David Braley killing another cfl franchise

[Argo57]

Could you explain how Keith pelley is a big phony? was it he was doing to much work for the Argos? To much on t.v and radio promoting the Argos?to much advertisements and promotion he did with the Argos in the city? Sure he went to work for Rogers after and did everything he could do to make them successful as well. Were you one of the people that actually liked the Chris rudge approach of just sitting around doing nothing with the team the last few years and thinking the problem was just to move to bmo field and problem is solved? I for one will be happy if new CEO Michael Copland will be able to do half of the work and accomplishments that Keith pelley did with his time.

Simple Rocket, listening to Pelley spew his horseshit on MCCown's show regarding Argonaut attendance vs Buffalo Bills attendance in Toronto ruined all of his credibility in my eyes and sounded like he was trying to fit in with the anti-CFL crowd at the Fan and contradicted most of his pro-CFL stance while being paid by the Argonauts.
I get the sense that Pelley's current views are governed by who currently signs his paycheque.
Moving forward simply looking forward to better days for the Argonauts under the new ownership group.

[ArgoRavi]

I get the sense that Pelley's current views are governed by who currently signs his paycheque.

You have hit the nail on the head here. I have always been wary of Pelley, even when he was presiding over the Argos.

[Rocket]

You have hit the nail on the head here. I have always been wary of Pelley, even when he was presiding over the Argos.

Yes I agree you have hit the nail on the head here Keith pelley would do anything for a company/team or whoever wants to sign his pay cheque to succeeding and being the best. Unlike Chris rudge who goes out of his way to talk down about the Argos in Toronto as not being big time for the city of Toronto. I just hope we will have owners and CEOs of this team in the future that will want to act and work like this is a professional football team. Tannebum leaves me more worried then anything else with his constant talk through the Toronto media of bringing the nfl to Toronto. I hope I am wrong and that these guys do in fact put in money and work to bring the Argos back from the dead and that they won't be the same lame duck owners that tsn were when they owned the Argos.

[Argo57]

Yes I agree you have hit the nail on the head here Keith pelley would do anything for a company/team or whoever wants to sign his pay cheque to succeeding and being the best. Unlike Chris rudge who goes out of his way to talk down about the Argos in Toronto as not being big time for the city of Toronto. I just hope we will have owners and CEOs of this team in the future that will want to act and work like this is a professional football team. Tannebum leaves me more worried then anything else with his constant talk through the Toronto media of bringing the nfl to Toronto. I hope I am wrong and that these guys do in fact put in money and work to bring the Argos back from the dead and that they won't be the same lame duck owners that tsn were when they owned the Argos.

I like what I have seen so far, signing the GM and Coach to extensions was a great start and indicate stability in my mind, the move next season will help immensely as well.
Irrelevant to compare TSN "ownership" from 20 years ago to today IMO.

[AngeloV]

Simple Rocket, listening to Pelley spew his horseshit on MCCown's show regarding Argonaut attendance vs Buffalo Bills attendance in Toronto ruined all of his credibility in my eyes and sounded like he was trying to fit in with the anti-CFL crowd at the Fan and contradicted most of his pro-CFL stance while being paid by the Argonauts.
I get the sense that Pelley's current views are governed by who currently signs his paycheque.
Moving forward simply looking forward to better days for the Argonauts under the new ownership group.

Couldn't have said it better myself..just tired of trying to explain the obvious.

[Rocket]

I like what I have seen so far, signing the GM and Coach to extensions was a great start and indicate stability in my mind, the move next season will help immensely as well.
Irrelevant to compare TSN "ownership" from 20 years ago to today IMO.

I to like the move of signing the gm and coach to extensions but we can't just pat them on the back yet even a lousy owner like David Braley was able to have signed the gm/coach to extensions before. I've been a fan of this team and league for far to long to think everything is all good with this ownership team. Everytime a person buys a team in this league or gets a new CEO/president we just here praises in how they are going to turn things around and how they have the experience and business knowledge.It was the samething when the Argos got Chris rudge Mark Cohen and other cfl officials actually had some media and people thinking that the Argos were going to get turned around they talked how rudge was this big guy from the Winter Olympics and how he was apart of the whole campaign of own the podium. when all was said and done rudge was the most useless employee the Argos ever hired in there history!

[Rocket]

David Braley was at his best on Friday 20,085 fans at b.c. Place. Would someone from league office please look for a new owner for the lions before we see this thing get any worse then it already is. After we get a new owner for the team we shall bar David Braley from doing anything more with the cfl no matter how desperate some of the teams may be to getting money from him.

[jerrym]

Out here in Vancouver its starting to feel like Argos deja vu, what with declining attendance and the media paying less and less attention to the Lions and more and more attention to Buffalo (oops - Seattle Seahawks).

[Rocket]

Out here in Vancouver its starting to feel like Argos deja vu, what with declining attendance and the media paying less and less attention to the Lions and more and more attention to Buffalo (oops - Seattle Seahawks).

Sometimes i feel that the league doesn't learn from its mistakes.it seems they take one step forward and then Two steps back. Someone from the league office has to come to the conclusion that Braley has been a terrible owner for all his cfl teams that he has owned and that we shouldn't welcome that to the league anymore. We need owners for the cfl that aren't afraid to spend a little to come up with new ideas on how to approach getting a younger audiences for the league.

[ArgoRavi]

Sometimes i feel that the league doesn't learn from its mistakes.it seems they take one step forward and then Two steps back. Someone from the league office has to come to the conclusion that Braley has been a terrible owner for all his cfl teams that he has owned and that we shouldn't welcome that to the league anymore. We need owners for the cfl that aren't afraid to spend a little to come up with new ideas on how to approach getting a younger audiences for the league.

You can't force him to sell the team though. The league can only revoke the franchise from him if he misses a payroll which won't happen.

[Rocket]

You can't force him to sell the team though. The league can only revoke the franchise from him if he misses a payroll which won't happen.

Technically you might not be able to get braley to sell the team but the league can definitely make things uncomfortable for Braley and all the other owners who try to keep the cfl as a mom and pop league. Hosting a grey cup should never be adwarded to lousy owners like David Braley.

[jerrym]

While David Braley is doing his part to kill interest in the BC Lions, the local media is definitely contributing, as the following pejorative article illustrates. Sound familiar? The Lions need new ownership that is media savvy and fast before it gets as bad as Toronto was.

Gone are the days where the Lions were a fairly hot ticket in town. Even with the Canucks already past their window of contention in the NHL, the Vancouver Whitecaps have stolen sports fans hearts throughout the province.
Being one of the best up and coming teams in the MLS ever since the franchise joined the prestigious Northern American soccer league in 2011, “Vancouverites” haven’t stopped going to games at BC Place and it’s a consistent draw of near sellouts in the lower bowl portion of the dome.
The crowd sings, are invested throughout, and you really don’t need to have a clue about the rules of the game at all to get excited yourself.
Would you rather bring your partner and family to a sports event like that or a CFL game where fans are exceedingly drunk (not in a fun way) with flags being thrown every two players and “Crazy P” incessantly banging on a drum right next to you?
I mean, you have got to be kidding me! The choice, at least at this point, is quite easy.
To pour salt in the wound, it’s well-apparent that Vancouver is officially a Seattle Seahawks football town. Two straight Super Bowl appearances will do that to a non-saturated sports market here in this city, and attending an NFL game is a mere two hour drive down the I-5.
Last Friday, Blue Jays fans in B.C. (including myself) stormed down to Seattle for the annual “Safeco Field Takeover” against the Mariners in baseball. The same night, the Lions played host to the Toronto Argonauts.
Maybe it’s a coincidence, perhaps not, but an absolutely pitifulcrowd of 20,085 was announced as the final attendance, the lowest the Lions have had since August 21 in 2002.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/07/b...o-13-year-low/

[AngeloV]

Technically you might not be able to get braley to sell the team but the league can definitely make things uncomfortable for Braley and all the other owners who try to keep the cfl as a mom and pop league. Hosting a grey cup should never be adwarded to lousy owners like David Braley.

You really have no business sense do you? Why would ANYBODY buy into a league that has made it uncomfortable for another owner? Good luck finding anyone to buy another franchise if this happens.

[gilthethrill]

Would you rather bring your partner and family to a sports event like that or a CFL game where fans are exceedingly drunk (not in a fun way) with flags being thrown every two players and “Crazy P” incessantly banging on a drum right next to you?

So, residents of BC are going to Seattle Seahawk games. I would think it is safe to say that drunkeness is far more excessive at NFL games than in CFL stadiums. I guess there are no penalites in NFL games either.

[argonaut11xx]

So, residents of BC are going to Seattle Seahawk games. I would think it is safe to say that drunkeness is far more excessive at NFL games than in CFL stadiums. I guess there are no penalites in NFL games either.

What a joke...we brought 22 friends to the game...Crazy P, stood beside me for almost the entire 3rd quarter, trying to get the Lions fans to out cheer my Argo's posse of misplaced Ontarians.

The atmosphere is hardly a bunch of drunks, in fact im guessing the "mellow-chill-atmosphere" was more due to the culture of BC fans (hehe). Soccer fans tend to be way more hammered than CFL fans, imo

[Argo57]

What a joke...we brought 22 friends to the game...Crazy P, stood beside me for almost the entire 3rd quarter, trying to get the Lions fans to out cheer my Argo's posse of misplaced Ontarians.

The atmosphere is hardly a bunch of drunks, in fact im guessing the "mellow-chill-atmosphere" was more due to the culture of BC fans (hehe). Soccer fans tend to be way more hammered than CFL fans, imo

Exact media nonsense we have heard in Toronto for the last 10 or so years since FC's arrival.
There probably is validity to the Seattle Seahawks being extremely popular in the Vancouver area but it has become apparent that BC Place is too large of a venue for the Lions and as such the atmosphere would suffer (argonaut11x can speak more to this than I can).

[jerrym]

The following article shows there is no love lost between Braley and the Argos and how they have used this to motivate them to victories in Vancouver over the Lions the last two years, including this year's 30-27 victory. Braley now seems to be in the process of alienating BC fans.

A year ago, the Argos blew a 29-3 lead in Calgary. The team stayed out in Alberta before winging it to Vancouver.
Braley, who deserves credit for keeping the Argos afloat by paying the bills, reached out to his well-heeled media puppets to spread the word on how he was prepared to fold the Argonauts franchise.
Members of the Argos got wind of it and proceeded to play their best game in Vancouver, a site that hasn’t been kind to the Scullers. But Toronto would win, 40-23, by playing inspired football in all three facets of the game.
In the end, Braley helped the Argos cause by expressing his views on the future of the franchise. In other words, the Argos were motivated to spite Braley.
Fast forward to this year, a very odd and awkward season for the Boatmen with new owners, a new chief executive, a new place to call home for next season.
GM Jim Barker and head coach Scott Milanovich have been signed by the club’s new regime, even though, technically speaking, Braley can fire both this season. In theory, it can happen. From a practical perspective, it won’t because that means Braley would have had to dip into his pockets to find replacements, which is akin to Rogers Sportsnet providing some kind of coverage of the Argos that doesn’t involve a controversy.
Pro football teams are always looking for some edge — real and imagined.
No one particularly likes Braley within the team and you just know the Argos are going to summon their best this week after a sub-par performance in Calgary. Braley’s heart has always been in B.C., where he has approved changes to the Lions’ football facility, while forking over some $100,000 in technological upgrades.
For the Argos, he’s provided nothing, other than the minimum duties of owning a team. The joke in Argoland stems from the hiring of yoga instructors who works with the team’s injured players. Braley, it’s believed, wasn’t even aware of this initiative, even though he’s paying for it. Barker must have approved the move, which has been universally endorsed by players.
Even if Braley wanted to get rid of Barker, Barker will be back next February when the new ownership group officially takes over. With the Argos preparing to play the Lions, the Braley backdrop remains, which is a shame, and his open disdain for the Toronto Argonauts. The worst thing the CFL has ever done, which is saying a lot, was to allow Braley to own both the Lions and the Argos.
There’s no retrospection required because the prudent move would have involved the league taking over operations before Bell finally realized how it needed to take advantage of its support for the CFL by owning the Argos. No other owner had the financial wherewithal and ties to the CFL like Bell. Larry Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Group has joined Bell, but Tanenbaum was tied up earlier being part of the group chasing the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. For the Argos, everything gets wiped clean beginning next season.
For this week, the Braley effect remains in play.

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/07/20...nto-game-in-bc

[Rocket]

You really have no business sense do you? Why would ANYBODY buy into a league that has made it uncomfortable for another owner? Good luck finding anyone to buy another franchise if this happens.

Why would anyone buy into a league where a cheapskate like David Braley is calling the shots. Where there is no room for growth in the league then just to keep it a mom and pop league. Look at the mls there are all kinds of owners that are dieing to buy into the league because they see the potential. Just take a look how that league has evolved back in the early 90s there was no professional soccer league in the USA,early 90s they established this league into something where they could grow this game,2000's developed all soccer specific stadiums with good crowds to go with it, 2005-present brought in lots of superstars throughout the world of soccer to mls mind you a lot were past there prime but recently have been bringing in younger players to this league. Who knows what will happen in the future with mls but with owners that are willing to spend and looking at all aspects of growing there game the future is bright for them. For the Braley cfl not so much.

[Rocket]

Well David Bradley had another awful week of owning his cfl franchises. Gets a pathetic crowd of 20,000 and change in b.c for probelay the 2nd best road atteneted team in Edmonton.The same type of crowd for the Argos home opener kinda disappointing but I wouldn't say a joke. The thing that was awful i would say is no mention or hype surrounding this game as the last home opener at skydome. Wasn't at the game today one of only a few that I have missed at skydome but got to give it to the small but very loyal supporters of the Argos for what sounded as a loud crowd on t.v. Another thing shouldn't tanembum be trying to talk more about the move going to bmo field next year like promotional material or any mention how season ticket holders can purchase tickets. Or is tanembum has head all around the nfl coming to Toronto,

[AngeloV]

Why would anyone buy into a league where a cheapskate like David Braley is calling the shots. Where there is no room for growth in the league then just to keep it a mom and pop league. Look at the mls there are all kinds of owners that are dieing to buy into the league because they see the potential. Just take a look how that league has evolved back in the early 90s there was no professional soccer league in the USA,early 90s they established this league into something where they could grow this game,2000's developed all soccer specific stadiums with good crowds to go with it, 2005-present brought in lots of superstars throughout the world of soccer to mls mind you a lot were past there prime but recently have been bringing in younger players to this league. Who knows what will happen in the future with mls but with owners that are willing to spend and looking at all aspects of growing there game the future is bright for them. For the Braley cfl not so much.

Sorry dude, unless you want to try expanding to the US again (I certainly do not) the CFL will always be somewhat of a mom and pop league. There just is not enough money in Canada to make a league with under 90 total dates huge money. They will never get a TV deal even close to what Rogers paid for the NHL. Without a huge (20m per team, per year) tv deal, the league will always be run on a tight budget.