Watch out for the news today. Sounds like those argos are mixing things up again and spearheading an effort to deflect the purchase of a National Football League team. The money involved would directly implicate our own caretaker in the plot.
A fiction writer would be hard pressed to come up with a better story. Too bad this one is written by 2 of Canada's finest.
Good stuff:
http://tinyurl.com/27ttmoWhy not ! Beats the alternative. Politicaly this would be a much, much better deal for the NFL.
Also with the death of NFLE the CFL could also benefit by becoming the main place holder/feeder system of the NFL. Import roster spots could be allocated to Affiliate teams. Each NFL team lets say could have 3 to 5 development players per CFL franchise. Imports come and go in the CFL anyway. their salaries could be easily picked up by the NFL teams who own their NFL rights…
I like this idea a lot. If there is going to be an NFL team in Canada might as well make sure it has positives on the CFL. It would have some interesting possibilities to the NFL sunday ticket package. So there are economic benefits to the CFL as well as good systemic reasons for the NFL. Every organisation has to grow and I am sure NASCAR’s expansion into the Canadian market has not gone unnoticed by the NFL.
There is to much intricate detail in this article for it to be rubbish…
You got to love what a par or better Canabuck brings !
What is the alternative HfxTC?
And you want us to simply be a feeder system for Amrican football? What, we're not worthy enough to have our own leagues?
The NFL is not coming to Canada. It'd be one team in Toronot. HOw is that going to affect all of CAnada?
And will our NHL teams survive the NFL too? Or will they also fold?
The way some people up here make these dopey allegations without mentioning facts is comical.
Just like this article today. Its ridiculous, but the Globe and Mail gives it the headline. Amazing.
First. I am not pushing for something like this. Just commenting on the origial poster's commenting it as fiction...
The alternative would be an NFL team in Canads's most valuable/biggest market. You can be assured that they would "own" the Ontario football market. Making Hamilton and Toronto's CFL franchises insignificant. This would also have an impact on the value of national sponsorship and TV money for the CFL.
I know Western fans think they can make a go of the CFL without the eastern teams but they can't and all owners in play with the possible exception of the three maybe soon to be two community own teams can see what a well organised deal with the NFL could bring to the value of their investment/product. Most CFL teams could see their operating budgets go from 15/20 million to 40/50 million overnight.
Also creates a real possibility for limited expansion to border cities as well as improved economic windfall make expansion to other Canadian cities like London,Ottawa,Halifax and Quebec much more feasible.
Feeder system? Not at all but I don't see anything wrong with having some of the import roster spots "leased" by NFL teams as long as the CFL teams have final say on wether they want the player or not and that contracts are still one+one and that CFL rules are kept in place.
Fact is that businesses have to grow or die. CFL is unique that instead of dying it has gone through systemic "rollercoaster rides" that still should be avoided if possible.
Not saying this will happen but dismissing it as fiction?
Why would the Ticats fold if the NFL came to Toronto? Like, isn't there a team in Buffalo about 50 miles away? Why haven't they killed the Ticats? OR Argos for that matter? Like you make no sense.
LIke, the CFL can expand right now to these markets. We don't need help from foreigners.
And you're saying we need the Americans to show us how things should be done? I mean the CFL is what, 100 years old?
LIke, I don't care if Toronto gets an NFL team. It won't impact me one iota. But to say its going to make everything we have in this country insignificant is just so much BS that its laughable. You have got to come back to reality.
I'll say it again. I don't care for the idea, one way or another. But knowing what I know about some o the current CFL owners "dreams". I can see how there would be some truth to the "plan".
Let's flip things for a minute. Never mind the whole "survival" argument. Do you think the CFL could GROW "economicaly" with an NFL team playing in a 90 000 seat stadium in Toronto?
If so please tell me how ?
A 90,000 seat stadium in Toronto? Huh? Whose gonna pay for it? And I doubt they could fill a 90,000 seat stadium for anything but the Leafs in Toronto.
And why couldn't the CFL grow with an NFL team in Toronto? Ain't it growing with an NHL team in almost every city? So why would one NFL team in the whole country kill an entire league?
This is all I'm gonna say on this topic, because its bloody ridiculous.
An NFL franchise would cost 1 billion dollars. Do you really think whoever is going to buy one has any issues in building a stadium?
So your argument is that an AHL hockey team in Hamilton would grow if Hamilton was to get an NHL team?
My answer: Because sponsors go where the action is and most tier 1 sponsors would now associate the CFL in southern Ontario as a tier 2 product. That's life.
So if the CFL is getting 400,000 viewers on Tv every game, and still has the huge fan support it alwasy does, that sponsors are going to go to the NFL? Which is a tier 1 sport? Where? In CAnada?
Sorry pal. The NHL is our tier 1 sport. The NFL would be probably 4th or 5th behind the CFL and curling.
Enough already. Why can't we enjoy what we have?
Any person who can afford $1 billion knows how to have public funds pay for their toys. American cities are full of examples.
This is such a Toronto centric article and idea it really isn't worth talking about. Every couple of years the the big bad boogey man the NFL going to Toronto comes up... It started this year with Ackles raising the question and stating the league can't survive without Toronto.
Simple fact: Safeway is a western based brand, it doesn't need Toronto to advertise.
Making the NFL season ticket holders purchase Toronto tickets, never happen. You can't force someone to buy something they don't want. Additionally, where is the benefit for the other teams, if Toronto is being sold out because of NFL.
The current board of governors can't get along now. WHat make you think that they could work together to manage one team.
This is some article that written to be trial balloon, send it up see if there is interest and support for the idea. The NFL can't afford to move an existing team to Toronto
Talk about spin, this article has it all.
The most likely scenario would be moving the Bills after the old guy passes. 30% of their ticket base is already from Ontario.
The revenue from an NFL team in TO would be enough to offset any losses to the CFL from the NFL's pressence. In fact, they probably wouldn't even need to sell a seat at an Argos game.
But I find it a little hard to swallow that Rogers etal would be willing to share the wealth.
Well I think that it could come down to Goodell reading the riot act to Godfrey's group and tell them if they want an NFL franchise, then they have to partner with the Argo owners and the CFL or else, no deal.
This article basically spells out the only way the NFL would be allowed to put a team in Canada. I also suspects they would need a majority of the CFL bog to agree, which given Braleys latest comments, doesn't seem likely.
Godfrey, I'm sure of it, will put a spin on this though that will make him look larger than both Cohon and Goodell combined and himself like he is the commissioner of all football in North America. I bet my bottom dollar.
I'm sure that we will once again see the rise of "The Canadian Football League Act" if they try to force feed this thing. However, I think the NFL/CFL relationship is bigger than one man's ego. Either both leagues coexist, with a mutually benificial financial gain, or it's no go.
The NFL dosen't need Toronto. Its a nice market but they will not put a team in Toronto if there is ANY potential negative fallout. The NFL is not going to do anything that will harm football.
Like Pigseye says if its a good deal for everyone it will happen. If it isn't then it won't.
Safeway,never mind...
Here's a thought:
What if the CFL owners got together and purchased the NFL RIGHTS to Toronto, but not a franchise?
Think about it. The NFL owners get some cash now, at no cost since there wouldn't be another franchise receiving a share of league revenues.
If MLSE wanted to actually set up a franchise, they'd have to cover the net present value of the current NFL owners' losses, plus offer just as much benefit as the CFL offer, PLUS cover the cost of building the new stadium.
This makes particular sense to current NFL owners if they really do have ZERO plans to move to Toronto. If that were the case, they would know its better to accept the costless CFL offer now than bother entertaining MLSE offers that they KNOW they will never accept.
The only wrench in the gears is the intentions of the CFL owners. It's one thing if they're considering doing this to protect the CFL, then its a favourable move. However, if their true intention is to get an NFL franchise, this whole idea goes out the window.
We know right away that Ted Rogers and MLSE would NEVER get any public funding to build a stadium. First on Ted's wish list is a new baseball stadium, and there's no way he'd go multi-use if given the opportunity. MLSE just got a new stadium in BMO field, there's no way a politician could justify funding two stadiums for the same company within only a few years.
Starting to get as complicated to understand as the referendum thing in Ontario here about changing the voting system. 
I like your outlook on this piggy. I also like dumonts comment about buying the rights but never ever purchasing the team. If anything, this will keep people talking football.