The Lions attendance numbers were never THAT bad.
Just saying that sitting here as huge supporters of a league that has had its own fair share of attendance issues calling out a start up league seems quite inferiority complex to me.
Lets be better than that.
I actually enjoy the football and with nothing else on TV (hockey doesn’t count) its football.
I like football.
No, just a hypocrite.
Anyway, this league is undercutting the CFL so every CFL fan has a right to hate it or root against it if they want.
The fact that the league is having troubles financially is proof of that.
If the league comes back for a second year, I expect it to have more games in a season and lower salaries.
Yeah, I just don’t see how their current structure is financially viable. I honestly don’t care if they fail or succeed. If they fail, we’d have less “competition” for talent (I don’t think we’re losing out on much, honestly, but still). If they succeed, maybe it will open up more people’s eyes to other leagues that aren’t NFL, like our league. We might end up with more fans (I don’t see a scenario where we lose fans).
But more games and lower salaries has to be the next step. The amount of salary/game is way too high with their broadcasting deal and attendance. Yes, attendance is low for us in some markets, but our broadcasting deal is miles ahead of what I believe they’re getting. We’re also an established league, with a strong multi-generational fanbase of lifelong fans. They have had, what, 3 weeks of games now? If your team starts flopping, it’s easy to jump ship when you just started rooting for a team.
In addition to more games and lower salaries, I think they’ll need to move some teams. Salt Lake City for example is pulling in way less than San Antonio. They might need to relocate until they find cities that will support their teams.
I remember watching games on CBC from the Big O in Montreal in the mid 80’s that had 3-5,000 in a 60,000 seat stadium. I also remember being at Ivor Wynne in the early 90’s and there was maybe 10,000 people in attendance. The Argos used to draw 50,000 a game at Exhibition Stadium in the late 70’s and early 80’s. My point is, that I hope the CFL , and it’s fan base, doesn’t ever think that we are that far from this happening to us. NFL viewership numbers are way up in Canada, and the CFL is considered by many of my friends to be a second tier league.
Also, I remember when the NFL strike was on and the US Networks tried a few CFL games as substitute football content. I seem to believe viewership was so low as to end the experiment before the strike ended. One knock on the CFL was the comment that sticks in my mind that the CFL was the league where the fast, black QBs threw the ball to slow, white receivers. Other than those who watched to see their former college favourites play, I doubt we picked up many, if any, fans.
IMO, the US football fans are great supporters of their University teams and their NFL teams and that is really about it. As for the rest, the attraction seems to be on betting the outcomes, or on fantasy league predictions. If they can’t bet or pick fantasy teams, they are not interested and won’t watch.
If I recall correctly a lot of those games ended up being duds. Some were very lopsided blowouts and the potential new fans lost interest quickly.
The crowds remind me of the CFL experiment in the US - Vegas and the Beracudas (whereever they were from).
Its hard to establish a new league, other than MLS there dont appear to be too many sucess stories.
As for the CFL, the NFL will keep us alive and kicking.
It’s expensive to go to a game if you have to buy tickets for all your wives
lol
Do you think dad could afford to take all the kids to a weekend game?
I don’t believe Mormons imbibe, so if they are all on the concourses, then … I better leave that part to the imagination and unsaid. 
:o :o :o
learning from the best...
Yup. Not sure why we are casting so many stones.
This was literally the Grey Cup free with a pizza. (I enjoyed the game, and the pizza )
Old enough to remember the two tickets for one disgrace and leaving ticket windows open all night in order to “sell-out” Labour Day 93 (?).
Not even going to mention the sad but necessary spectacle of Yachetti and other staff waving at cars during morning rush hour at Main and Dundurn innthe pathetic attempt to drum up sEason ticket sales and playoff game to stave off extinction.
92-94 was comic, sad, humiliating around these parts.
What do you expect? We never had a concourse at IWS back then. ;D
At least these guys were willing to do anything to try and save the franchise. They at least stepped up for a little while until the next group thought they could keep it going. I ended up buying 4 more ST.
Thank God for Bob Young or this team and forum would be long gone.
What about the guy who climbed the pole (at Main & Dundurn?) and stayed up there for a long time until people bought enough season’s tickets to keep the team afloat. Wonder who that guy was? It wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t even follow the 'Cats anymore.
In the 80’s when attendance was pretty low, I used to get $3 student end-zone tickets at Fortinos. For the 1996 Grey Cup Tim Hortons was selling $25 tickets a week before the game with an original $100 face value. Plus last season if you searched Kijiji or Seat Geek right before a home game you could get tickets for 80% off or sometimes free.
The CFL is never too far from giving tickets away in order to put butts in seats.
Might have been the same guy who climbed the goal post in East endzone at IWS a few years ago.