Like every fan soundboard, there will be some absurd takes mixed in with some very knowledgeable opinions.
So letâs look down our nose at the 5th qtr. Which was the point.
Bob saved the team. No one is getting rich owning a CFL team, most owners do it for pride / give back to the community. Bob had money before he saved the ticats from bankruptcy, so highly doubt profit is his motivation. However, the teams NEEDS profit of its to survive long term.
The one thing you perhaps could say is that Bob isnât a highly emotional owner like a Stienbrenner that demands success every year or your fired. Not sure itâs good or bad, but a more demanding owner may have shaken things up in the front office by now.
Yes he saved the team, originally from Hamilton moved to the US and made his money in the Raleigh North Carolina high tech region.
He always said he wanted to save the team but he would never run or make decision, he was always the âCaretakerâ and the âsaviorâ no one should ever criticize him.
Just think of this manâs genius. He took what is an unsupported open source operating system (Linux) and repackaged it into Red Hat, added all sorts of enhancements , created a support structure and then after a few years of growth, went public with family owning a major if the shares. Brilliant. Then he took the profits from his brother share and âsavedâ the Cats.
How does anyone criticize this man? Jealousy & Ignorance.
I will always thank Bob Young for saving this team. That doesnât mean heâs immune to criticism for how HIS team is run or their lack of success on the field during his ownership tenure.
People have to realize that with the creation of Hamilton Sports Group, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are no longer a sole proprietorship, but a corporate entity with several shareholders, and the focus has to turn to a return on their investment.
IIRC, the team a few years ago FINALLY got out of the âredâ on their balance sheet. I donât know if that was for that season, or if that was the team completely paying-off their debts, but I havenât read anything about the team going BACK into debt - the two pandemic seasons aside.
Okay, Bob Young calls himself âCaretakerâ because he used his deceased brothers(Michael) inheritance that his brother made from investment into Bob Youngâs business ventures to purchase the TiCats
Mike was a HUGE TiCats fan
âWATCHA GOTTA DOâ
It was and still is a surprising move that other investors were interested, though you could chaulk it up to local investing in local.
Though, I have to think the upside they see is not with the Ticats or even the new stadium, but with Forge and soccer.
Forge seems like a get on at the ground floor opportunity as soccer is growing leaps and bounds around the world.
There could be growth potential with the Ticats ifâŚIF the CFL ever circles back onto some sort of meeger with the Rock amd XFL.
Fans have already voted with their feet. Me included.
So âbut he saved the teamâ doesnât move the needle for you ?
Couldnât say it better!
Saved the team from what? Winning.
No, he saved the team from folding.
full crowds in the stadium this year, like usual.
Young remains one of the most - if not the single most - successful own in the CFL.
Heâs the only success this team has seen in 25 years.
Iâll never understand why people crap on Bob Young. The âhe saved the franchise from foldingâ has turned into a mocking statement for many and some people seem to think that because thereâs been investment in a stadium and a marketing plan that he has neglected the football side of the business.
During Bobâs 20 years I believe there have been 9 different Head Coaches. Heâs tried new blood, recycled vets, up and coming Coordinators, conventional and unconventional hires alike. There has been investment in football facilities. To the best of my knowledge and belief the team has consistently spent as much as any other team on personnel. The team has tried filling the roster with vets and investing in name brand free agents and this year when that didnât work they blew it up and went the new guy route.
From my vantage point the only thing this football team hasnât done in the last 20 years is quit trying to win. The best argument against this team that I think one could make is that they really havenât brought in a lot of new players mid season when the results werenât good. Thatâs fair push back, but I think if thatâs the âagainstâ argument then itâs not that strong in comparison to the âforâ argument.
I for one hope the team continues to fill seats, and sell beer and hot dogs, because I know after this miserable season there will be more changes in attempt to win. So long as they keep trying to win, someday theyâre bound to find the formula. If it was easy it wouldnât have taken Winnipeg 29 yearsâŚ
Criticism of Bob Young is warranted - for things within his control. An Owner should NOT interfere with player personnel decisions, and I am certain that Bob doesnât do this.
What we CAN criticize him for is selecting the wrong people to lead the Front Office.
@Egbert @DisplacedCatsFan I support both of your opinions, especially the positives Bob Young has contributed to the game of football in Hamilton but I agree that Young should have sent Scott Mitchell packing at least a decade ago.
Donât get me wrong, Bob deserves a lot of praise. Without his contributions, we probably wouldnât have a team.
I couldnât agree more.
Given how many emails to buy extra seats at 50% off Iâve received as well as personal calls from my ticket rep to refer new STH and buy additional seats, Iâd beg to differ that the stadium is full every week.
Its common in the CFL and Hamilton isnât immune to it but the balance sheet canât possibly look great compared to other seasons half way through this one.