OTTAWA CFL STATUS - COMING UP

Let Ottawa City Council know how you feel about the Ottawa Rough Riders and Lansdowne Live!
Write them at: https://ottawa.ca/cgi-bin/mailto.cgi?fo ... =ottawa.ca
If you've got better links let me know. This is what I wrote so let me know if I can improve it. If I can count on any thing in this life it's you guys and your constructive criticism.

Hello Ottawa City Council,
I want you to know that people all over Canada support Lansdowne Live! and the once great Ottawa Rough Riders. Long live Russ Jackson!
It is tragic that you could not get your act together in time to host the 100th Grey Cup in the Nation's Capitol. I would have made my first trip to Ottawa for that week.
Please register my support for the Ottawa Rough Riders, the Hunt Group and Lansdowne Live! I look forward to visiting Ottawa for a game against my Edmonton Eskimos or even a future Grey Cup Week.
Thank You

Good point. You scratch my back on this NFL thing and I’ll get you your NHL team for the Hammer.

Actually, I’m surprised that this came from Lefko because it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

In his opinion, past failures involved poor ownership and a lack of resources. He then states how this is quality group with deep pockets.

So…Did you not just answer your own question? That’s why the CFL remains interested. Bill Palmer’s financial position was not fully comforting, so he got turned away. D’angelo came off like a wingnut so he got kicked to the curb. The current group are professional, local, loaded and have construction and sports ownership backgrounds. The CFL wants them because they’re the exact description of what anyone has ever said Ottawa needed in its ownership.

Besides, there’s no risk to the CFL here. If the stadium issue does not get sorted out, oh well. They’ve lost nothing, not even image. No one can say the CFL messed up, that’s it’s a joke league, etc. It’ll be tossed at Ottawa city management’s feet 9and rightfully so).

My guess is that Lefko was frustrated like many of us when we say that we wouldn’t be surprised if Hunt just walked away.

Yes CRF, could be frustrated, or just the opposite, afraid that the LL might get accepted and who know, maybe Perry is now in the grips of Tannenbaum as well so Melnyk's little MLS fake plan didn't work, Larry starts telling some sports writers to nix this CFL thing in Ottawa and then you get some goodies from me. Who knows with this whole thing but nothing surprises me any more in the world of business.

Let's face it CFL fans across the country want a team in Ottawa but it is the people of Ottawa who have to make it happen. It is clear to me that there is some people in the shadows who are trying to kill this for their own agenda. CLEAR but they can't kill Landsdown Live if the people of Ottawa want it and fight for it. The CFL will survive either way. I watched the interview with Mr. Hunt last night on Sportsnet and it is a great deal for the city of Ottawa, yes they have to get a mortgage on the property and right now there is just one tennant (football team) but a facility like that can host concerts, a soccer team, Super MotoCross, CIS championship games, Grey Cup games and a number of money generating and entertaining events. That may be where the biggest flaw has been with Landsdown Live is too much focus on football and not enough on having a facility that can serve the people of Ottawa's many tastes.

Oh and Melnyk is a sphincter. Karma is a biatch Melnyk :wink:

If I was a rich sports team owner Id rather make a small amount of money off my CFL team or lose a little bit than own a nhl team and lose millions.

Maybe. But some people have the mentality that if the place does not meet their vision totally, it’s crap, despite claims that the Park should be a place for everyone to enjoy. There are a number of people who think it should literally be a park and that as a park, it can’t be any good with a stadium in the middle of it.

I tried to explain to someone once that if you want a place designed to be enjoyed by such a large population it’ll have to have wide variety of entertainment options. So sometimes it just won’t be your turn to enjoy it (you know, like when the have the craft show, I really don’t enjoy the Civic Center…). He said I had no business dictating when he can and can’t go.

There’s no reasoning with some people about this thing. “We can do more than a shopping center and a stadium”. Yeah, but… some people like to shop! Don’t they have the have the right to do that while you’re sitting at your picnic table feeding squirrels? Apparently not.

I personally find where LL has failed is in highlighting its flexibility. There are complaints there isn’t enough room for conventions. But it’s been said a couple of times that features like the aquarium are negotiable. So rather than complain, people should tell the LL crew what they want. Forget the aquarium, give us convention space instead. All right. Instead, many people look at the plan and want to scuttle it because it’s not what they would have drawn up. Rather than change it, they reject it.

There are also others who hate the plan for the simple fact that rich people are going to get richer and it’ll involve tax dollars. The idea that these guys would do this entirely out of charity is naive, as is the notion that they should pay for a stadium that they won’t own. But business people are getting richer, so the plan is evil. Those who complain about that have no alternative solution, of course, but they just don’t want to see the rich get richer.

So it’s frustrating.

Here is the jist of my submission (sent directly to Mayor O’Brien):

"I am a former resident of Ottawa. … While I am no longer a voting resident, I am a very “frequent visitor” who does his part to keep the engine of the Ottawa economy going.

As a former resident and still frequent visitor, I wanted to send a note of strong encouragement to you and city council (the members of which I would hope you share this e-mail) to support and approve the Lansdowne Live proposal put forth by Jeff Hunt and his partners.

When I was a resident of Ottawa and area, I supported the Rough Riders and the Renegades. I find it very exciting the possibility of the CFL coming back to Ottawa, especially with an ownership group as strong as Hunt’s group. It is generally accepted that the main missing ingredient of both prevous franchises was strong local ownership. I don’ know how much more strong it can get than the Hunt group. If Ottawa passes up this opportunity, I truly believe that it will regret it for years.

If Ottawa gets a CFL team back, I will most certainly be planning my monthly trips around home games, staying over weekends and thereby supporting the Ottawa economy even more than I already do.

The CFL is one of the few institutions that uniquely identify us as Canadians and the nation’s capital should be a part of it, not apart from it. I encourage you and your council to do all you reasonably can to set the situation right. Lansdowne Live isn’t just about football, it is about community capacity-building.

Thank you for your attention."

It has already failed twice before, the last time for the same reason it collapsed the first time: ownership and insufficient resources.
Remember the Dream team, Perry? Three of the most successful richest local owners you could ask for, plus Hunt is renowned for his successful hockey franchise. So past failures with owners Horn Chen or Lonie Gleiberman have little to do whether these current owners have the financial where-with-all to run the team.
Most CFL franchises are surviving because of private owners who have the financial wherewithal to offset the losses against their primary businesses.
Join the 21st century, Perry! The BC Lions owner said he has been turning a profit with the Lions over the past few years. Edm, always leading the CFL in attendance, is always profitable, despite their official announcements of a small loss some years. The Esks have over $15 million in reserve funds built up over the years. Sask is even more profitable, with revenues of over $22 million in 2007. Calgary, with consistent large crowds is a consistent money-maker. Wpg reported a profit on football operations last year. So I don't think "most CFL franchises" lose money and only survive because of sugar-daddy owners who want a tax loss. Perhaps that is the case in Toronto, although the Argo owners made a multi-million profit on their very successful Grey Cup game. The owners have hinted the Argos have cost them nothing. Now in Hamilton, most likely they lose money, despite near sellout crowds for the first few seasons of the new owner. But their stadium costs them nothing and the Ti-Cats have a preferrential concession deal. The team loses money because it cannot host a Grey Cup game. Mtl reportedly turned a $5 million to $7 million profit on last year's GC. Perry may claim that the Als lose money, but more reliable sources say the team, despite a small stadium, provides a nice tidy profit for the owner, mainly due to high ticket prices and generous sponsorship revenue.
Melnyk, who has been vocal in criticizing the relative merits of the CFL and in turn caused Cohon to publicly reply with data to challenge what he believed were gross untruths, wants the city to give his location the green light. So far the other bid is running in front.
The report comparing the two proposals came out only days ago. It stated the Lansdowne deal was preferred. They found Melnyk's revenue projections as "unrealistic". Other than Melynk wowing some Councilwomen with his style and panache, I don't see how the soccer bid is "running in front".

3 strikes your out, Perry. :thdn:

We must remember that the network Lefko works for broadcasts the NFL and it’s owner has spent a fortune buying the NFL rights for Canada and is promoting the money-losing Bills in Toronto series. You will see the same pro-NFL bias in all Rogers TV, radio and cable stations. Only the CFL stands in their way in winning the hearts of football fans in Canada.

The job of the media is to tell it the way it is, not the way we want to hear it. Perry is right, major issues w/the Ottawa bid, or why would the deadline have to be extended? I'd love to have the Rough Riders back, that "R" on that blue helmet, but it does look problematic.

I would think the council in Ottawa would do the right thing and approve their new stadium eventually, really its chump change for a city that size, it would be sad to see Kelowna get a team first. They do things right out here there just opening a 48 million dollar pool here later this month that I will drive past ocasionally but its for the betterment of the city so its ok.

But he’s not telling it like it is. No one is bugged that he’s saying that the process is taking a long time or with any part of his recap of the past here. It’s his suggestion that the whole idea should be dropped. That’s opinion, not fact.

Now it may be part of his job to also state his opinion, but I personally find it’s based on faulty reasoning. Council meets April 22nd. There is no cost to the CFL to waiting until then. Or indefinitely, for that matter. If they did choose to go that route, they would be essentially breaking their word on the extension and THEN they would look bad. So it’s a ridiculous suggestion by Lefko.

They (the CFL) would have also seemed short-sighted to not have extended the deadline because they should have an idea by now how this kind of thing (stadium issues) works. Winnipeg’s was what? Four years in the making? Lansdowne Live was first submitted officially last summer (the first "unofficial proposal was August or so of 2007). These things are seldom resolved quickly. To flush away a billionaire ownership group with local ties because you don’t want to wait an extra month would have been labelled stupid. Accurately.

Although a different situation of course in Winnipeg since they do have a team and stadium now, it did take some 4 years as CRF indicates. A bit more waiting is fine. Yes, Perry is just writing an opinionated article, not a huge deal even if it gets some of us riled up. No one in any position of power on this is going to change what will happen based on Perry's article and if they do, then this country is in worse shape leadership wise than I thought.

The CFL needs to work with this well-heeled group and the city of Ottawa for as long as they can and fortunately, which probably bugs Garber and some others, the CFL has the luxury of being a league of 8-9 teams for decades and people are ok with this even if a lot of people want it to expand. Whereas the MLS is on a big time line to keep the league growing so it can say it's up there with the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Hey, calling yourself "major league" puts pressure on you to make sure you are what you say you are.

The other thing which kind of surprised me is Jeff Hunt telling McCown how his group is not investing in the stadium per say. Just the potential over runs and will in effect manage the place and ensure no losses annually to the city.
Unlike Mr. Asper who is putting up what a third of his own money towards the stadium cost of $120M.
You would think that the Hunt group with all of the cake that the partners have, they should put up some cash. Never mind the promises to redevelop some land.
So at the end of the day and hope that I am wrong with the city having to invest everything, maybe they are now shying away?

Interesting argotom. And then there is the BMO deal where MLSE invested what, about $10 mill and get to run the stadium and profits and tell whomever like the Argos they aren't welcome even though the city owns the stadium. Another twist of stadium deals.

I know, that definitely stinks. As you know MLSE really didn’t put up any of their money, merely did the fancy accounting shuffle and what they got for naming rights, a portion went towards the share.
The fact the city allowed MLSE to name the CITY OWNED stadium is criminal to us taxpayers and allowing them to make money while the city is also left crumbs in minimal useage. The other day I read how MLSE is thinking of putting in real grass for the TFC and which means, NO ONE ELSE will be allowed use of the CITY stadium.
MLSE + City of Toronto = corruption?
Anyway, I digress as it does not sound like the Hunt group will get anything like this sweetheart deal or if they are lucky to get a deal period.

And people question just how powerful Tanenbaum really is? I don't, I'm sure he put Melnyk up to the MLS bid knowing Ottawa wouldn't get an MLS team but could put the screws to any CFL venture in Ottawa. Tanenbaum probably is laughing about all the mess that has been created by this, I honestly believe that.

You may be right Earl.

I believe that the difference between this and Asper, was/is that David will be gaining ownership of the present Canad Inns site for other development. Whereas the LL group will not recieve ownership of any of Landsdowne Park, neither the Stadium, Retail, or Park spaces. There was a big onus on Asper to step up with his own money because he’s acquiring an asset from the City of Winnipeg, while the Hunt group will not be acquiiring any actual property, but instead be paying lease fees and assuming yearly maintenance and operational costs of the site (which is alot if the 4 mil number is accurate)

edit: just to correct something, I believe Asper is putting in 4/5ths (not 1/3rd) of the stadium cost, 100 mil out of 120 mil, while the province picks up 20 mil of the cost and the feds put in another 15mil towards the new athletics facilities and whatnot for the University.

Good points Kristjan, that’s why they call it real estate, it’s “real” land. Hey, the natives in Canada understand this even though the real estate they are usually talking about isn’t exactly urban cities. But still, land is tangible. But no way is the city of Ottawa ever going to give up the land where Lansdowne is, no way.