discounts on NHL merchandise and car rentals. Customers are free to redeem rewards points for merchandise, hockey experiences, and so on. What is more, Scotiabank offers a welcome bonus with the first card purchase: https://www.lifeoncredit.ca

AMEX

American Express also features credit cards that offer attractive bonuses and rewards points. Rewards points can be redeemed for theatre performances, concerts, sport events, and more. Cardholders earn points on purchases made at grocery stores, bars, restaurants, and even takeout. They also earn points on travel such airfare, gas, rail, ridesharing, and taxis. Additional benefits for AMEX customers include extra points on transit and travel and grocery, bar, and restaurant purchases. What is more, cardholders get access to advance tickets for major events, shows, and concerts. Add-ons include baggage delay, flight delay, and emergency medical insurance.

There is plenty of choice for sports fanatics to benefit from exclusive team experiences and advance tickets. The best part is that cardholders are free to choose the types of rewards they like best, whether gift cards, brand name merchandise, money back, travel, or anything else.

Many athletes don’t save enough for retirement and tend to overspend which is a quick way to bankruptcy. In fact, statistics show that 16 percent of NFL pros declare bankruptcy after retirement. Many players have serious financial problems and make series of bad financial decisions, spending millions on jewels, cars, and expensive homes. Divorce is often soon to follow, along with alimony and child support payments. And the fact is that the majority of retired athletes are divorced. There are financial obligations that even athletes cannot dismiss lightly – taxes and child support.

Why Athletes Go Bankrupt

For one thing, athletes owe millions in taxes on an annual basis but some pros choose not to pay. And the more money players make, the more they spend on expensive items, holidays, dining out, friends, and family. Many athletes have no long-term financial goals and fail to plan for the future. Planning ahead means good financial management and saving enough for retirement by investing wisely. The problem with athletes is that many of them lack understanding of basic financial concepts and what money management is about. Many sign million-dollar contracts at a young age when they have no credit exposure and are with no or little financial knowledge. Lack of financial knowledge often results in a series of financial mistakes that can lead to bad credit, foreclosure, repossession, maxed out cards, and eventually bankruptcy. Financial problems are quick to follow when you have bad credit. Loan applications are usually turned down by traditional lenders, and borrowers are forced to resort to other financial solutions with less favorable terms. Examples include payday and bad credit lenders that offer short-term financing with very high interest charges. Payday loans, in particular, require proof of stable income only. Lenders make no credit checks, and borrowers with poor credit qualify. While it is easy to get approved, high interest means a lot of money wasted on charges and financial problems progressively getting worse. At that, many pros encourage each other to spend more on luxuries and often go beyond their means. While it is true that athletes have a manager, they don’t hire them for their expertise or knowledge but because they are close friends. This means that managers are more likely to make costly financial mistakes that lead to even more debt and a host of other financial problems.

Common Mistakes

Common mistakes that athletes and people with little financial knowledge make include little life insurance, delaying saving for retirement, poor investment decisions, and not being prepared financially to deal with medical and other emergencies. Other costly financial mistakes include lack of or poor asset allocation, marrying a financially incompatible partner, and splurging on things you can do without. Obviously, there is a difference between important and urgent that many people fail to see. Financial pitches are yet another issue. Aggressive salesmen are usually recruited by insurance companies, mutual funds, financial institutions, and brokerage houses to try and sell structured products, portfolio management schemes, life and home insurance, mutual funds, and so on. They are quite convincing and can sell you pretty much anything, whether paying cash or credit, if you have little financial knowledge. People who earn a lot of money (like athletes do) tend to ignore small numbers but the fact is that unpaid bills pile up and result in a poor credit score. The same goes for saving. Saving small amounts over a long period can make a huge difference later on.

BC Summer Games facilitates the further development of officials, coaches, and athletes and the development of communities and sport through event hosting, skill improvement, and infrastructure. The games served as a stepping-stone for many coaches and athletes, including Paralympian Josh Dueck, Brent Hayden, Maelle Ricker, Carol Huynh, Denny Morrison, and many others. There are famous alumni such as Justin Morneau, Jeff Francis, and Ryder Hesjedal, competing in disciplines such as baseball and cycling. Participants compete over a host of other disciplines such as soccer, sailing, rugby (girls and boys), rowing, lacrosse, inline hockey, softball, golf, and so on.

2012 Summer Games in Figures

In total, attendants included 399 officials, 573 coaches, and 2,818 athletes or 3,790 participants. They competed in different disciplines for 1 of 8 zones. Attendants competed across 20 disciplines, including barefooting, wakeboarding, water skiing, and other water sports. Other sports include alpine skiing, wrestling, speed skating, hockey, and athletics. Athletes with disabilities also attended the BC Summer Games and competed in Para and Special Olympics (swimming), Para equestrian, and Special Olympics (athletics). The average age of participants was 14 years. Major events in 2012 included the Closing and Opening Ceremonies, Participant Special Events, and the Competitions. The official song of the games was co-composed by Doug Johnson and performed by Payton Rector, aged 14.

Organization and Funding

Some 3,500 volunteers were involved, and directors were responsible for coordinating the chairs which were comprised of volunteers. The chairs were mainly tasked with operation and planning. In fact, the volunteers helped prepare more than 32,000 meals in just 4 days. Corporate partners included Coast Capital Savings, Black Press/ Surrey Leader, CN, Global BC, and Jazz Air. Among the funding partners were School District #36, City of Surrey, and the Province of BC. The City of Surrey provided facilities, in-kind services, and $45,000 in cash while the BC Games Society offered funding in the amount of $600,000. All corporate partners contributed in-kind services and funding. Local businesses (Friends of the Game) also provided in-kind services and goods and cash. Finally, School District #36 offered accommodation for the participants.