Quote:
Originally Posted by isaidso
Canadians may not be comfortable with the amount of power and influence Toronto wields in this country, but to deny it is akin to having your head buried in the sand. Regina, Winnipeg, Edmonton, etc. may be the heart of the league and what's behind the CFL's resurgence, but Toronto matters a great deal.
It says a lot that the league's health still depends on decisions made in some city where the league is largely irrelevant. The CFL is a business whether people care to admit it. The business reality is that Toronto calls the shots as it does in most things in Canada.
It's wonderful what's happening in Regina, but it's Toronto that decides how big or how small the league gets. Why do people not get that? The league would not look like it does today if the Toronto Argonauts were culturally important to Torontonians. Thank God for western football fans, but if we love this league we should all be praying that Toronto starts supporting, investing, and growing the league.
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I didn't say Toronto wasn't important. At this point all markets are important anyway; a 7 team league would really start pushing the boundaries of what is feasible. It's calling Toronto the flagship franchise that I take issue with. That's been what Edmonton was for decades and what Saskatchewan is increasingly becoming. There's a difference between what a flagship franchise is (generally your strongest franchise) and what a strategically important market for future business considerations is.
I already addressed the fact that the article talks about all teams being dependent on Toronto corporations for sponsorship, which is not the case at present as the Western teams are majority-sponsored by local market or generally western companies, just as Montreal is largely sponsored by Quebec-based corporations. Not sure why that was removed from my post you quoted...
Furthermore, I think everyone agrees that a very successful franchise in the country's largest city would be an incredible change for the league, and something Canadian Football fans generally hope would happen, but at this point (and for the last couple decades), the league has by and large survived in spite of support - or lack thereof - from Toronto, not because of it. I don't think any of us would question that the league would be better off if instead of Saskatchewan making up over half of merch sales, their sales equated to 1/8...
There's a big difference between current reality, which the article is mistaken on, and what the needs of future growth are, which I agree will involve more than the tepid support corporate Canada (largely based in Toronto) supplies. There is huge upside potential for the league if better support in the larger markets is achieved.
That is less burying our heads in the sand and more understanding the current situation and knowing where the potential building blocks for further growth lie.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chadillaccc
I think people just wish that weren't the case and that Toronto would/will just divest itself of the responsibility and transfer the Argos to Markham, Vaughan, or Mississauga. Since Toronto cares so little, it would be nice to see cities that would be proud to have a team, such as Halifax, London, maybe even St. John's and Victoria to have teams. That is definitely a looooooong time off though.
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I don't think many actually wish that Toronto would divest itself of their team as it is known that, if tapped, there is large upside potential there and it is an important market for the league in terms of reaching the next level. Perhaps that's why, with the new media deal next year, MLSE is sniffing around a little now. I think the traditional markets are very important to maintain, and with the re-introduction of Ottawa, we basically return to the point where the league was at its strongest. Removing any of the traditional markets at this point would be a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
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