NFL coming to Toronto - Page 2

ToxiK · #21 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 2:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berklon

the Leafs shouldn't exist

I think we can all agree with that...

ToxiK · #22 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 2:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by caltrane74

they probably view canada and toronto as one in the same so a market or territory of 34 million to sublicense their sport in.

You are probably right. MLB and the NBA do see Canada like that.

BretttheRiderFan · #23 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 3:03 AM**

First of all, has Toronto sold out ONE of those games for the Bills Series? No they haven't

Maybe some Torontonians should get it through your thick skulls that showing up to those games will HELP you land a team

Also, showing up to the CFL games will also HELP rather than hurt that

I don't see it happening, because obviously the majority of people in Toronto could care less, and from the comments online a minority of people there want an NFL team

And there is no way that the team could play in the Rogers Centre, and I'm hearing that only a private company would be able to finance it which I don't see happening

Also, there still is a large percentage of CFL fans in Toronto that would have absolutely no part of this

And the ROC, which is overwhelmingly more CFL fans than NFL fans would oppose this as well

Toronto is also probably the worst sports city in North America when it comes to supporting the teams you have especially for a city of over 5 million (ie Jays, Argos, Raptors which all get less support than they should)

WhipperSnapper · #24 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 3:24 AM**

Both the Jays and Raptors have had decent support over the years considering they have done nothing. I remember going to Yankee stadium at game time and getting quality seats back when the Jays were on top of the league.

BretttheRiderFan · #25 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 3:36 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Both the Jays and Raptors have had decent support over the years considering they have done nothing. I remember going to Yankee stadium at game time and getting quality seats back when the Jays were on top of the league.

I'm talking about now, not the early 90's

The Jays averaged just around 20,000 last year despite winning nearly 90 games and they have consistenly had winning teams the last 5 years or so

Especially in a market the size of Toronto, the Jays should get at least 10,000 more each game

The Raptors had good support but are slipping now because they lost Bosh, and their TV ratings are almost non-existent. They are only averaging in the 16,000s right now, which is about middle of the pack

When you have such a large percent of the population that is against getting a team, I can't imagine the NFL giving Toronto a team until Toronto actually wants one

Mister F · #26 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 3:56 AM**

The NFL in Mexico City was far more successful than the Bills games in Toronto. Not to mention Mexico doesn't have a domestic gridiron league. If the NFL ever expands outside the United States, it'll be there and not Canada.

I never understood people's obsession with trying to get Canadian teams into American sports leagues. Does any other country do this?

MolsonExport · #27 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 4:03 AM**

Bah, fark the NFL. I can't stand it. I really cannot relate to watching two American city teams (for which I have zero connection to) slug it out. I enjoy a bit of CFL now and then. But then, I prefer Canadian Football rules.

Berklon · #28 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 4:47 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban_Genius

See nobody was saying that before the Series began. If you recall, the claim was that Toronto would pay ANY price to get tickets, that this was the biggest sports event in Toronto's history and that there would be a line up from Skydome all the way to Mississauga. They even held a lottery, thinking that this would be a colossal success. What happened?

Easy. They forgot that people wouldn't pay insane prices to watch someone else's crappy team. Give Toronto their own team and it's a different story.

Quote:

You want the NFL on a full time basis, expect those prices.

Ummm... no. You don't expect these prices. The price was set WAY above the average NFL ticket price. Why should Toronto expect those prices if most NFL teams have theirs set much lower?

niwell · #29 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 8:57 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

Maybe some Torontonians should get it through your thick skulls that showing up to those games will HELP you land a team

You act like this is something Torontonians are demanding instead of our idiot mayor and the real mayor (his brother) decided would be a good thing. Context helps, you know?

North of 49 · #30 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 5:08 PM**

Majority of Torontoians or GTA citizens are out hacking a living to bother coming to watch a game. They could care less about getting season's tickets. Maybe the odd game or two a year. After your taxes are paid and the bills are paid what do you end up. It's just a minority of middle income and high middle income earners that will go out to see these professional sports on a regular basis. It's like this for most cities out there.

Go out and ask 10 random people and ask how many of them have season's tickets for any of the pro sports teams in the GTA.

You'd be lucky to get 20%

Bdog · #31 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 6:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by North of 49

Majority of Torontoians or GTA citizens are out hacking a living to bother coming to watch a game. They could care less about getting season's tickets. Maybe the odd game or two a year. After your taxes are paid and the bills are paid what do you end up. It's just a minority of middle income and high middle income earners that will go out to see these professional sports on a regular basis. It's like this for most cities out there.

Go out and ask 10 random people and ask how many of them have season's tickets for any of the pro sports teams in the GTA.

You'd be lucky to get 20%

^Lucky to get 20%????? If 20% of people in the GTA had season tickets to pro sports (arguably 5 teams: Leafs, Raps, Jays, Argos and FC), that would mean over 1 million would have to have season tickets... Obviously there aren't 1 million season tickets to be gotten

yaletown_fella · #32 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 6:39 PM**

The Raptors have a very loyal fanbase including myself. I mean compare our GTA support for the Raps to that of the Atlanta Hawks, one of the glitziest, wealthiest cities in the U.S with a greater population around the size of Toronto. nuff' said!
Then factor in Toronto's corporate muscle. If Rogers takes over we'll be in the playoffs in 2 years. Guarantee it. We've been blessed with young talent. All we need is smart L.A style leadership. I'm actually happy Bosh left. Despite obvious talent he was overpriced and injury prone.
Get rid of the lazy asses at MLSE/Teachers, Fire Colagnelo and let Anthropolous take over and work his magic.
The only thing that'll get in the way is the NBA's criminal officiating
I feel sorry for Triano.

manny_santos · #33 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 7:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister F

The NFL in Mexico City was far more successful than the Bills games in Toronto. Not to mention Mexico doesn't have a domestic gridiron league. If the NFL ever expands outside the United States, it'll be there and not Canada.

I never understood people's obsession with trying to get Canadian teams into American sports leagues. Does any other country do this?

Mexico City also has a metro population over 5 times that of Toronto's.

I think the obsession with getting Canadian teams into American sports leagues is because of the NHL being a cross-border league from day one; I would speculate that some sports fans feel that Toronto and New York have both always had NHL teams, then why not other leagues. I think it's also a product of our heavy cultural association with the United States. I would speculate the obsession is a lot less in Quebec than in Ontario.

BretttheRiderFan · #34 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 11:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by yaletown_fella

The Raptors have a very loyal fanbase including myself. I mean compare our GTA support for the Raps to that of the Atlanta Hawks, one of the glitziest, wealthiest cities in the U.S with a greater population around the size of Toronto. nuff' said!
Then factor in Toronto's corporate muscle. If Rogers takes over we'll be in the playoffs in 2 years. Guarantee it. We've been blessed with young talent. All we need is smart L.A style leadership. I'm actually happy Bosh left. Despite obvious talent he was overpriced and injury prone.
Get rid of the lazy asses at MLSE/Teachers, Fire Colagnelo and let Anthropolous take over and work his magic. The only thing that'll get in the way is the NBA's criminal officiating
I feel sorry for Triano.

Hire a baseball GM to be the Raptors GM, you'll miss the days of Colangelo pretty quick

With the way Rogers has run the Jays the last 10 years, what makes you think the Raptors would improve so quick?

BretttheRiderFan · #35 Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 11:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by niwell

You act like this is something Torontonians are demanding instead of our idiot mayor and the real mayor (his brother) decided would be a good thing. Context helps, you know?

I know most Torontonians aren't like that, but I'm talking about the vocal minority who have wanted this for years, not just Ford

yaletown_fella · #36 Posted **Jan 24, 2011, 12:11 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

Hire a baseball GM to be the Raptors GM, you'll miss the days of Colangelo pretty quick

With the way Rogers has run the Jays the last 10 years, what makes you think the Raptors would improve so quick?

Well for one thing the Raptors aint in the MLB East!

P Unit · #37 Posted **Jan 24, 2011, 12:51 AM**

I'm not even a football fan but I'd love to see Toronto get an NFL team, just because the idea of it seems to infuriate so many sports fans from the rest of the country.

Acajack · #38 Posted **Jan 24, 2011, 3:35 PM**

The following statements are true:

The Bills Toronto series is not an accurate indication of how a locally-based NFL team in Toronto would do, because of the inflated ticket prices, the fact that the Bills have just been parachuted into Toronto, and the whole cash-grab aura of the entire scheme. A Toronto NFL club based in the city operating like any other NFL club would likely do very well. As well or better than most NFL clubs in the U.S.

The problem, though, is that the lacklustre result of the Bills in Toronto series is the only thing concrete the NFL has to go on as a gauge of true NFL interest in Toronto. People can say "we would, if only..." all they want, but a multi-billion dollar league like the NFL doesn't generally operate on IFs...

As I have said before, I have no doubt Torontonians would step up and support an NFL club if it were their own. But with the half-pregnancy flop that is the Bills Toronto series, Ted Rogers and company may have blown it for the foreseeable future when it comes to (some people's) the Toronto NFL dream.

thurmas · #39 Posted **Jan 24, 2011, 3:45 PM**

How do you know it would be a success the Bills series had Jay Cutler, Peyton Manning and Mark Sanchez come to town, some of the biggest names in the NFL and they couldn't sell out! I know the Bills wouldn't draw much but the visiting teams should have. Also the tickets were priced more because Skydome seats much less than typical NFL stadiums. Look at the fan bases of the Raiders, Steelers, Giants ect.. and how loyal and fanatical they are and then look at Toronto sports fans other than the leafs it's a joke. They are so quiet, bland, fair weather that they simply don't deserve an NFL team.

Acajack · #40 Posted **Jan 24, 2011, 3:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by thurmas

How do you know it would be a success the Bills series had Jay Cutler, Peyton Manning and Mark Sanchez come to town, some of the biggest names in the NFL and they couldn't sell out! I know the Bills wouldn't draw much but the visiting teams should have. Also the tickets were priced more because Skydome seats much less than typical NFL stadiums. Look at the fan bases of the Raiders, Steelers, Giants ect.. and how loyal and fanatical they are and then look at Toronto sports fans other than the leafs it's a joke. They are so quiet, bland, fair weather that they simply don't deserve an NFL team.

One-night-stands like the Bills Toronto series don't flatter the ego of Torontonians. They want the ring on the finger that is a bona fide NFL club with Toronto's name on it.

Anyway, it's a moot point because as I said I think the relative failure of the Bills in Toronto makes an NFL club in Toronto very unlikely for the foreseeable future.