"The CFL says business is better than ever and wants monolithic Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to join the party.
And what does MLSE think of this?
Not so fast, says Tim Leiweke, not so fast.
Specifically, says MLSE’s chief executive officer, it’s not primarily the sports conglomerate’s call on whether the Argos should join Toronto FC as a tenant at BMO Field on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds, which is very much what CFL commissioner Mark Cohon would like to see happen.
“I wouldn’t put a line in the sand and say (the Argos) have to be downtown but it would be great if that came to fruition,” said Cohon on Friday in his state-of-the-league address at the 101st Grey Cup.
Cohon said there was “definitely lots of interest” from nearby municipalities in becoming the new home of the Argos after they move out of the Rogers Centre in 2017, although he wasn’t willing to name any of them."
He was, however, more than happy to toss the names of MLSE and BMO Field out front and centre, which seemed to throw the pigskin into Leiweke’s lap.
“The city drives this issue, not us,” said Leiweke in an interview from South Carolina. “We don’t own the stadium.”
The city’s a little busy these days putting out brush fires in the mayor’s office, so nobody’s quite sure what municipal politicians feel about this matter.
For MLSE, it’s a piping hot potato. The long-suffering fans of Toronto FC absolutely detest the notion of their home stadium — built at a cost of $62 million — being renovated to fit the needs of a CFL franchise.
After years of losing and growing fan disenchantment, Leiweke is listening to TFC supporters, which means saving the Argos isn’t on his priority list.
“Our first focus has been and continue to be how we fix BMO Field for soccer,” he said. “That has to be highest priority. We have to make it better than it is for soccer. We can’t ask our fans to sacrifice their views or their environment.
“Our soccer fans get mad at us when this football thing comes up, and we are not going to declare war on our fans.”
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