TV ratings

[AngeloV]

TBD. IMO young males in the GTA are increasingly more interested in basketball than hockey -- will they maintain that as they grow up, get married, get jobs, have kids?

I agree with this. You go out to any sports bar during a Raptors game, and it is filled with 20somethings watching. Not sure how watching in Bars relates to TV ratings, but I have a feeling if it was counted the same way as home viewers, the ratings for the Raptors would be much higher than what is reported.

[Gill The Thrill]

I agree with this. You go out to any sports bar during a Raptors game, and it is filled with 20somethings watching. Not sure how watching in Bars relates to TV ratings, but I have a feeling if it was counted the same way as home viewers, the ratings for the Raptors would be much higher than what is reported.

Was at a bar yesterday for dinner, not full, barely half full and this is from a reputable chain with screens all over the place. They even cut the music to hear the play by play. There is some truth in 416 that younger kids, particular those whose parents did not grow up hockey are watching basketball more than hockey, but in 905 hockey heavily dominates with 2nd and 3rd generation Canadians. Basketball as a favorite sport is very pronounced in some demographic groups but in general, younger people are not following sports the way past generations did and I attribute that to the extremely high ticket prices which are not accessible to many young adults and teens as they were in the past.

[OV Argo]

Hey - basketball was invented by a Canadian and is a fine sport amongst many.

Young folks these days might follow any sport or entertainment that gets hyped lots.

NBA / Raptors get lots of hype in Canada these days; so does MLB and the Blue Jays with their play-off run; NFL gets the $h*t hyped out of it in Canada; all sorts of soccer from around the world (World Cup, Premier League for example) getting lots of hype these days too. The NHL and hockey is entrenched as Canada's game - even though your typical wannabe does not get that football has as much history and is every bit as much a Canadian game/sport as hockey is.

Then there's the poor old CFL - only in Canada and not much hype at all from the wannabes in the media up here = not too cool or hip for a lot of the younger crowd these days. Still - I saw a lot of a younger crowd attending and having a good time at RedBlacks games this year.

CFL still needs a major marketing push though IMO; but hard to convince a lot of the wannabes who control and hire in the media to give the CFL respect and decent coverage. An uphill battle for the CFL, but maybe they can make some gains. We shall see with the Argos in their new home this season.

[ArgoRavi]

I agree with this. You go out to any sports bar during a Raptors game, and it is filled with 20somethings watching. Not sure how watching in Bars relates to TV ratings, but I have a feeling if it was counted the same way as home viewers, the ratings for the Raptors would be much higher than what is reported.

I believe that watching in bars has been counted in the same way as home viewers with the introduction of the portable people meters over the past decade or so. That makes the low Raptors ratings even more perplexing.

[AngeloV]

I believe that watching in bars has been counted in the same way as home viewers with the introduction of the portable people meters over the past decade or so. That makes the low Raptors ratings even more perplexing.

It really does, because anytime I've gone out on a Friday night and the Raptors are playing, the bar is full of people glued to the TV's going nuts with every Raptors basket.

[gilthethrill]

It really does, because anytime I've gone out on a Friday night and the Raptors are playing, the bar is full of people glued to the TV's going nuts with every Raptors basket.

Call me crazy, but I have really become a London Lightning/NBL Canada fan.....lots of good Canadian players playing pro basketball that are not in the NBA.

[paulwoods13]

CFL still needs a major marketing push though IMO; but hard to convince a lot of the wannabes who control and hire in the media to give the CFL respect and decent coverage.

What media outlets are hiring these days?

[AngeloV]

Call me crazy, but I have really become a London Lightning/NBL Canada fan.....lots of good Canadian players playing pro basketball that are not in the NBA.

You're crazy man!!

[R.J]

OV has it right - one thing to keep in mind about my generation (millennials) is that they're bandwagon fans; personally I've never understood it, but c'est la vie. Basketball has never really grown in this Country; only difference now is U.S colleges are taking notice - in all sports actually. Once the Leafs are competitive and look like contenders; we will see how strong the Raps and Jays fan bases are. Based on everything I've seen the Raps and basketball are still a niche sport/organization - I thought it was hilarious when Peddie was debating with the CFL News guy that Basketball will overtake the Leafs in 10 years.

The CFL however IMO should still be worried; there are some troubling markets and the 18-34 crowd is tuning out again. Certain markets look great (Sask, Ham, Ott), but there's a couple that are hurting (BC and Tor) and a few that look to be on the downward slide (MTL, Cgy, Wpg and Edm).

[Ballstothewall]

CFL News ‏@CFL_News
As for the Raptors, more people watched PGA and Nascar in Canada last week than the #2 team in the NBA East. - @rodpedersen
This kills me. People just assume that the Raptors have this huge following, re their media coverage, but in fact the Raptors go on a 10 game winning streak and their already relatively low TV numbers go down during this winning streak

[OV Argo]

What media outlets are hiring these days?

Don't know.

Who hired Bob McClown, Steve Simmons, Don Martin and about 50 other fawn all over anything American or already over hyped sport types I could name ? - you know, the typical wannabes who like to look down their noses at the CFL or bad mouth it ? Surely somebody hired them at one point and they've got to run their clueless yaps for years & years now.

[AngeloV]

Don't know.

Who hired Bob McClown, Steve Simmons, Don Martin and about 50 other fawn all over anything American or already over hyped sport types I could name ? - you know, the typical wannabes who like to look down their noses at the CFL or bad mouth it ? Surely somebody hired them at one point and they've got to run their clueless yaps for years & years now.

Don Martin's step son was on my high school football team, and I can tell you Don loves the CFL. He's a big Bombers fan. He used to play pick up ball with us on Sunday's back them.

[ArgoRavi]

Don't know.

Who hired Bob McClown, Steve Simmons, Don Martin and about 50 other fawn all over anything American or already over hyped sport types I could name ? - you know, the typical wannabes who like to look down their noses at the CFL or bad mouth it ? Surely somebody hired them at one point and they've got to run their clueless yaps for years & years now.

Speaking of Steve Simmons, I noticed that his son now works on air for the FAN 590. I wonder how much CFL talk he will engage in.

[AngeloV]

Speaking of Steve Simmons, I noticed that his son now works on air for the FAN 590. I wonder how much CFL talk he will engage in.

Didn't he play ball at Western?

[Will]

His son went to Guelph, but AFAIK he never played football, and no he isn't much of a CFL fan.

[ArgoGabe22]

His son went to Guelph, but AFAIK he never played football, and no he isn't much of a CFL fan.

I was watching the Reporters once a few years back and Steve mentioned his son was playing CIS football. But knowing Steve, who knows if this is true.

[OV Argo]

Don Martin's step son was on my high school football team, and I can tell you Don loves the CFL. He's a big Bombers fan. He used to play pick up ball with us on Sunday's back them.

Maybe so. But I vividly recall back in his Global Sportsline days, with him and Hebscher and Tatti (who works on Argo broadcasts now?) - the 3 of them OFTEN snickering at CFL news or hi-lites (that were usually way down the list for sports they covered) - like typical little wannabes who mock the CFL as 2nd rate to the NFL or other "world class" sports. So I guess Don either didn't have the guts to stand-up for the CFL then, or was just going with the flow of his little wannabe buddies ? I'm really not sure how anybody who "loves" the CFL can put-up with or tolerate that wannabe B$, but I guess if you want to keep your job ?

[Will]

I was watching the Reporters once a few years back and Steve mentioned his son was playing CIS football. But knowing Steve, who knows if this is true.

He has two sons so maybe it is the other one.

[argotom]

Maybe so. But I vividly recall back in his Global Sportsline days, with him and Hebscher and Tatti (who works on Argo broadcasts now?) - the 3 of them OFTEN snickering at CFL news or hi-lites (that were usually way down the list for sports they covered) - like typical little wannabes who mock the CFL as 2nd rate to the NFL or other "world class" sports. So I guess Don either didn't have the guts to stand-up for the CFL then, or was just going with the flow of his little wannabe buddies ? I'm really not sure how anybody who "loves" the CFL can put-up with or tolerate that wannabe B$, but I guess if you want to keep your job ?

You are right I remember that, with the many exchanges between the two anchors.
How they more than snickered at the CFL with the highlights.
Almost shown as an after the fact not to be taken seriously in the lexicon of "real sports", anything that is US of course.
You know what, nothing has changed over the years and if anything is much worse here in the wannabe US capital.

[paulwoods13]

Don't know.

Who hired Bob McClown, Steve Simmons, Don Martin and about 50 other fawn all over anything American or already over hyped sport types I could name ? - you know, the typical wannabes who like to look down their noses at the CFL or bad mouth it ? Surely somebody hired them at one point and they've got to run their clueless yaps for years & years now.

I said "these days". Simmons was hired 29 years ago. McCown has been with the station that is now known as The Fan for, I think, 35 years or so. Is Don Martin even still on TV? Honestly, sometimes I think you just like to hear yourself argue.