Damien Cox claiming MLSE wants to fold the Argos or convert to XFL in 2023.
- Clickbait?
- Reason why league is letting the Argos get away with contract hijinks?
- Wishful thinking?
- Panic time?
Read the first part of the headline...'Opinon'
But with this being the 3rd forum this morning making reference to it, Cox has done a good job getting the clicks.
Nothing new that we already don't know....just poorly timed
I wouldn't be surprised if MLSE is tanking it on purpose. I've read that navigating their website to buy tickets isn't easy. Most people just phone the understaffed office and it takes a while to get through. Casual fans would get angry and give up. It's the die hards that stick with it.
The attendance was also limited to 15 k for an outside stadium during the regular season after the stadium restrictions were lifted. I've read that the Maple Leafs are getting 18 k per game. MLSE doesn't seem to be restricting games for the indoor arena.
That's what it looks like from an outsider's perspective anyways.
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Hasn't Cox made a career out of slamming the CFL? 
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He has for years - much better coverage in the Sun.
Cox is part of the strange Toronto mentality - In what other city do people describe their city as "world class"? Nowhere I know. But there is this funny insecurity in Toronto so the idea of supporting a smaller, national league is just anathema to them.
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One can agree or disagree with Cox assessment. One thing is clear, the CFL in its current format does not (and has not) work(ed) in Toronto. The Argos could win every game and win the Grey Cup and attendance will increase marginally.
A merger with XFL or USFL would give the product a shot in the arm and rebrand football in Toronto. It may or may not work....but the status quo is certainly a complete disaster.
By the way the biggest opponent to XFL merger was Edmonton...how exactly have they faired this year???
This league needs a boost as a whole to bring in the youth, urban and multicultural fans. The CFL in known as the "Old white man's league" this sentent must change to be more inclusive to be consistent with the modern day sports fan.
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I wouldn’t say that it’s a complete disaster. TV ratings are fairly decent. It’s more of a partial train wreck than a complete disaster. I’m not sure the XFL will automatically bring fans to the stadium. It might boost attendance temporarily because of the curiousity factor but it won’t last very long. Toronto is a hockey town primarily and football is way down the list.
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A loyal Rogers Media man. Seems part of a trend.
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I agree with what you say. What was , was. We are living in the past. I’m at the top of that list. For years and years I’ve said if the Argos do this , if they do that they can succeed. I finally had to admit that there is nothing else they can do to be relevant. I have fond memories going all the way back to the late seventies. That’s when you had two teams in the city, the Maple Leafs and the Argos. Fast forward to today and you have big league Hockey, Baseball and Basketball. I’ll repeat my self again, Toronto is not Regina or Winnipeg. Toronto has become a New York, Chicago. Toronto has become to small for the CFL. Would the XFL help, I doubt it. It’s NFL or nothing. Unfortunately Toronto could be waiting a long time for that day to come. I understand MLSE concern. I don’t care how much money they have , it gets to a point where your just throwing money down the drain. So do you sell? Who in there right mind would buy, but they say there’s a buyer for everything. Do you throw the keys on the table and walk away, or try something different like the XFL. I’m not going to pretend I know, but I do know that the status quo does not work in this city anymore.Nevemind Toronto, you have contagion in other cities. As a longtime CFL fan I’m afraid that if a spring league ever sticks, the football landscape will change and the CFL will really become irrelevant. Thank you for your time.
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Damian Cox is a pantload.
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It’s the NFL or nothing for Toronto.
The CFL is struggling, yes but having a lower version of the NFL won’t necessarily increase fans in Toronto.
Or else spring football would have been existing.
I believe the XFL’s sole existance could be to get one or franchises into the NFL instead of providing “entertainment”.
Plus they (XFL) have to distance and/or rid themselves of the WWE/McMahon stench.
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I don’t think that the XFL would work in Toronto either but I think you’re reading it wrong because in the last go around they went into existing NFL markets. The XFL itself isn’t trying to get franchises in the NFL. I think the XFL is trying to give fans that can’t afford NFL prices a football experience. The secondary goal is to fill the void in the NFL off season. Third goal is to get their players tape so they can move on to the NFL.
I believe the USFL was the closest thing to a credible league back in the 1980s.
Then some guy named Trump got involved and made the decision to bully his way to a merger with the NFL by forcing and convincing some of the weak and gullible owners to go along with him.
That turned out well didn’t it?
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It didn’t turn out well. It was also in the 80’s prior to the internet. USFL had lots of problems before Trump came along. They had owners spending too much cash on players etc. Only time can tell what will happen. If the American spring leagues fold by 2024 the CFL is safe. If they don’t it is not. It’s out of our hands.
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Sounds like a philanthropic venture. They just want to help everyone: fans, players, broadcasters.
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But there won’t be any expansion into Canadian markets until their US markets are set and solidified.
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It wasn’t credible. Only a handful if that were break even at best and interest was only regional, scattered. League needed coast to coast interest to be viable. LA team was drawing Argo Covid size crowds.
Trump’s anti trust suit ( which he actually won) and moving sched to compete with NFL was a “think big or die” move. Which CFL owners have been flirting with for decades.
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lol obviously they want their fair share of money as well. TV deals, merch etc. but they aren’t going to say that publicly
Roger's Stoogies always come up with "Stories" like this during the CFL playoffs and Grey Cup. They don't want to have the CFL have any positive news. Watch for a "big" signing for the Jays, Craptors or TFC on Grey Cup weekend, especially if the Argos make it to the Grey Cup. Mark my words. They have done it before.
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And they will continue to do so until the end of time.
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