What's most important: Video Game, Expansion, or Stadiums?

What's most important to you?

A CFL video game for the next-gen systems, or expansion into Ottawa and Halifax/Quebec City or a new stadium in Winnipeg along with improvements/renovations to the other CFL stadiums (esp. in Hamilton, Regina, and Ottawa)?

Granted, in a perfect world we'd get all of the above.


Winnipeg needs an NHL team! www.JetsOwner.com

You can't really have #2 without #3. And #1 is light years behind those two.

they are all very important.

i'd say 3 then 2 then 1.

why expand if you don't have good homes for the current teams?...then expand...then videogame to preach the good word of the league.

2,3 then 1

Good poll question!

Drummer God: My guess is that more existing fans would buy the video game than potential new fans.

A video game simulating the product is nowhere near as important as the quality of the actual product. New stadiums and expanded fan bases though expansion would further legitimize the league much more than some video game ever could.

#2 should read "Expansion teams in Ottawa, Halifax, Quebec City, OR LONDON!!!"

GO PIKEMEN!

I think it all depends on what crowd you are trying to please. If the CFL is looking to boost its fan base with youth then the video game makes the most sense, but if they are more interested in keeping the current fan base then new stadiums/renovations is the way to go.

Too bad we couldn't have all three.

Sorry dmont, I'm willing to bet that Ottawa gets a team before London. Ottawa has a big enough Stadium, which puts them out in front.

Yeah but the Ottawa stadium is pretty bad. Wasn't the mayor talking about leveling it?

No. A media report only included a portion of his speech in regards to that. The latter part which was not included was much more positive about waiting to hear from the CFL in terms of their plans for Ottawa.

And while the stadium is by no means the “gem” they would like it to be, it’s certainly adequate. Ottawa U. plays there and it seems to do the trick just fine. It wasn’t THAT long ago that the Renegades played there.

What it is is outdated and poorly maintained. There are people with bigger “jumbotrons” in their living rooms, the sound system is fried on the lower south side the washrooms were cleaner in the movie “Desperado”. The actual locker rooms were redone when Watters and company arrived so those are plenty functional.

It would not take much to get Ottawa's Stadium up and running again.

It's not possible people who don't regularly attend CFL games will buy a CFL game?

If so then how come people buy other sports games even if they rarely watch them on TV even.

If only 1/8th of the Grey cup TV audience bought the game that means the CFL will see a healthy return.
If around 1/8th of the Gamers in Canada bought the game, a healthy return would be seen.

My thoughts would be that around 1/4 of the Gamers in Canada are CFL fans atleast. so 50% of them buying the game seems likely.

Numbers for all this?

in 2 years the Grey cup game has been viewed both times by 4M+ people.
'In all, 1.62 million systems - both portable and consoles - were sold in 2006. That compares to 1.35 million in 2005' (from the globe)
That is only Gamers who have bought a console in a 2 year span, alot of people are happy with their older Xbox or PS2(or waiting for prices to drop) OR are PC gamers(which are not counted)

Winnipeg will get a new stadium, it's all but garanteed.

Ottawa and Calgary might.

Any expansion city needs a new stadium to be expanded too.

10 teams are needed with quality stadiums.

Of course it’s possible. Not everyone is within reasonable range of a team to attend games. I lived in Greenwood, Nova Scotia and I knew a guy there who loved the CFL but couldn’t go to games. He might be a candidate. But he already has an interest, so you’re not building the fan base.

This is where we differ. I don’t believe that happens all that much.

I can only speak from personal experience, of course, but I know what I like and I seek it out. I don’t think to myself “I find golf dull and uninteresting. Maybe I’ll buy myself a video game of it and see if that perks up my interest”.

I don’t feel a responsibility to increase my interest in golf. I don’t know that people feel a responsibility to increase their interest in the CFL. It seems more likely to me that someone with no interest in the CFL will see th game in the store and keep walking.

I’ve only once bought a game for a sport I don’t like; snowboarding. My brother-in-law rented it one night and we got a kick out of it. So by “word of mouth” you might do well if the game is outstanding.

But it didn’t get my @$$ on a snowboard. It hasn’t increased my interest in the sport in the least.

Yeah, if. I may have missed it because I don’t read every thread involving the video game stuff, but is there any solid reason to believe that might happen?

You’re comparing numbers that have nothing to do with one another. There are what? 30 million people in Canada? I could then make the argument, using your numbers, 1.62 million people bought systems INSTEAD of going to Grey Cup. There’s no evidence of overlap.

That’s extremely unlikely (very near impossible), of course. But the two sets of numbers prove nothing. You can assume anything from them to make your point.
You’d need a specific study to determine which Grey Cup attendees/viewers also own (or have recently bought) game systems. Otherwise those numbers mean nothing.

I have a Tiger woods golf game, I hate the PGA.
I have NCAA and NFL football games. And in fact the NCAA game did increase my interest alot, before I would watch a slight amount, now I'll actually watch the bowl games atleast. Still has to be certain teams, but it did increase my knowledge/interest.
NFL, watch my packers but that's about it simply because the games are slow.
I kinda want to buy the AFL game simply because of it's rule differences.

I'm a gamer, buying games from sports I like and Don't like depending on does the game look fun.

Also the factor of, does it have unique features. CFL game, 3 downs is pretty dang unique.
Also the 20 second play clock is so much better then the 40 second Playclock of NFL games.

Not only do you have fans buying who don't attend due to distance, you can attract fans who possibly can't go.
If your a bartender/waiter/waitress. Not working on Football days, not a good idea.

Football game given to young kids = good idea. That is a key way to create fans. you won't make alot of 18-20 year fans who are basicly set in their ways. However the under 10 group which Might not understand the rules, are too young to go to games and get into the games. They can be worked.

Of course Word of Mouth is going to be used. Isn't that how most games work?
There are what 3 ways?

  1. See a quality commercial(generally of a proven brand or innovative game) (examples: Fable or Madden)
    2.Browsing around a Store(lots of possible options here, the game just needs to stand out)
    3.Word of mouth(playing it at a friends or over hear something)

The goal of the CFL will of course be to get all their fans at games to buy it, selling it in their owns stores + having a video of it during the pre-game/half time(along with on TSN)

After that try to hit some of the not hardcore fan base, the fans who go to one game a year. Winning over the Casual fan into Hardcore fan is a good goal is it not?

The only problem I see is that the CFL doesn’t have the money to make the game as well as Madden and when it comes to video games I’d rather play a Great game with players I’m mildly firmiliar with than a good game with players I know. As much as I love the CFL, if the quality of gaming isn’t there there’s no reason to buy it. The CFL needs to get CFL on Madden, they have about 17 leagues on FIFA, and 4 leagues on NHL why can’t they put CFL on MADDEN and tweak the rules. I know the arguement that the players stat’s won’t be as good as NFL players but who honestly expects CFL players to be on par.

Video games are just a pipe dream, the current stadiums need to be to be improved first. Followed by finding stable ownership for Ottawa, and maybe another in Quebec or Ottawa.

This is expansion garbage is really starting to annoy me... The CFL is fine as it is

thedan8, wait for 2008. 6M in TSN $$.

jman, Expansion is a good idea, it must be done right but an atlantic team and one in Quebec or ontario is nice. a 10 team league is perfect it provides added stability and should really help in getting even more money say 25-30M+ from TSN on a yearly basis after the deal ends(in 2011 or 2012)

While I’ve defended attendance figures here, I don’t think Ottawa could support two franchises. :wink:

Expansion, successful expansion that is, is my no. 1 priority. Then stadiums. A game I could care less about but then I'm not exactly of the younger generation and no computer games guy. But I realize many are and more all the time so maybe this is more important than what I give it credit for. I do have an old board CFL game at home and have played it, with dice and that, it's cool, bought it at the Can FofFM here in hamilton, it's great actually.

In an interview on the team 1040 on Thursday the new commish said that the CFL wants to back to Ottawa and possibly expand to 10 teams but only if the right situation comes along. Expansion is good but I would like to see the CFL make sure that the current 8 clubs are financialy stable more than anything.