as long as hamilton and the prairie teams are in, I will continue to be a CFL fan, even if it be reduced to the equivalent on a double AA league. However, if they start to drop, then I am finally done.
Speaking of disadvantages, do you recall what the Renegades paid in rent? I believe it was about $65,000 per game.
What does Hamilton pay again?
Yah thats what the CFL needs less teams.
Maybe if the next Ottawa franchise is stable and if there is an expansion to Quebec or Halifax, a 10 team CFL might be better off without Hamilton.
But in the 8 team CFL, the math is: CFL - any team = no CFL
I’m not even sure it would be better off under those conditions. The only time the league would be better without Hamitlon is if somehow Hamilton becomes a cash drain on it. But as long as they have dedicated ownership paying the bills, then it’s not an issue.
Besides, teams in Ottawa and Halifax wouldn’t have anywhere near the rivalry with Toronto that Hamitlon brings.
Well, duh! And Hamilton was the only team ever to get a bail-out. Thanks for this information, I was not aware.
Just a side note, the statement that Hamilton has only been around since 1950 is completely wrong. Hamilton has had a team since the 1870s (yes, they were called the Tigers then). 1950 was the year the Hamiton Wildcats ammalgimated with the Tigers to form the Tiger-cats, same francise, same logo, same colours (with the addition of white), putting the name "-cats" on the end of the team monicker doesn't make it a new francise.
OK, 'nuff said.
It's funny how people disregard the fans in Ottawa. Give Hamilton fans another ten years of what they've had to endure the last few years and see how much support they provide. The same goes for every other CFL city with the possible exception of Saskatchewan.
To be honest, I have been watching the CFL for a quite a while, and outside of the Bob Young era, the Tiger-Cats always seemed to have attendance issues. I wasn't confident that Young could change the teams fortunes (off the field), but he has. Here's hoping things on the field improve as well.
The Pan-Am Games bid is designed to get Hamilton a new stadium, and build facilities in other southern Ontario cities which could be incorporated into a Toronto bid for the Summer Olympics in the future.
By the way, when did the Pan Am Games become such a big event that it could generate a $1.55 billion price tag? How much did it cost Winnipeg to host the Pan Am Games a few years ago?
Holding three Grey Cup games in Halifax over a five year period would come much closer to covering stadium construction costs than the Pan Am Games would generating $1.55 billion.
Hamilton’s record since 1990: 120-202-2
Grey Cup Appearances: 1998,1999
Grey Cup Wins: 1999
First Place Finishes in the East: 2
Last Place Finishes in the East: 9
Aside from a few years of greatness with Danny Mac and Flutie around, the Ticats have spent most of the last 18 years being pathetic.
His point remains valid. Ottawa has been pathetic for even longer. Another ten years to Hamilton’s current situation would be about right, and even then they might still be arguably ahead.
You use an 18 year window. In the Rough Riders’ last 18 years (1979 - 1996), their regular season record is worse, they had no first place finishes and made no Grey Cup appearances, let alone a win, obviously.
I have a few of the team’s media guides and in 1993, attendance looked like this:
23.916
20.016
27.341
23.463
21.567
24.631
18.486
19.580
19.240
average: 22,026
That team was 4-14. It wasn’t until the following year that attendance REALLY started to drop as a result of a significant price increase, which sounds an awful lot like what’s going on in Hamilton now.
For the sake of comparison, in 1992, when the team went 9-9, attendance was the following:
23.254
18.788
23.414
25.884
24.532
24.171
26.172
22.038
23.060
average: 23.479
Close, CRF - they did play in the '81 Grey Cup, but they were prohibitive underdogs to have even been there, posting a 5-11 regular season record. (Don't you love the CFL? It has to be the inspiration for Proline's "Because anything can happen; Anyone can win" slogan!)
Except win, they did not. Despite chalking up a significant lead in the first half, on the arm of JC Watts, the Eskies (14-1-1) came back and won the game on a last second field goal. Final score: 26-23.
Breaks my heart everytime I see the replay.
I know you know the history, but I thought I'd re-tell the story for those who might not be.
Ah, apologies. I originally included that one when I typed my post to match the format of the one I was responding to, then it slipped my mind when I changed my post.
Made worse, I found the newspaper article recap of the win that got them into that Grey Cup game in the first place this past Saturday so Ican't exactly claim that it isn't fresh in my mind.
Okay, maybe the Ticats haven't quite reached Ottawas levels of ineptness on the field.
But, what I worry about is the impact that the past years of awful football will have on younger fans. The kids that have grown up watching almost nothing but terrible teams.
Right now it seems that the Ticats can bring around 15-20k fans no matter who owns the team, who's playing, or what kind of marketing is done. I'd bet a large portion of these fans grew up watching the team in the glory years back in the 60's or early 70's.
But what's going to happen down the road, when it's the kids who've grown up watching these awful Cats turn to by tickets? They need to see success, and they need to see it soon if the team wants to be stable long term.
I was a U of Toledo Rocket for two years, so I say that the Tabbies stay if for no other reason than Chuck Ealey’s legacy.
His kid Damon was a darn fine receiver for UT as well…
Earl,
I think you're letting the recent few seasons get you overly depressed. Esks fans (with far less cause in our case) have been whining for the last 3 years about ineptness on the field (and overall attendance has dropped, if you look at the numbers since 2005). BUT none of us Esks fans here, be it Chief or myself or caneskimos or whoever, presumes the best solution for the CFL or anyone is that Edmonton fold its franchise! I made a post in one of the coaching threads on the Hamilton forum before the Esks-Riders game, inviting you Ticat diehards to watch and see the once feared team in Green and Gold get whooped too, so you could feel hope that you might not have the worst record in the league this year. Shoulda taken that advice.
Wow! Unbelievable post. Let me pick my jaw up off the floor. After week 1 we're folding the franchise? I think my head just did a 360 on my shoulders. I've seen some rediculous posts in my time, but - geez, I just don't know what to say about this one...but let me give it a shot.
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good point and legitimate concern. I recall once, taking a bus home years ago, a kid telling his friends that he was going to a Riders game and his friends making fun of him for it. Obviously, you don’t want to reach that point.
For the Ti-Cats though, I think they’re still pretty far from that. Poor play on the field is one thing, but (as far as I know) they’re not embarassing themselves publically like some other lousy owners have done with whacked out promotions (mardi gras here in Ottawa, wet t-shirts in Toronto) and nonsensical interviews (The former Calgary owner and his kid QB…name escapes me). I think it’s when you reach those depths that you really create problems for yourself.
The bottom line is that the CFL is not better of without any team