ARGO/MLSE deal at final stage

Remember, TFC is also a tenant at BMO. The city of Toronto owns BMO. And someone could squeeze me into a corner of MLSE thank you muchly, one of the most successful sports organizations in NA, maybe the world, and that is with their main team the Leafs tanking.

I am also not sure how you sell (out) 4 Grey Cups in 12 years. That is a LOT to ask of a limited fan base.

Somewhere C&S are smiling.

But people can travel to Toronto from elsewhere in the country, not like going to Regina where there isn't enough hotels and people have to often scramble for a place to stay. Not the case in Toronto.

C&S I think will be recognized by MLSE in some capacity. Bringing in Pinball of course. My guess at any rate. MLSE and C&S, as local Torontonians, know each other. Braley they probably couldn't care less about more or less.

I think MLSE is the best possible owner. I just feel bad for Bob Young…

He goes thru hell for 12 years, loses a ton of money, finally gets a new stadium to host a Championship (or 2) and the big selfish prick from up the QEW demands 4 of the next 12 Grey Cups. :thdn:

Leafs are losing 3 - 0. :lol:

Bob Young just recently indicated that the Argos were a concern for him and the CFL and important to see that they have a place to call home, implying a new great owner. Although I might be tricked into thinking the Cats would like to be the sole CFL team in S Ontario for obvious reasons, Bob I think deep down wants to see the Argos survive and thrive even if it might be more competition for him in the CFL landscape in these parts with less GCs for Hamilton. A solid Argo franchise is really nothing but good news for the CFL.

Leafs need to dump Kessel I think. I think he's poison to the team.

I agree. Mr. Young will be gracious and welcome MLSE with open arms. I just think it is too much to ask IF you’re concern is the overall good of the League.

:thup:

I don't trust MLSE no matter what the deal.

Some factors to consider, the 2012 Grey Cup in Toronto was the most successful in history by any measure. The 100th GC ignited Greater Toronto into a Grey Cup frenzy, which even the most jaded CFL-denier must admit. Whether they can maintain that level of interest 4 times in 12 years is questionable.

Vancouver had 3 Grey Cups in 9 years, with the last one stretching the league's good will out a bit. They would have to be creative in Toronto, with perhaps an outdoor GC at BMO in the mix.

Another factor is the rights fee paid by the Argos owner to secure the Grey Cup rights, which is shared with all member teams and should be substantial. Also the Grey Cup rights are normally "rotated" between all teams. Franchises which can't or don't want to host their Grey Cup are normally compensated financially for skipping their turn (in effect the GC is bought from them). The Argos must buck-up and pay a reasonable fee for acquiring multiple GC's.

I don't see much wrong with this. There was a time a few years back when hardly anybody wanted the GC, often played in front of less-than-soldout crowds. Those days are long past and there are worse places to hold a GC than in Canada's largest city, in a covered stadium holding 53,000 fans.

I'd say give the Argos 4 GC's in 12 years, but have them pay a substantial rights fee and compensate the other teams fairly when they get skipped over as GC hosts.

Uh, barely 3 months ago the CFL did not sell out its marquee game. Not sure what you saw.

That would also be my first reaction but maybe they could be brought around?

MLSE finally realizes the NFL is dead in Canada. There will likely never be a NFL franchise in Toronto or anywhere else in our lifetime. MLSE might as well jump on the CFL bandwagon rather than trying to fight it. With MLSE purchasing the Argos, effectively Rogers will control 37.5% of the Argos. That does seem scary but wouldn’t we rather have Rogers as friends rather than enemies? We might worry they could be like Brutus, after being given access to the inner court they stab Caesar in the heart? But if there’s no CFL franchise in Toronto to risk losing…is that preferable? I don’t think so.

I believe the risks are triumphed by the rewards. The league could hire a MLSE-friendly commissioner who’d work lock-step with MLSE to revitalize the CFL brand in Toronto, across Canada and North America. The entire league would benefit if the CFL could gain access to the decision-makers of corporate Canada, headquartered in Toronto.

Then there’s the media angle. Despite the CFL clearly being the No. 2 sport in Canada, it’s national coverage is almost non-existent. The league gets largely ignored by the Toronto (National) media. That is just laziness, ignorance and an inferiority complex all rolled into one. But that can change…the CFL’s media coverage can improve. It wouldn’t hurt the league to have MLSE and Rogers pushing for their fair share of media coverage for the CFL. :thup:

Whatever we might think of MLSE, they would be GREAT owners in this league. They have the stadium, corporate contacts, and marketing muscle to revive the Argos in Toronto and Southern Ontario, A strong Argo team helps EVERYONE; increasing credibility, TV ratings, merchandising, not to mention opportunities for expansion... the benefits go on and on.

Not that long ago the CFL was a mom & pop business playing in crappy stadiums, with volunteer boards of directors (who were working with non-existent marketing budgets) trying to come up with the latest gimmicks and telethons to keep the teams alive (and make the weekly payroll). Soon, we could have highly experienced owners like MLSE, Calgary Flames, Bob Young, OSEG (plus strong league leadership) ** BUSINESS PEOPLE WITH FINANCIAL MEANS ** sitting around a board room table discussing the common goal of GROWING this league (instead of trying to figure out ways to simply keep it afloat). MLSE has connections with the media, corporate sponsors, and community leaders that NO ONE else in Canada does. With a new stadium, MLSE could actually hit this one out of the ballpark. There is NO QUESTION in my mind they WILL succeed with MLSE & BMO.

There could be some exciting times ahead :slight_smile:

PS: If 4 Grey Cups in 12 years give the Argos a turbo-charged injection of publicity they NEED, that might not be a bad thing. Perhaps it isn't so much the money MLSE is looking for by hosting the cups - as much as the awareness it can generate (of course they want the money too). Plus, if it helps Braley get 12 million for the team... all the better.

I really don't understand the problem with the 4 GC.

Montreal is incapable of hosting one and this could be for decades. So it leaves 3 Eastern teams to split these roughly six Grey Cups. So the only teams making a sacrifice would be Ottawa and Hamilton. So one objected to losing a turn. Which one ?

Well, that’s a technicality. The 2014 GC was within a few hundred seats of being soldout. With over 53,000 in attendance, that crowd would have overflowed every other stadium in the CFL except Commonwealth in Edmonton. The ticket prices were surprisingly high which amounted to an enormous gate receipt, and an 8-figure profit margin for the host franchise. I did say 3 Vancouver Grey Cups in 9 years stretched the CFL fan’s good will, but 2015 in Winnipeg will be a tremendous success as will 2016 in Toronto/Hamilton. The Grey Cup is a juggernaut which will continue to grow and prosper. :thup:

The beauty of the Grey Cup is they don’t rely on local fans to fill the stadium. In 2011 it was reported that 30,000 fans came in from out-of-town to attend the Grey Cup game in Vancouver…and they stayed an average of 4 days. Hundreds of thousands more attended the GC Festivities. The B.C. government announced the 2011 GC generated $130 million in economic activity for B.C. with a substantial amount coming from out of province. 4 Grey Cups in Toronto will give the Ontario economy a huge boost!

Just sounds like another ploy by MLSE to keep Gridiron Football off the field and the weekend dates it will take up during prime summer and fall months.
More Gold Cup Matches.
Gold Cup finals
WC qualifiers.
site for guiness champions cup.
Other touring Euro clubs in the summer.
Mexico 40K plus crowds that attended regular friendly matches at RC now at BMO.

They already have balked at the idea for 10 million more they would have to put up to convert for CFL. Now it is reported by a source that they will walk forever over 1 less Grey cup. That comes to a total of 20-25 million. They are paying players on their 3 current clubs more than that alone.
The CFL total salary cap plus any players that are being paid on the 6 game IR is less than 10 Million

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Really ??? Because by my Math if the premise is accurate. MLSE is prepared to front 10 million for the end zones + 12 million for Braley’s ransom money = 22 million for a team that is worth exactly ZERO right now. A team that has lost money every year for over 30 years straight and is part of the hottest TV property of their biggest competitor.

And teh owners are muking around ?

I know fans want to defend the league and its owners but at some point it can’t always be everyone else’s fault can it ?

Well, on an off note, I see a "big" signing by TFC. Now I have never heard of this player Sebastian Giovinco, I don't follow soccer, but on the news some 400 people were at the Toronto airport to greet this player! Soccer is big in Toronto with the multicultural aspect even in a league that is a single entity and centrally controlled contracts and doesn't allow free agency. The soccer fanbase is dying for TFC to win.

[url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/sebastian-giovinco-all-smiles-at-tfc-intro-news-conference-1.2948063]http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/sebasti ... -1.2948063[/url]

Did anyone meet Ricky Ray at the airport in Toronto? :wink:

Too bad they can’t make it 3.5 Grey Cups. 3 MLSE keeps for themselves. 1 gets shared with Hamilton - half the costs and profits go to the Ticats while holding it at BMO. That would be a Win-Win.

You make a good point. It will cost $20M up front plus an annual loss in the $3M-$5M range. Maybe 4 GC isn’t asking too much.

Again, I feel bad for Mr. Young.

Where is the $12M figure coming from? Is there an article out there that I am missing?

You make some good points.

I don’t know, Steve. I can’t imagine MLSE pouring all this money into the team just to kill them.

Just as a reminder to everyone getting either excited or agitated about this "deal," the OP provided no sources and ended by saying "it could all be B.S." There have been enough "this deal will be announced soon" claims on this and other forums over the past year to fill a book. Why don't we all wait for something to actually happen (or at least a more solidly sourced piece of actual news reporting) before we start worrying about who's getting screwed out of Grey Cup dates?

Our give and take isn’t hurting anyone. We are just so desperate for good news we will jump at anything. :wink:

Never mind. I now see it in the OP. :slight_smile: