We have the worst schedule in CFL history (with proof)

[shayman]

I downloaded all CFL schedules since 1958 and did a little analysis on them.

The current Argo gap of 48 days between home games is the longest in CFL history.

2nd longest: 43 days, Argos 2004
3rd longest: 42 days, BC, 2001 / Hamilton 2014 (tie)

The Argos 31-day gap earlier this year that ended Aug 12 is tied for 12th worst.

Tough season for football in Southern Ontario.

[Wobbler]

That is quite sobering, and a reminder of the team's limited control over its home venue. I'm a bit surprised that things were nearly as bad in 2004, when attendance was better and we were in the honeymoon phase of Sokolowski & Cynamon's ownership.

Is it possible that our record-beating home game gap is a bit of a fluke?

[Tau Ceti]

Let me be the first to congratulate you on completing a large pro bono research project!

And yes, we got screwed this year.

[AngeloV]

I'd like to add that after the Labour Day game in Hamilton (in which the Cats are coming off a bye week), the Argos will have played 4 of their first 10 games against teams coming off a bye week. That is ridiculous. In an 18 game schedule with 9 teams, 7 of the 9 teams should play teams coming off byes twice and the remaining 2 teams should play 3 teams coming off byes. Nobody should get it 4 times.

[Argo]

One word summary of the Argonauts' predicament: disgraceful.

[ArgoRavi]

That is quite sobering, and a reminder of the team's limited control over its home venue. I'm a bit surprised that things were nearly as bad in 2004, when attendance was better and we were in the honeymoon phase of Sokolowski & Cynamon's ownership.

Is it possible that our record-beating home game gap is a bit of a fluke?

These gaps have become fairly common, it seems, over the last decade for the Argos. That 2004 schedule was one of the most challenging that any football team has faced and the 2012 schedule wasn't an easy one either from what I recall with several short weeks. It is amazing that the Argos won the Grey Cup both years. I don't think that this particular gap is a fluke, Wobbler, given the scheduling challenges that the Argos have been facing for many years now. They needed to get out of SkyDome 10 years ago.

[Neely2005]

I'd like to add that after the Labour Day game in Hamilton (in which the Cats are coming off a bye week), the Argos will have played 4 of their first 10 games against teams coming off a bye week. That is ridiculous. In an 18 game schedule with 9 teams, 7 of the 9 teams should play teams coming off byes twice and the remaining 2 teams should play 3 teams coming off byes. Nobody should get it 4 times.

I'm not sure what's worse, the gap between home games or playing rested teams so often.

[paulwoods13]

Great work, Steve. It confirms what seemed obvious. IMO this year's Argo schedule is the worst any professional sports team on this continent has ever faced. We can only hope the Argos overcome it just as they did in 2004 and 2012 (thanks for that timely reminder, Ravi).

[Downtownfan]

Agreed. It almost makes one think that there is a conscious effort to give the Argos the worst schedule possible. A guy like, say, Keith Pelley, would know exactly what would be the worst kind of schedule for the Argos, given his past relationship with the team. This fits with the overall effort to "disappear" the Argos in the last few years, not just from the Skydome (getting rid of Argo banners during home games, no outside signage whatsoever, horrible schedule), but in the media as well (little coverage as possible in the Star, Rogers, the Score, etc., despite the excellent TV ratings and historic Grey Cup win of 2012; I won't even start on the Fan).

No sports franchise in the history of North America has ever faced such a concerted effort to diminish it from key institutions and individuals in its home city. Its actually quite appalling. Imagine, just for a moment, if people like Tannenbaum or Rogers or Bitove actually put all their efforts behind the Argos? What a world of difference it would make, both in the perception of the team, and its reality (which are often the same). The Argos would indeed be the flagship franchise of the CFL, and a huge success. Its a sad state of affairs, and a reflection of the misguided priorities of so many "leading figures" in the business and sports community in this city.

Hopefully, things do turn around with a move to BMO, a purchase by MLSE, and the end, at least for the foreseeable future of the "NFL to Toronto" fantasy. At least until the soccer people start banging the drum for a World Cup bid, which will lead to a moronic conversation about a new stadium, capable, of course of hosting an imagined NFL expansion team...

[Will]

That is quite sobering, and a reminder of the team's limited control over its home venue. I'm a bit surprised that things were nearly as bad in 2004, when attendance was better and we were in the honeymoon phase of Sokolowski & Cynamon's ownership.

Is it possible that our record-beating home game gap is a bit of a fluke?

Attendance jump in 2004 wasn't expected I don't think.

[Invader]

Agreed. It almost makes one think that there is a conscious effort to give the Argos the worst schedule possible. A guy like, say, Keith Pelley, would know exactly what would be the worst kind of schedule for the Argos, given his past relationship with the team. This fits with the overall effort to "disappear" the Argos in the last few years, not just from the Skydome (getting rid of Argo banners during home games, no outside signage whatsoever, horrible schedule), but in the media as well (little coverage as possible in the Star, Rogers, the Score, etc., despite the excellent TV ratings and historic Grey Cup win of 2012; I won't even start on the Fan).

No sports franchise in the history of North America has ever faced such a concerted effort to diminish it from key institutions and individuals in its home city. Its actually quite appalling. Imagine, just for a moment, if people like Tannenbaum or Rogers or Bitove actually put all their efforts behind the Argos? What a world of difference it would make, both in the perception of the team, and its reality (which are often the same). The Argos would indeed be the flagship franchise of the CFL, and a huge success. Its a sad state of affairs, and a reflection of the misguided priorities of so many "leading figures" in the business and sports community in this city.

Hopefully, things do turn around with a move to BMO, a purchase by MLSE, and the end, at least for the foreseeable future of the "NFL to Toronto" fantasy. At least until the soccer people start banging the drum for a World Cup bid, which will lead to a moronic conversation about a new stadium, capable, of course of hosting an imagined NFL expansion team...

Bang on, Downtownfan! There is a ray of hope for the Argos. The Star this season, has dramatically improved their CFL coverage, at least online. They actually created a "CFL" section with Argo features and reports from out-of-town games. That is all new. In previous seasons The Star had shunned non-Argo CFL games (often not even reporting the scores), with their Argo section being so out of date, their newest video featured Cody Pickett at QB. That's all gone now at The Star's new CFL section.

I can only think their improved CFL coverage online is a direct result of the Star's close association with MLSE. This tells me the Argos purchase by MLSE is closer than we might think...and The Star is getting a jump onto the Argos bandwagon...who could soon be aligned with the "good-guys".

Things are not so rosy at the G&M, which has essentially banished the CFL from their online sports section this season. The National Post (publisher Paul Godfrey), which had no CFL section at all until a couple years ago (until a poster shamed them in a fan forum about their lack of CFL coverage)...then the NP begrudgingly created a CFL section. Despite the NP being aligned with some of the top football writers in Canada, there are still 8 month old game reports featured in their CFL team sections.

[ArgoRavi]

No sports franchise in the history of North America has ever faced such a concerted effort to diminish it from key institutions and individuals in its home city. Its actually quite appalling. Imagine, just for a moment, if people like Tannenbaum or Rogers or Bitove actually put all their efforts behind the Argos? What a world of difference it would make, both in the perception of the team, and its reality (which are often the same). The Argos would indeed be the flagship franchise of the CFL, and a huge success. Its a sad state of affairs, and a reflection of the misguided priorities of so many "leading figures" in the business and sports community in this city.

You make a valid point here. If you were to go back to the 1960s and 1970s, Toronto's "leading figures", by and large, very much backed the Argos. That started to change in the 1980s and has gotten gradually worse since.

BTW, a poster over at Lionbackers.com who saw this thread wanted to make mention that the long gap between home games for the Lions in 2001 only happened because a home game originally scheduled for a few days after 9/11 was postponed until the end of the season. The longest scheduled gap between home games for the Lions is 30 which happened in 1996 and 2012.

[Neely2005]

And as per the GDT now it sounds like the Argonauts are going to have to get dressed at their training facility at Downsview Toronto and Bus to Hamilton because the Visitors Change Room isn't going to be ready.