2018 CFL Season

[GernB]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Looks like the rumblings are for real!

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, "Atlantic Schooners" isn't the greatest choice as that will be fully 3 out of 10 teams whose logo will be some form of stylized "A". That will also lead to two teams with nautical themes. But it seems to be What The People Want.

Easy fix. Argos revert to the "Jason" logo from the 1990s and the Alouettes bring back the red and white winged helmets. Too bad it won't happen.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by GernB

Alouettes bring back the red and white winged helmets. Too bad it won't happen.

I really like that uniform ensemble. I've never been keen on the red, white and blue, kinda busy for me. JMO

[esquire]

^ The problem is red and white are (well... should be) the Stamps colours. It would be annoying if we had Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal playing off similar palettes. Although for a while in the 90s, three of the four Eastern Division teams looked somewhat alike at a glance, when they went heavy on the blue and white....




Source: Scott Grant Photography

[cjones2451]

Good for Ottawa getting Trevor Harris under contract so soon. Makes it easier to re-up STH and attract new ones

https://www.cfl.ca/2017/12/13/redbla...trevor-harris/

[FrankieFlowerpot]

Well then .......................

#BREAKING: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) has announced an agreement to acquire the Toronto Argonauts Football Club of the Canadian Football League (CFL)

[esquire]

Now Rogers wants in?

[Hackslack]

Wow, huge news. Good for the Argos.

[elly63]

MLSE to acquire Grey Cup Champion Toronto Argonauts
CFL.ca Staff December 13, 2017

TORONTO – Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) today announced an agreement to acquire the Toronto Argonauts Football Club of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Crowned CFL champions at the 105th Grey Cup on November 26, the Argos are currently jointly owned by Bell Canada and the Kilmer Group. Financial terms of the MLSE acquisition, expected to close in January 2018 pending approval by the CFL Board of Governors, were not disclosed.

Joining MLSE brings numerous advantages to the Argonauts, including financial scale and promotional, ticketing and other operational synergies. The Argos play at BMO Field at Toronto’s Exhibition Place, which is operated by MLSE and also serves as home to another MLSE team, Toronto FC of Major League Soccer (MLS).

“Under its current ownership, a transformed Argonauts football club enhanced its presence and fan base in Canada’s largest sports market and ultimately marched to the CFL Championship,” said Michael Friisdahl, President and CEO of MLSE. “We look forward to building on the Argos’ strong momentum as we welcome the team to the leading provider of sports and entertainment experiences in Canada.”

“Everyone at the Argos organization is proud to have delivered the Grey Cup to our fans in what was truly a game for the history books. It’s been an exciting time of renewal and accomplishment for the Double Blue and I speak on behalf of all of us at the organization when I say how excited we are to now be joining forces with MLSE, Canada’s top sports company,” said Michael Copeland, President & CEO of the Toronto Argonauts.

“On the heels of a stunning Grey Cup showdown with the Calgary Stampeders that highlighted the sheer excitement of Canadian football, we’re thrilled that the Argonauts will be joining the MLSE roster,” said Randy Ambrosie, Commissioner of the Canadian Football League. “We welcome MLSE to the CFL and look forward to working with them to further enhance the experience for Canadian football fans.”

Founded in 1873, the Toronto Argonauts are North America’s oldest continuously operated professional football club and the oldest pro sports team of any kind on the continent that still operates with its original name. The Argonauts have won the CFL championship game a record 17 times, most recently at the 105th Grey Cup earlier this year. The team was founded by the Argonaut Rowing Club, which owned the club for its first 83 years.

[esquire]

I don't know what to make of this. For years Rogers has been passively, if not actively trying to kill the Argos and now they'll be a part owner? Hmm.

[WhipperSnapper]

Maybe best not confuse ownership of two different companies. Afterall, Bell and Kilmer are selling to MLSE which they also co-own.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by Hackslack

Wow, huge news. Good for the Argos.

Obviously the access to marketing resources and cross-selling opportunities will be a big plus. I’m sure the price was pocket change for MLSE, with some pretty nice upside if they can fill another 10,000 seats at BMO.

Could there be combined Argo-TFC season ticket packages, for example? Or options on Leafs STH packages where for an extra 5% you get Argo seasons as well?

[esquire]

Lost in the shuffle of all this action is news that apparently the CFL is looking to move up the start of the season by one month in 2019. This according to the one and only Rod Pedersen. So essentially we'd be looking at May training camps, a June start to the season, and a Grey Cup at the end of October.

I like it... it's been talked about for so long, why not give it a shot once and see how it goes? Given how weather on the prairies can be in November, I like the idea of adding more mild weather games.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by esquire

Lost in the shuffle of all this action is news that apparently the CFL is looking to move up the start of the season by one month in 2019. This according to the one and only Rod Pedersen. So essentially we'd be looking at May training camps, a June start to the season, and a Grey Cup at the end of October.

I like it... it's been talked about for so long, why not give it a shot once and see how it goes? Given how weather on the prairies can be in November, I like the idea of adding more mild weather games.

That hasn't been lost, that's been one of the big stories recently. Much of that is predicated on getting a decent TV contract with the NFL Network.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Andy6

Obviously the access to marketing resources and cross-selling opportunities will be a big plus. I’m sure the price was pocket change for MLSE, with some pretty nice upside if they can fill another 10,000 seats at BMO.

Could there be combined Argo-TFC season ticket packages, for example? Or options on Leafs STH packages where for an extra 5% you get Argo seasons as well?

The reach and wealth of MLSE is a huge plus for the Argos as the try to build a fanbase.

[esquire]

^ Even though Bell/Kilmer owned the Argos before, I suspect that having the full MLSE triumvirate involved now probably increased the value of the other CFL teams. I'm sure the price of the BC Lions just went up.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by esquire

Lost in the shuffle of all this action is news that apparently the CFL is looking to move up the start of the season by one month in 2019. This according to the one and only Rod Pedersen. So essentially we'd be looking at May training camps, a June start to the season, and a Grey Cup at the end of October.

I like it... it's been talked about for so long, why not give it a shot once and see how it goes? Given how weather on the prairies can be in November, I like the idea of adding more mild weather games.

I don’t see it working very well with the timing of the NFL draft (there may not be enough time to sign good players that are hoping to be drafted or being worked out/holding out hope for offers in the weeks after not being drafted).. Also, you’d lose the ability to bring in NFL cuts for a significant part of the season (so no Derel Walkers to help in the stretch drive anymore). I doubt TSN would go for it; it would be a material change under their contract, I’m sure.

In my opinion it’s a terrible idea that makes the CFL look like a cheesy summer league. The weather is part of the lore and the charm of the League. How many of its most cherished memories have to do with games played in adverse weather? Why will it always be possible to conjure up visual memories of the Ottawa Grey Cup game while all Super Bowls blur into one image of contrived climate-controlled over-perfection?

[EpicPonyTime]

MLSE buying the Argos has the potential to be a game changer for the entire league. MLSE made being a Raptors or TFC fan cool; if they can do the same with the Argos it's going to change the perception of the CFL around the country.

[elly63]

Prime Time Sports - December 13 - 6pm
December 13 2017 Wednesday, 6 pm:
Jeff Blair, SN590; Brian Cooper, MKTG; Kent Babb, Washington Post

Brian Cooper talks of the Argos being turned into a "profit machine" and taking 24 months to turn the situation around for the positive. (start at 18:00)

[Hackslack]

I find it unfathomably crazy that the Argos can be considered to be a profit machine,when it was 1 yr ago the team/league struggled to sell Grey Cup tickets, the home opener this year had something like 11,000 show up, and a avg attendance of 15,000 this year. Seems crazy for them to, within such a short period of time, be considered a profit machine. It'd be nice to hear how many season tickets they have already sold for next year.

[isaidso]

Hot damn. Great news for the Argos and the CFL. In a market as huge as Toronto you need serious financial and marketing muscle. This will give them that.