Is the Argonauts sale good for the CFL? Today an agreement has been reached that will see the Toronto Argonauts sold to equal parts of Larry Tanenbaum’s company Kilmer Group and Bell Canada on, Dec. 31, 2015. The CFL department at Last Word On Sports has decided to share a few words and a thumbs up or thumbs down to the big news. What say you?
Matthew Bin – Hamilton
The caretaker ownership era for the Toronto Argonauts has ended – for now – and fans of the double blue and white should be rejoicing. They’re actually going to become a real CFL team again.
David Braley did the Argos and the entire league a big favour by hanging onto the team for so long. But Braley did little more than prop the team up in his time as owner – and why would he?
The Argos fielded a team, but advertising and promotions became anemic, the front office emptied out, and the crowds dwindled. The attendance in cavernous Dead Ted’s Dome never cracked twenty thousand in 2014.
But they’ve only traded the ownership problem for others as Bell and Tanenbaum – let’s not be coy, basically MLSE – take the reins. MLSE teams aren’t known for winning championships… or winning records… or more than the occasional playoff spot.
The CFL is a competitive league with a lot of parity and roster churn. New ownership is going to mean little to the fans if poor management launches the Argonauts into a long period of mediocrity.
But for now, they’ll have a field to play on (much to the dismay of TFC fans) and a real ownership group. Argos fans will need to take what they can get, and hope for better days ahead. In the meantime, a cautious and skeptical thumbs up for the new ownership deal.
Lance Keiser – Toronto
There is no surprise today with the major announcement that the Argonauts, the oldest and most storied franchise in the league, is now in new hands. This does not mean that all the problems will be fixed for the double blue, but moving the team from Rogers Center to BMO field was the most urgent matter, likely not what will save the team on its own.
For years the Argos have been surrounded by negative reporting about the lacklustre fan base, which of course leads to poor in-game atmosphere no matter where they would have been playing.
The next big move for the Boatmen will be to create a new relationship with a younger fan base, convincing them that yes, it is cool to be a CFL fan in Toronto. That will be no easy fix. With talks of how this city deserves an NFL team, competing with other in city sports such as the Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, Raptors, and their new roommates Toronto FC, the Argos can’t lay back and hope a new stadium alone will make them relevant to Toronto again.
The sale for me is a thumbs up with a big if. It’s a thumbs up if the new ownership group can come up with a steady plan to urge new fans to get active and support the Argos. The thumbs up is focused on the fact that former owner David Braley needed to go.
Did he save the Argos when others wouldn’t step up to the plate? Yes. Did he also run this organization into the ground to the point that they may be worse off now? Bell and Tanenbaum will have some work on their hands, and they likely will not take the short cuts like Braley did, such as running the organization with a short-staffed office.
Nicholas Di Giovanni – Montreal
There are a few thumbs up and a few thumbs down to this ownership change, but I look at it as a very positive situation for the Toronto Argonauts.
Thumbs up for local ownership, as Tanenbaum and Bell are two majority owners in MLSE. The Argos will finally be cousins-by-ownership with their neighbours, the Leafs, the Raptors, the Marlies and their soon-to-be rivals, Toronto FC. Rivals with a soccer club?
The owners would like to move out of Rogers Center and into BMO Field, much to the dismay of TFC supporters, as their stadium is no longer soccer-specific and the field will be used frequently by the Boatmen.
The new ownership will hopefully give a breath of life to the Argos fan base. Braley’s interests were not fully invested in Toronto as his money was also in BC, and that affected the crowds at the Rogers Center. At times, the Argos were playing home games in a ghost town.
MLSE has a history of attracting crowds. Just look at TFC, one of the most loyal fan bases despite the fact that they haven’t made the playoffs since their debut in 2007. The same goes for the Leafs, perennially bottom-dwellers in the NHL, yet still one of the richest teams in the league. Tanenbaum and Bell should carry over their fan-attracting experience to the Argonauts organization.
Kelly Bale – Regina
The avoidance of the big question at today’s media conference, “where will the Grey Cup be played in 2016?”, pretty much confirms suspicions that the City of Toronto and the Argonauts organization will be awarded next year’s Grey Cup. That’s a big thumbs down from me.
I can understand a Grey Cup in 2016 being delicious to the new owners. That is great and it’s even somewhat deserved. However, with 2016, that will be two Toronto finals in five years and we are going to have some issues with fairness across the league.
The Argos are important. It’s important for the CFL to exist in a market that has all of the other major professional sports in North America. Hopefully that’s the case with long-term stability provided by the new owners.
But the Argos are not more important than the Tiger-Cats, Redblacks, Blue Bombers, and Roughriders, who all have new buildings to showcase and pay for.
Those clubs and communities are counting on the five to fifteen million dollars that a well-executed Grey Cup festival can earn in this modern era of the CFL.
We just had a Grey Cup in Toronto in 2012 and there are now nine teams in the league. I’m not satisfied with the math that would see a single organization host two championships in just five short years.
As weird as it may be having Braley own two CFL teams, having TSN own a large part of the Argos is equally if not more weird and is going to have to be watched very closely for conflict.
When are the Argos ever going to give something back to the other clubs in the league? Revenue sharing ended in the early 1990’s and, honestly, that’s the last time I remember the Argos committing any money to other clubs. Braley himself may have, but not without repayment. It’s just more of the same: take, take, take for the Double Blue.
Matthew Crockett – Winnipeg
So begins another chapter in the saga that is the Toronto Argonauts Football Club.
The sale of the franchise to Bell/Larry Tanenbaum and the relocation to BMO Field will help everyone move past the current ugly patch the Argos found themselves in. The move to BMO Field is going to be good for the CFL team, even if Toronto FC fans don’t want to share the venue. The kids are going to have to play nice for now and accommodate the needs of both clubs. TFC has 17 home games and will get the first choice of dates, according to MLSE.
The focus from the new ownership group will have to be to market the club more heavily. They need to build their fan base up again by providing those fans with a reason to come to the games. They did win the Grey Cup in 2012, but in the fast-paced Toronto sports market, they’ve become old news fast.
For now, though, Double Blue fans can breathe a sigh of relief. They can now go back to doing what they do best, vilifying the players. I mean it jokingly but Toronto is one of the toughest cities in the world for an athlete or team to call home. With a large population you have more a chance that your team and your team’s play will be under the microscope. The Argos need to create an atmosphere where the fans want to be engaged and learn about the players, the club, and most importantly, the CFL.
For me, the move is a thumbs-up if they can draw more fans into coming to the home games. They can manage this if they can play nice with the current primary tenant, TFC, and secure a few of the better dates on the calendar for games. They also need to interact with the public on a more personal level to engage and create the much-coveted younger fans.
The entire organization from the top down will need to be committed to and involved in the growth process. It’s a tricky road to navigate but that needs to be the path for Bell, Larry Tanenbaum, and the Toronto Argos.
Gina Ritchie – Calgary
Gina was unavailable for an extended comment today, but she did give this sale the thumbs down.
After careful thought and much inspection by the CFL department, it appears that the thumbs-up have spoken and won this debate at a score of 4-2. Good luck to the Argos through 2015, and through the transfers of ownership and venue in the not-to-distant future.
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