Leave it at the Dome

[torontois]

A small list of people, activities, attitudes, phenomena, or actions that could remain sealed Under the Dome and not travel with the Argonauts to the Dead Zone.

1. Mindless rhythm tracks - whether it's a drum line, crowd pump up, between play bridge sounds, or the aural dirt of Everybody Clap Your Hands.
2. The overproduction of the football event - the entertainment is the game, not the tightly scheduled, sponsor-driven nonsense served up by -
3. Strizzy and Jackie - I know that people need jobs, and that sports event MC and sports event director somehow qualify under that definition, but please take your cordless mic and clipboard to another place forever.
4. Kiss Cam - No one would want to see you cramming food into your pie hole on a giant high definition stadium screen. The same for playing tongue hockey with your seatmate. The Kiss Cam is a coercive, ageist, homophobic atrocity that Strizzy supplies with the exact same patter. Stop it. It's 2015, as someone just mentioned this week. Or better yet, I'll stop it with an email to whatever sponsor is stupid enough to pay for it. Which is exactly what happened when Mill Street was stupid enough to take the buy on the Beer Belly Cam at a Toronto Rock game last winter. One game, one email. Over.
5. Opposing team entrance disrespect - yeah that's hilarious that a Celine Dion song plays when the Alouettes run onto the field, or some stodgy dreck from the 1960's like, 'What's New Pussycat'? for the Ti Cats.
6. Anthem butchery - did you hear that children's chorus sing the anthem on Friday November 6th? They did it in time, in key, and with dignity. Can we have a recording of that played from now on? Please, no more rejects from 'The Voice'.
7. Half-time entertainment -see number 2 - the sports game of three down football is the entertainment. I do not ever see a football play unfold when I'm at the Phoenix, Opera House, or the Music Hall. Half-time is get up and walk the concourse before phlebitis sets in.
8. All classic rock.
9. All novelty songs.
10. Any piece of music recorded prior to January 1 2005. Did you go to games in the 1970's? Did you ever hear swing band music from 30 years earlier? You did not.
11. Gary Glitter's 'Rock and Roll (Part One) - stop performing rights money from ever going to this person. Look his name up, if you dare.
12. Food and drink selection and pricing griping. There is nothing in a stadium that you should pick up and put in your mouth. You don't know where it's been. Just because it's in a container and costs $32.50 does not mean it is consumable by humans. If you need to eat and drink, you will need to do so at home or at one of the 20,000 food outlets in the surrounding streets of Toronto.
13. Video mash ups - just embarrassing. It looks like what people on the far side of 50 would think clever to mate with a soundtrack. There are 400 billion web sites that do it better. Put up the weather forecast on the video board instead. It's the 3:00 minute warning, and we're fairly cranky.
14. Piddly 50 / 50 prizes. Edmonton, Calgary, and Saskatchewan show the dizzying ascent of the pay out on a screen. By game's end, in the 10's of thousands. Cough up Toronto.
15. Pizza for a year. The prize that will never be fully redeemed. No one is alive after Day 37 of a medium pepperoni pizza diet. One is stone dead, stiff, and cold.
16. Noise hangover.
17. Siege mentality. If you feel that Canadian football is in popular decline, you could bring under 30's to a game, wear your Argonauts gear (you do have Argonauts clothing, right?), throw an insane Grey Cup rager that takes Flashpoint-level interdiction to snuff out and do that every year. Perhaps you can fly an Argos flag on game days on your deck/porch/balcony/car window ($3.00 to $5.00 at Dollarama), buy season tickets, talk about CFL/Argos positively, patronize sports bars that screen away games, support Toronto's other teams with enthusiasm and good grace, listen to the games on Sirius , watch TSN, tune into TSN 1050, record other games to speed watch, and make your screams louder than everyone else in your row.
18. Did I list drum lines?

[ArgoFan1]

I agree with a lot of what you say, but can tolerate all of them with moderation. Most annoying thing to me is when the music blares so loud between plays, but surprisingly, I didn't even notice that much at this last game. Perhaps they did turn it down a notch. It would be nice to be able to talk about a play right after it ends, instead of having to scream. Don't really mind the in game host, as long as it is in moderation, as stated. I don't mind any of the games and prize give aways. Entertaining to some people and I can usually tune them out if I want.
Nothing wrong with drum lines or bands in my opinion.
Don't know what you are talking about having only music that was recorded after 2005. I haven't heard much that was listenable since that date. Please, no more crap rap. Heard it once, heard them all.
Totally agree on anthem singers. Don't they audition those people???? They should play a recorded version of the music and let the singer sing to it, so they will be forced to keep up with it and not stretch it out to ten minutes. Keep the pace !!
What I hope to see at BMO is the city relaxing their stance on tailgating. Even though I go mainly for the actual game, I do tailgate when I go to several games in Hamilton each year. That is something that a lot of people would like. Don't see why we cannot do it here while they do it every game in Hamilton. Same province. I don't need to drink a lot before the game, in fact very little, but it is nice to go several hours early and set up the lawn chairs and a ton of food to eat and chat with friends and nearby tailgaters.
I like to have half time shows. Whatever happened to the marching bands??? They still have them in Montreal. Something casual like that or even a local rock band getting a chance to play would be great. (No more Eukanuba dogs for me, lol, if anyone remembers those)
Keep Don Landry as the announcer !!
Unfortunately, too many people have to be prodded to make noise. It is football and you are supposed to make noise when the other team is in the huddle, right up until the snap of the ball. It's called home team advantage. If it takes those silly noise meters, then so be it. Eventually Torontonians will get trained, I hope.

[Argo57]

I remember the days when the crowd created their own atmosphere down at the Ex, very little "artificial noise" but I guess times change.
Agree with much of the list torontois created, Strizzy and the gang should disappear, and it would be nice to talk about the previous play without some loud speaker blaring in your ear.
Hopefully the team and city carefully considers the entire game day experience.

[Argo]

A small list of people, activities, attitudes, phenomena, or actions that could remain sealed Under the Dome and not travel with the Argonauts to the Dead Zone.

1. Mindless rhythm tracks - whether it's a drum line, crowd pump up, between play bridge sounds, or the aural dirt of Everybody Clap Your Hands.
2. The overproduction of the football event - the entertainment is the game, not the tightly scheduled, sponsor-driven nonsense served up by -
3. Strizzy and Jackie - I know that people need jobs, and that sports event MC and sports event director somehow qualify under that definition, but please take your cordless mic and clipboard to another place forever.
4. Kiss Cam - No one would want to see you cramming food into your pie hole on a giant high definition stadium screen. The same for playing tongue hockey with your seatmate. The Kiss Cam is a coercive, ageist, homophobic atrocity that Strizzy supplies with the exact same patter. Stop it. It's 2015, as someone just mentioned this week. Or better yet, I'll stop it with an email to whatever sponsor is stupid enough to pay for it. Which is exactly what happened when Mill Street was stupid enough to take the buy on the Beer Belly Cam at a Toronto Rock game last winter. One game, one email. Over.
5. Opposing team entrance disrespect - yeah that's hilarious that a Celine Dion song plays when the Alouettes run onto the field, or some stodgy dreck from the 1960's like, 'What's New Pussycat'? for the Ti Cats.
6. Anthem butchery - did you hear that children's chorus sing the anthem on Friday November 6th? They did it in time, in key, and with dignity. Can we have a recording of that played from now on? Please, no more rejects from 'The Voice'.
7. Half-time entertainment -see number 2 - the sports game of three down football is the entertainment. I do not ever see a football play unfold when I'm at the Phoenix, Opera House, or the Music Hall. Half-time is get up and walk the concourse before phlebitis sets in.
8. All classic rock.
9. All novelty songs.
10. Any piece of music recorded prior to January 1 2005. Did you go to games in the 1970's? Did you ever hear swing band music from 30 years earlier? You did not.
11. Gary Glitter's 'Rock and Roll (Part One) - stop performing rights money from ever going to this person. Look his name up, if you dare.
12. Food and drink selection and pricing griping. There is nothing in a stadium that you should pick up and put in your mouth. You don't know where it's been. Just because it's in a container and costs $32.50 does not mean it is consumable by humans. If you need to eat and drink, you will need to do so at home or at one of the 20,000 food outlets in the surrounding streets of Toronto.
13. Video mash ups - just embarrassing. It looks like what people on the far side of 50 would think clever to mate with a soundtrack. There are 400 billion web sites that do it better. Put up the weather forecast on the video board instead. It's the 3:00 minute warning, and we're fairly cranky.
14. Piddly 50 / 50 prizes. Edmonton, Calgary, and Saskatchewan show the dizzying ascent of the pay out on a screen. By game's end, in the 10's of thousands. Cough up Toronto.
15. Pizza for a year. The prize that will never be fully redeemed. No one is alive after Day 37 of a medium pepperoni pizza diet. One is stone dead, stiff, and cold.
16. Noise hangover.
17. Siege mentality. If you feel that Canadian football is in popular decline, you could bring under 30's to a game, wear your Argonauts gear (you do have Argonauts clothing, right?), throw an insane Grey Cup rager that takes Flashpoint-level interdiction to snuff out and do that every year. Perhaps you can fly an Argos flag on game days on your deck/porch/balcony/car window ($3.00 to $5.00 at Dollarama), buy season tickets, talk about CFL/Argos positively, patronize sports bars that screen away games, support Toronto's other teams with enthusiasm and good grace, listen to the games on Sirius , watch TSN, tune into TSN 1050, record other games to speed watch, and make your screams louder than everyone else in your row.
18. Did I list drum lines?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

(Although I'm very fond of classic rock, not of the 10 songs played to death long ago and as I've stated before, I want to hear the sounds of the game (including natural intervals of silence) not a bloody soundtrack.)

[gilthethrill]

Went to the Labour Day game in Hamilton this year. Despite the absence of a Half Time Show, they had Ti-Cat TV on the Jumbo tron. It was hosted by a young lady with Osbaldiston & Morreale talking about the 1st half play. I thought it was great.

[Deerkeeper]

My first game at Skydome Inn quite a while, and the one thing they can leave there is that bloody security check. Thank you Rogers for bringing that to Canada. Please tell me that will not be in place at BMO.

[T-Bone]

My first game at Skydome Inn quite a while, and the one thing they can leave there is that bloody security check. Thank you Rogers for bringing that to Canada. Please tell me that will not be in place at BMO.

That wasn't Rogers, that was MLB. Also, both the NHL and NBA have implemented it at all their stadiums now so the ACC has it as well. I don't believe it is mandated by MLS yet but with all the other leagues doing it, it maybe coming to BMO Field in the not to distance future. I hope not but I won't be surprised if it does.

I'll add to Torontois' list (which I don't fully agree with but there are many valid points) the bitterness. Time to let it go and move forward. A new era is ahead, let's try and enjoy the ride.

[PullTogether73]

Went to the Labour Day game in Hamilton this year. Despite the absence of a Half Time Show, they had Ti-Cat TV on the Jumbo tron. It was hosted by a young lady with Osbaldiston & Morreale talking about the 1st half play. I thought it was great.

Absolutely agree.

I was at the first Argonauts/Cats slaughter, er, game this year and found that half-time discussion excellent.

[paulwoods13]

[I][*]Any piece of music recorded prior to January 1 2005. Did you go to games in the 1970's? Did you ever hear swing band music from 30 years earlier? You did not. [*]Piddly 50 / 50 prizes. Edmonton, Calgary, and Saskatchewan show the dizzying ascent of the pay out on a screen. By game's end, in the 10's of thousands. Cough up Toronto.*]Did I list drum lines?[/LIST]

Agree with a lot but can't agree with no drum lines and no music post-2005. If music has to be played, when it was recorded matters less than whether it is fun to listen to. Songs we've all heard a million times are a bad idea, but so is only modern music, IMO.

The reason 50/50 draws do so well out west is, in part, the fact that the govts allow electronic sales and the tally is constantly recorded and available for all to see. The sales methods used in Ont -- cash only, no electronic -- are antiquated. And BTW, how is it that every 50/50 jackpot at an Argo game ends up being a nice round number like $4,500? Surely they are not actually distributing precisely 50% of the proceeds.

[Argo57]

Agree with a lot but can't agree with no drum lines and no music post-2005. If music has to be played, when it was recorded matters less than whether it is fun to listen to. Songs we've all heard a million times are a bad idea, but so is only modern music, IMO.

The reason 50/50 draws do so well out west is, in part, the fact that the govts allow electronic sales and the tally is constantly recorded and available for all to see. The sales methods used in Ont -- cash only, no electronic -- are antiquated. And BTW, how is it that every 50/50 jackpot at an Argo game ends up being a nice round number like $4,500? Surely they are not actually distributing precisely 50% of the proceeds.

That total does sound low Paul, Ticat games generate in the $14k-$16k range for the 50/50 draw.

[PullTogether73]

With the length of TV timeouts these days, along with some of the extended periods taken to do video reviews, I can't say that I mind some (emphasis on "some") of the extra-curricular stuff that is presented at games.

I still can't forget from several years back the game of a contestant being blindfolded and having the crowd "guide" that person to the Argonauts banner to win a prize.
One woman got caught up in the excitement and simply kept running the wrong way for an eternity until she ran into one of the sandwich boards lining the sidelines and crashed.
Freakin' hilarious!!

[shayman]

I still can't forget from several years back the game of a contestant being blindfolded and having the crowd "guide" that person to the Argonauts banner to win a prize.
One woman got caught up in the excitement and simply kept running the wrong way for an eternity until she ran into one of the sandwich boards lining the sidelines and crashed.
Freakin' hilarious!!

A truly great moment, that was! Fortunately captured for posterity here - https://youtu.be/BMT5odb90-o

[1argoholic]

LOVE this post but I do realize that some SHITE music has to be played if they must. But PLEASE try to add a variety to the music if it must be played. I do realize that I'll never hear anything I like other then The Ramones, Hey Ho Let's Go. I honestly could do without music and just play sounds of the game.

Ditch all the BS about Tweeting and posting pics. We now live in an area where people are totally addicted to their frigging handhelds. Put the BS down and watch football.

Go old school with actual Cheerleaders and not a Dance team dancing to SHITE music.

My bro in law won over 16 thou at a Stamps game a few years back on 50/50

Bring back the great halftimes with frisbee catching dogs. Hell I'd like the Burlington Teen Tour Band that I once got sick of.

Get people who know how to sing our national anthem. It's O'Canada not HO'Caneda for starters.

[shayman]

I think I can appreciate the "Football should be played outdoors, and let's get rid of all these 'enhancements' and just go with the sound of the game!" arguments.

But - will enough people buy tickets if that's the package? A lot of the things you or I hate about the environment or the type of music or the game day presentation are things that somebody else actually likes, and just appealing to football purists is not going to pay the bills.

You want casual fans to come. You want non-fans to come. You want people to bring their kids, their friends who don't understand football. You have to have something for them. There aren't enough expert, serious fans - of any sport - to make things work.

I remember hearing an orchestra conductor speak once. Someone asked him "Don't you hate it when people applaud between movements of a piece? Serious music fans know that you should wait until the end!" And he replied, "No, actually, I love it, because it means there are new people here."

[Gill The Thrill]

Shayman, I have honestly never meet anyone who has said that they attend sporting events and buys tickets to see the scoreboard or the sponsor contests. I know what you mean, but does every split second have to be sponsored. I once called it an invasion of the senses and know many more people that have complained about the loud music between plays and stop attending games than those who've said they really enjoy it.

This may have been necessary at Skydome because natural ambience was null and void compared to an outdoor football game. Yesterday I sat and stood under the scoreboard and was much more involved on the action on the field and not as distracted as I would feel when facing the barrage of sponsor contests facing the scoreboard screen...yes, I did check the tv screen for highlights, but had no inclination nor cared for the kiss cam and noise metres. At the CNE, the off-field ambience won't have to be canned like it was at the dome because it'll just naturally be a better atmosphere, can't wait.

If anything, I think the new owners will work on hyping game days with fan events outside the stadium before games, and work on halftime and possible post-game stuff, but it's the pre-game hype on not just game days at the stadium, but pre-game hype days and weeks before the game.

[Argo57]

Shayman, I have honestly never meet anyone who has said that they attend sporting events and buys tickets to see the scoreboard or the sponsor contests. I know what you mean, but does every split second have to be sponsored. I once called it an invasion of the senses and know many more people that have complained about the loud music between plays and stop attending games than those who've said they really enjoy it.

This may have been necessary at Skydome because natural ambience was null and void compared to an outdoor football game. Yesterday I sat and stood under the scoreboard and was much more involved on the action on the field and not as distracted as I would feel when facing the barrage of sponsor contests facing the scoreboard screen...yes, I did check the tv screen for highlights, but had no inclination nor cared for the kiss cam and noise metres. At the CNE, the off-field ambience won't have to be canned like it was at the dome because it'll just naturally be a better atmosphere, can't wait.

+1👍

[shayman]

Shayman, I have honestly never meet anyone who has said that they attend sporting events and buys tickets to see the scoreboard or the sponsor contests.

Hmm.... I dunno. I see people waving and excited when the camera puts them on the scoreboard. Some people like the action on the scoreboard. It's part of the show.

I wish ads didn't dominate, but, well, this is business in 2015. Ads everywhere - on the playing field, on the jerseys, on the scoreboards. (I would certainly agree that the ads and the sponsored content could be more interesting and engaging and less repetitive!) And the Kiss Cam is completely inappropriate and should have been retired years ago.

Serious question - do you know of a pro sport game day that *doesn't* have ads and sponsor contests?

[PullTogether73]

Ditch all the BS about Tweeting and posting pics. We now live in an area where people are totally addicted to their frigging handhelds. Put the BS down and watch football.

Go old school with actual Cheerleaders and not a Dance team dancing to SHITE music.

Couldn't agree more with your first point. Put the phones away and pay attention to the game! Maybe then people will know to make noise when the opponents offence is calling a play and to be silent when our team is calling a play, among other things.

Disagree with your second point though.
The Argonauts cheerleaders are fantastic ambassadors for the team, and are in fact leading cheers on the sidelines throughout the game, same as you'd see at any college or high school game.
(BTW, their dance routine to "Thriller" at the Hallowe'en eve game was terrific. See the thread on that for a video link.)

[shayman]

Couldn't agree more with your first point. Put the phones away and pay attention to the game!

Well - I enjoy the game WITH my phone, btw. It is fun following reactions on Twitter, commenting on what's going on, sharing what you think is witty commentary and pictures with other fans at the game and also those watching on TV. (the band took a live request via Twitter from someone in Calgary once.)

Telling people that they're not enjoying the game in the right way is not helping, IMHO. Enjoy it however you like. Just get people to come to the games. Let's figure that part out.

[paulwoods13]

Well - I enjoy the game WITH my phone, btw. It is fun following reactions on Twitter, commenting on what's going on, sharing what you think is witty commentary and pictures with other fans at the game and also those watching on TV. (the band took a live request via Twitter from someone in Calgary once.)

Telling people that they're not enjoying the game in the right way is not helping, IMHO. Enjoy it however you like. Just get people to come to the games. Let's figure that part out.

What he said.