CalgaryTiger
Senior Member
He couldn't do it consistently. One thing to be good enough to be in the league another to be good consistently.
|
|
|
Calgary Stampeders
- Thread starter Mountain Man
- Start date
Mountain Man
Senior Member
Killam to the Elks as the new head coach, Stamps should have kept him and sacked Dickenson instead....
CalgaryTiger
Senior Member
The headline is all NHL... But look at the CFL number (32% say they follow the CFL, 22% with women too). That is more than I would've thought.
NHL is 58%
NFL is 37%
MLB is 34%
NBA is 29%
Capturing only 5% less followers than the NFL when it is the marketing juggernaut it is is very impressive. Not to mention only 2% less than the Blue Jays that get shoved down our throat by Rogers.
www.tsn.ca
NHL is 58%
NFL is 37%
MLB is 34%
NBA is 29%
Capturing only 5% less followers than the NFL when it is the marketing juggernaut it is is very impressive. Not to mention only 2% less than the Blue Jays that get shoved down our throat by Rogers.
Canada’s game? Survey says yes, NHL outpaces all other pro leagues | TSN
More than three-quarters of Canadians consider themselves sports fans, and the NHL remains the most popular pro sports league.
www.tsn.ca
Albertasaurus
Active Member
And more than the Raptors who also get shoved down our throats.The headline is all NHL... But look at the CFL number (32% say they follow the CFL, 22% with women too). That is more than I would've thought.
NHL is 58%
NFL is 37%
MLB is 34%
NBA is 29%
Capturing only 5% less followers than the NFL when it is the marketing juggernaut it is is very impressive. Not to mention only 2% less than the Blue Jays that get shoved down our throat by Rogers.
Canada’s game? Survey says yes, NHL outpaces all other pro leagues | TSN
More than three-quarters of Canadians consider themselves sports fans, and the NHL remains the most popular pro sports league.
I am a bit disappointed that the wave of patriotism sweeping the country hasn't translated into more enthusiasm for the CFL. Most teams are apparently losing money, and the Stamps' attendance is down. I think it's a great product and find it much more entertaining than the NFL (thumbs down to 4 downs), and is still an affordable, attainable product. And it's bizarre that our biggest city has the worst attendance in the league.
Roaring Flames
Senior Member
The CFL will either die a slow death, or officially become the NFL's minor league at some point. I don't see the league surviving long term.
The last couple of games for the Stamps had good attendance. The Riders games usually do well thanks to a boatload of Rider fans. The labour day game was well attendance as well. Not many Edmonton fans, mostly all Stamps fans.
I have to admit, I'm concerned for the long term future of the CFL. I don't think the CFL will fold or anything, but I can't help wonder if it becomes more of a farm league for the NFL. Maybe we need a couple of smaller city teams - London, Halifax, QC for example. The CFL in the three large metros is a struggle.
There are a couple of issues facing the CFL.
1 - Canada's changing demographics. Most newcomers or even second generation Canadians don't follow the CFL, or even the NFL. Soccer is their sport and I expect that soccer will become more popular over time, and at some point will be the main outdoor sport for Canada. A lot of newcomers and second generation Canadians do seem to follow hockey though.
2 - To a lesser degree the NFL. Most of the damage from the NFL has been done, and we probably won't see too much more, but the marketing machine of the NFL won't stop.
I have to admit, I'm concerned for the long term future of the CFL. I don't think the CFL will fold or anything, but I can't help wonder if it becomes more of a farm league for the NFL. Maybe we need a couple of smaller city teams - London, Halifax, QC for example. The CFL in the three large metros is a struggle.
There are a couple of issues facing the CFL.
1 - Canada's changing demographics. Most newcomers or even second generation Canadians don't follow the CFL, or even the NFL. Soccer is their sport and I expect that soccer will become more popular over time, and at some point will be the main outdoor sport for Canada. A lot of newcomers and second generation Canadians do seem to follow hockey though.
2 - To a lesser degree the NFL. Most of the damage from the NFL has been done, and we probably won't see too much more, but the marketing machine of the NFL won't stop.
CalgaryTiger
Senior Member
The CFL has been pretty consistently written off. For good reason at times, it has tried to do some pretty odd things to try and or grow itself: US Expansion and its more recent attempt at trying to go global.
I have faith, as a 35-year-old lifetime fan, that it will sustain. It won't be as a traditional feeder to the NFL, it does that anyways, without the formality. As @Albertasaurus says it is a great game, both on TV and in-person. The powers that be at the league need to stop trying to gimmicks in attempts to grow the league outside of its current base. You'll grow the game if you stick to what has made it a sustained success. A small but plucky league that has teams in cities the big leagues ignore.
Expansion within Canada is possible and that in itself would improve the business side of the league. Halifax has long been a downtown parking lot with great development potential to make a development metaphor. I also think Kelowna and Vernon with a combined population of around 290,000 could sustain a team. Those cities are only going to grow too. Granted that would unbalance the league again. Which has made scheduling an issue... There are a few cities in southern Ontario that could support a team.
On the stamps themselves, winning cures all, attendance at games this season is up, a lot. Well over 25,000 for the last few games. I do think tickets could be a little lower but there's still some value you can find.
I have faith, as a 35-year-old lifetime fan, that it will sustain. It won't be as a traditional feeder to the NFL, it does that anyways, without the formality. As @Albertasaurus says it is a great game, both on TV and in-person. The powers that be at the league need to stop trying to gimmicks in attempts to grow the league outside of its current base. You'll grow the game if you stick to what has made it a sustained success. A small but plucky league that has teams in cities the big leagues ignore.
Expansion within Canada is possible and that in itself would improve the business side of the league. Halifax has long been a downtown parking lot with great development potential to make a development metaphor. I also think Kelowna and Vernon with a combined population of around 290,000 could sustain a team. Those cities are only going to grow too. Granted that would unbalance the league again. Which has made scheduling an issue... There are a few cities in southern Ontario that could support a team.
On the stamps themselves, winning cures all, attendance at games this season is up, a lot. Well over 25,000 for the last few games. I do think tickets could be a little lower but there's still some value you can find.
Mountain Man
Senior Member
I enjoy the CFL game still, 3 down football is much more entertaining than the 4 down version. The CFL should be able to survive, they just need to expand to the Maritimes, and then another team or two in BC, Ontario and Quebec. I just hope they stick with TSN as the broadcaster, no need to start letting streaming services show games, makes it too difficult to watch.
I think Vernon-Kelowna-Penticton is around 400K iirc. Definitely a possibility they could do a team. Halifax seems the most likely if doing one new team, but I think they should look at doing 3. Okanagan, London (or KW) and, Halifax. It would be a nice balance of 6 per conference.
If possible, maybe Victoria and QC, to make it 7 per conference.
At some point the league really needs to expand and do smaller cities. IMO, the big three metros aren't going to be very beneficial to the league going forward. The teams can survive in the big three metros with the expectation that the attendance and coverage will be similar to other smaller cities. The big cities don't need to provide big city attendance, etc..
CalgaryTiger
Senior Member
The issue with any expansion is stadiums... It has been the issue in Halifax for decades and continues to be. I mean the stadium is an issue here too. This is a comment on all sports facilities but we need to be better at building simpler, cheaper sports infrastructure. Every facility shouldn't be built to be the best of the best. Sometimes good enough is good enough.
Mountain Man
Senior Member
In some smaller cities a stadium could be looked at as an investment since it would potentially attract big concerts and festivals as well as other sporting events. Hard to justify 8-9 figure construction costs for taxpayers though, especially with bigger issues to address.
Roaring Flames
Senior Member
The CFL needs to improve existing stadiums first before worrying about expanding into markets that don't currently have a stadium. Calgary and Montreal both have outdated venues that need replacing, and maybe BC can move into the Whitecaps new stadium if that gets built. BC Place is too big for them, and I cant imagine its the cheapest venue to play out of.
Mountain Man
Senior Member
I don't think the outdated venues are costing the CFL any money though, are they? I'd love to see a new stadium here, but am not holding my breath, McMahon will just get another major renovation.