The 2016 CFL season will be arguably the most important in franchise history for the Toronto Argonauts. Fan support is dwindling, and the team was essentially homeless for the majority of 2015; there was even a fiasco of long line ups and wait times for fans who attended the home opener. The 2016 Toronto Argonauts need a spectacular season to stay relevant or even newsworthy in Canada’s biggest sports market.
The Argos have some much-needed good news. The team is moving from the concrete baseball-designed confines of Rogers Center to the much more football-friendly outdoor venue at BMO field. The new ownership should be a breath of new life after the job that David Braley did – or rather, did not do – for the Double Blue.
The question is whether this is all too little too late. Have the Argos become so irrelevant in Toronto that most fans will not care? Although sitting in a dome might be unappealing for football, it is a lot more comfortable than sitting outside by the lake in October or November. Are Torontonians willing to embrace the elements to watch a football game?
General Manager Jim Barker has continued to do a great job in finding new personnel for the Argos. He has a real mindset of keeping the players they have and going out a recruiting young players to compete, game in game out, for the Double Blue. Barker doesn’t depend on free agency; rather than spending unnecessary dollars on a free agents, he will go about his business and find other that can fill his role that are unknowns.
Scott Milanovich has also continued to do well behind the bench in Toronto. His game plans and ability to put his guys in a position to succeed continue to work an amaze the rest of the CFL.
The front office has been set for the Argos and it is a good one, but if they cannot put an exciting product on the field, it may not matter if no one bothers to go see the Argos live.
The Argos and the greater Toronto area are a mystery to most: with such a massive population, you can’t help but wonder why so many people have turned their backs on football in Toronto. The new stadium might make a difference for the casual fan, but with the Blue Jays in town and having gained so many on the bandwagon from last year’s success, how can the Boatmen compete with them?
The Grey Cup will be played at BMO Field this year. One way to generate excitement would be to recapture the magic of the 100th Grey Cup. A victory at home this season could bring back old fans and create new ones. Toronto is a wonderful sports city – when their teams are winning.
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