My daughter worked her way through university as a waitress at Joey's in Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. When the Red Blacks were playing the joint was jumping! Lots of fun. By contrast when the Argos play in downtown Toronto they get lost in all the noise.
The CFL needs to stop trying to be a mini-NFL. Put teams into places that are the most like Saskatoon.
Places like Windsor, London, Brampton, or Oshawa (and Victoria, Surrey, Kelowna, Quebec City, Trois Riviere and, yes, Halifax). Team up with real estate developers to build (cheap) stadiums that are integrated with restaurants and condos. Have some fun and make some money!
On the other hand, Sir, I am a Calgarian who absolutely loathes all teams from TO: raptors, argos, leafs, toronto fc, jays, etc. Why? Simply because the "national" media [they are from toronto, not from MY nation] tell me that those teams are Canada's teams. I just f....n don't want to hear about it.
Go Flames! Go Stamps! Go Riders! and so forth.
Oh! Did you catch that when I listed the TO teams I didn't capitalize their names - or the city? Quite deliberate and reflective of my derision.
And finally, why am I so derisory towards TO teams and various other things TO? Notwithstanding that the media tells us that those/that team{s} is/are Canada's team(s), the attitude in TO is that TO is too good for Canada and, notwithstanding it's superiority complex about all things Canadian while it simultaneously has an inferiority complex towards it's standing as not equal to US cities, not even equal to, oh, Cleveland, Oakland, etc.
I am sure there were more articles in “national” media on Mitch Marner than the streak put on by the Winnipeg Jets. National media doesn’t get that the ROC doesn’t care. Yes there are the displaced Torontonians, but getting cut off from the hype might actually start them to buy into their new home.
Toronto, and the St. Lawrence region are the real Canada, Everything else is just the periphery. This is how the US Eastern Seaboard used to treat the rest of the US until the advent of cheap air conditioning encouraged a mass exodus.
And, of course [but obviously!], your first two sentences were sarcasm!
Just as in the US, anything not in the "real Canada" as you put it is simply "flyover country" and to be ignored! But we don't want to be ignored so we damned well ignore the toronto and montreal teams. The results for and machinations of the toronto / montreal teams are simply a matter of fact, sort of like, "Pass the Brussel sprouts, please" that is, nothing of consequence.
The real issue is that Toronto only likes over-hyped, under performing teams. A team with no hype yet on field success stands no chance against the over-hyped Leaves, Blue Jays, Raptors and crappy TFC.
The Argos suck the life out of the CFL akin to a cancer in a dressing room. Move the team somewhere else in Southern Ontario. I love the CFL and would go to the Grey Cup with my brother and feel so Canadian and love every minute of it, but my brother passed away (like many of the hardened CFL fans) and so I am not going. Gave up my Stamps tickets as I was fed up with the poor stadium and poor ownership. Am I watching the NFL? Not a chance, but I did watch Ireland v. All Blacks last weekend as well as Scotland v. South Africa. Why? Better entertainment, shorter games and no constant (boring) commercials with 4 national sponsors rotating. I am leaving Cable too, starting next month, and will watch rugby from the UK and South Africa instead....
Typical Toronto-centric crap reporting. Toronto is a tough nut to crack for the CFL, to be sure, but attendance at Argo games has been increasing last number of years. TV ratings are very solid, with attendance having increased significantly in the once-also-tough markets of BC and Montréal. Finals were sold out in both Winnipeg and Montréal. I could go on with positives but you wouldn't want to include those, Scott, because it would take away from your preconceived Toronto-centric storyline.
Does the CFL have its issues? Sure - it always has and it always will, as do other leagues, believe it or not. And you, of course, take great joy in pointing those out in the CFL because it's what you do best.
I know you think that the CFL is jut not good enough for Toronto, Scott, but that says a whole lot more about you and your ilk than it does about the CFL. You wouldn't know a good thing if it bit you in the face.
You didn't reference the "Candy Curse". Folklore is that the ghost of John Candy continues to haunt sports teams from the GTA. John was such a huge Argo fan, and his ghost is dedicated to stopping other Toronto teams from having success until they are fully supportive of his beloved Argos.
I fear for the viability of the CFL in the long run. Look at Edmonton. Once the flagship franchise of the league, it's been a shit show for years with a terrible record and cratering attendance in a 50 year old stadium that needs a bunch of work or replacement.
They found new ownership, but will he able to get attendance back up over 30k a game like it had been for decades? I don't recall who it was, but someone associated with the Elks a few years ago said that their demographics are terrible and it's just a bunch of old white men. Perhaps not the most diplomatic way of putting it and it was a bit of a local scandal, but they were right. I'm in my early 40's, and no one around my age gives a crap about the CFL. I'd go to a few games a year, but it's tough to get people I know to go.
They desperately need to expand their fan base with younger people. How, I have no idea.
I for one care about the Argonauts' fortunes and will be rooting for the team on Sunday; but then, I've been following the boatmen since 1960 (my all-time favourite Argonaut is still Dick Shatto, with Mel Profit a close second). Perhaps the Argos don't dominate the sports scene here for the same reason that the University of Toronto doesn't dominate Canadian university football: both the city and the university have a lot of things going on, and football just isn't one of their top priorities. It isn't all that surprising that the CFL would be a much bigger deal in places like Winnipeg and Regina than in Toronto.
The plain truth is that the CFL is several notches below the NFL in quality, and everybody knows it. In this respect, comparing the Argos to the Leafs, Raptors or Jays is unfair, since the latter three clubs operate in the top leagues in the world in their respective sports. A Toronto NFL team based in a real major league stadium would almost certainly draw extremely well.
If that ever happens, though, I hope the team will still be called the Argonauts: it's a unique name--one of the most inspired in pro sports--and it has a proud history. The team's logo is second-to-none too.
I feel sorry for the Argos. They have been around since 1870 or so but people in Toronto just don't care. I was playing golf this summer with two teenagers. They were big sports fans and we talked about the Blue Jays and Leafs and Raptors. I asked them about the Argos. They wondered if they still existed.
I've lived in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Toronto in the last decade. Riders games are a bigger deal in Saskatoon than Argos games are in Toronto, and they play 3 hours away in Regina. A friend who lives in Winnipeg asked me last year how excited people here in Toronto were for the Grey Cup. I had to tell her that as far as I could tell, Torontonians had no clue we were playing (myself included). We could move the Argos to Windsor tomorrow and I'm not sure anyone would notice.
My daughter worked her way through university as a waitress at Joey's in Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. When the Red Blacks were playing the joint was jumping! Lots of fun. By contrast when the Argos play in downtown Toronto they get lost in all the noise.
The CFL needs to stop trying to be a mini-NFL. Put teams into places that are the most like Saskatoon.
Places like Windsor, London, Brampton, or Oshawa (and Victoria, Surrey, Kelowna, Quebec City, Trois Riviere and, yes, Halifax). Team up with real estate developers to build (cheap) stadiums that are integrated with restaurants and condos. Have some fun and make some money!
Windsor has the Detroit Lions literally a couple km away from downtown.
Good title - I was suitably shocked...
Go Riders!!!!!
I provide my Toronto grandkids with Rider gear, which, on reflection, probably doesn't help. But one has to have some standards! :-)
Toronto is death for Canadian teams in Canadian leagues. It sees itself as, if not quite American, then at least too cool for Canada.
On the other hand, Sir, I am a Calgarian who absolutely loathes all teams from TO: raptors, argos, leafs, toronto fc, jays, etc. Why? Simply because the "national" media [they are from toronto, not from MY nation] tell me that those teams are Canada's teams. I just f....n don't want to hear about it.
Go Flames! Go Stamps! Go Riders! and so forth.
Oh! Did you catch that when I listed the TO teams I didn't capitalize their names - or the city? Quite deliberate and reflective of my derision.
And finally, why am I so derisory towards TO teams and various other things TO? Notwithstanding that the media tells us that those/that team{s} is/are Canada's team(s), the attitude in TO is that TO is too good for Canada and, notwithstanding it's superiority complex about all things Canadian while it simultaneously has an inferiority complex towards it's standing as not equal to US cities, not even equal to, oh, Cleveland, Oakland, etc.
I am sure there were more articles in “national” media on Mitch Marner than the streak put on by the Winnipeg Jets. National media doesn’t get that the ROC doesn’t care. Yes there are the displaced Torontonians, but getting cut off from the hype might actually start them to buy into their new home.
Toronto, and the St. Lawrence region are the real Canada, Everything else is just the periphery. This is how the US Eastern Seaboard used to treat the rest of the US until the advent of cheap air conditioning encouraged a mass exodus.
And, of course [but obviously!], your first two sentences were sarcasm!
Just as in the US, anything not in the "real Canada" as you put it is simply "flyover country" and to be ignored! But we don't want to be ignored so we damned well ignore the toronto and montreal teams. The results for and machinations of the toronto / montreal teams are simply a matter of fact, sort of like, "Pass the Brussel sprouts, please" that is, nothing of consequence.
Polarization caused by polarized ideas of what the country is about.
The real issue is that Toronto only likes over-hyped, under performing teams. A team with no hype yet on field success stands no chance against the over-hyped Leaves, Blue Jays, Raptors and crappy TFC.
Not just teams, political parties as well. All hat, not cattle.
The Argos suck the life out of the CFL akin to a cancer in a dressing room. Move the team somewhere else in Southern Ontario. I love the CFL and would go to the Grey Cup with my brother and feel so Canadian and love every minute of it, but my brother passed away (like many of the hardened CFL fans) and so I am not going. Gave up my Stamps tickets as I was fed up with the poor stadium and poor ownership. Am I watching the NFL? Not a chance, but I did watch Ireland v. All Blacks last weekend as well as Scotland v. South Africa. Why? Better entertainment, shorter games and no constant (boring) commercials with 4 national sponsors rotating. I am leaving Cable too, starting next month, and will watch rugby from the UK and South Africa instead....
Typical Toronto-centric crap reporting. Toronto is a tough nut to crack for the CFL, to be sure, but attendance at Argo games has been increasing last number of years. TV ratings are very solid, with attendance having increased significantly in the once-also-tough markets of BC and Montréal. Finals were sold out in both Winnipeg and Montréal. I could go on with positives but you wouldn't want to include those, Scott, because it would take away from your preconceived Toronto-centric storyline.
Does the CFL have its issues? Sure - it always has and it always will, as do other leagues, believe it or not. And you, of course, take great joy in pointing those out in the CFL because it's what you do best.
I know you think that the CFL is jut not good enough for Toronto, Scott, but that says a whole lot more about you and your ilk than it does about the CFL. You wouldn't know a good thing if it bit you in the face.
You didn't reference the "Candy Curse". Folklore is that the ghost of John Candy continues to haunt sports teams from the GTA. John was such a huge Argo fan, and his ghost is dedicated to stopping other Toronto teams from having success until they are fully supportive of his beloved Argos.
I fear for the viability of the CFL in the long run. Look at Edmonton. Once the flagship franchise of the league, it's been a shit show for years with a terrible record and cratering attendance in a 50 year old stadium that needs a bunch of work or replacement.
They found new ownership, but will he able to get attendance back up over 30k a game like it had been for decades? I don't recall who it was, but someone associated with the Elks a few years ago said that their demographics are terrible and it's just a bunch of old white men. Perhaps not the most diplomatic way of putting it and it was a bit of a local scandal, but they were right. I'm in my early 40's, and no one around my age gives a crap about the CFL. I'd go to a few games a year, but it's tough to get people I know to go.
They desperately need to expand their fan base with younger people. How, I have no idea.
Bombers are on fire.
I for one care about the Argonauts' fortunes and will be rooting for the team on Sunday; but then, I've been following the boatmen since 1960 (my all-time favourite Argonaut is still Dick Shatto, with Mel Profit a close second). Perhaps the Argos don't dominate the sports scene here for the same reason that the University of Toronto doesn't dominate Canadian university football: both the city and the university have a lot of things going on, and football just isn't one of their top priorities. It isn't all that surprising that the CFL would be a much bigger deal in places like Winnipeg and Regina than in Toronto.
The plain truth is that the CFL is several notches below the NFL in quality, and everybody knows it. In this respect, comparing the Argos to the Leafs, Raptors or Jays is unfair, since the latter three clubs operate in the top leagues in the world in their respective sports. A Toronto NFL team based in a real major league stadium would almost certainly draw extremely well.
If that ever happens, though, I hope the team will still be called the Argonauts: it's a unique name--one of the most inspired in pro sports--and it has a proud history. The team's logo is second-to-none too.
Go, Argos!
Toronto does not give a rats’ ass about the CFL for the same reason as most of the nation, it is gawd aweful football. Period
I feel sorry for the Argos. They have been around since 1870 or so but people in Toronto just don't care. I was playing golf this summer with two teenagers. They were big sports fans and we talked about the Blue Jays and Leafs and Raptors. I asked them about the Argos. They wondered if they still existed.
I've lived in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Toronto in the last decade. Riders games are a bigger deal in Saskatoon than Argos games are in Toronto, and they play 3 hours away in Regina. A friend who lives in Winnipeg asked me last year how excited people here in Toronto were for the Grey Cup. I had to tell her that as far as I could tell, Torontonians had no clue we were playing (myself included). We could move the Argos to Windsor tomorrow and I'm not sure anyone would notice.
Find another Leo Cahill for the Argos!