Reasonable attendance expectation for Wednesday?

[Gill The Thrill]

It's an afternoon game.

Thanks, late afternoon game nonetheless starting at 4 pm, so it'll end at approximately 7pm or later. Might not be good for fans who use transit outside of downtown who don't want to miss one minute of Austen Matthews first home game at the ACC vs Boston.

Perhaps it might have been better to schedule this late season afternoon game earlier. Remember the good old 1:30 pm starts at the old CNE. When the winds pick up near the lake as they unpredictably can in the fall it's a little more comfortable with more daylight...I think the Calgary home game in Hamilton last year happened in the same weekend and started at 4 pm, and having attended that game, I can tell you there was a huge dip in temperature by the end of the game under the lights than from the start of it, when it was still daylight outside.

[Will]

Bonus – Jonah's CFL thoughts

The Argos took a bullet from the crowd size, more like lack of it this past week at BMO. I know we generally tackle just the media side here but allow me to rant a bit. Look, if you are a die hard CFL fan I am not talking to you. I have respect for you and your dedication you are not the problem; you also are not the rule but the exception. So please don't add comments on how great the games are and how much you love them. The issue is the greater audience at large simply isn't there in the GTA right now.

So, I want to know who the !@#@!# thought that moving to BMO alone would draw the fans out. Years and years of damage has been done to the CFL brand in Toronto. Moving to a shiny new stadium isn't enough. This is akin to turning the Titanic. As a father of two kids, the competition for our entertainment dollar is significant. I need a compelling reason to go anywhere with my free time and disposable income. Neither of my kids, both of whom love sports and going to games have any interest in the Argos or the CFL for that matter. That's not me knocking or bashing the game or the league. That's a fact of what years of mismanagement on the marketing side have done in this city. The younger generation don't know and don't care.

I know given the rich tradition this will offend many, but remember my caveat above about this not being directed to die hard fans- the CFL/Argos need to adopt a minor league mentality in the GTA. Don't worry about the on field product at all right now. You need dirt cheap FUN games where the on field part is secondary. 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 drinks and 2 popcorns for $40. With great entertainment in and around the game. That's how you build the fanbase in this market. It's the Hanson brothers at the Marlies game mentality you need. I know, you risk pissing off the die hards but, if you can't survive with the current # of die hards and the odd person showing up out of curiosity then you need to change the model.

The "if you build it they will come" mentality is so misapplied here. It presumes thousands of people were staying away simply because of the venue. Sorry folks, I don't buy it. The Argos don't register on most people's lists of possible things to spend their time or money on in the GTA. The only way to do that is to make it an event you want to be at all the time. They need to get on as to remember predictable schedule and then offer over the top bang for the entertainment dollar. The argument against is that there is more to success than young families. I hear you and agree. All I am telling you is that the Argos have lost generations of potential fans that they likely wont be able to re-attract. It's a far better investment in going after young families and kids then the 18 + market who have already moved on.

I assumed the media especially would be taking a crawl, walk run approach to the Argos and BMO however the piling on this week has suggested otherwise. If done properly and patiently it can happen.

What does everybody think of this article? The author of this site has never been CFL friendly in the slightest, but I can't argue with mcuh of what he wrote.

[AngeloV]

What does everybody think of this article? The author of this site has never been CFL friendly in the slightest, but I can't argue with mcuh of what he wrote.

4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 drinks and 2 popcorns for $40

That is a little bit of a reach, but I agree with this type of marketing. Personally, I think the Argos should have left the entire endzone out of the ST package, and made it strictly promotional, game day seating. Team up with Metro, Loblaws, or whoever, and make those seats in particular cheap.

[Johno27]

That is a little bit of a reach, but I agree with this type of marketing. Personally, I think the Argos should have left the entire endzone out of the ST package, and made it strictly promotional, game day seating. Team up with Metro, Loblaws, or whoever, and make those seats in particular cheap.

The Argonauts' management team would most certainly benefit from this line of thinking with respect to marketing the Argo brand to young families and community organizations. Furthermore, it is suggestive of the model employed by NHL teams in smaller US markets to attract audiences and cultivate a new fan base and could be expanded beyond the endzone. There needs to be a concrete financial incentive such as this (and other package deals) in the Toronto market where the entertainment dollar is stretched so thinly to motivate, attract more, newer and/or younger fans. The old schemes (the game and the tailgating included) are just not enough. I hope the new regime will learn from what it has referred to as "growing pains" from their experience in Year One and will be open to implementing more imaginative ways to get the seats filled.

[Neely2005]

If the Argonauts were smart they'd do a tie in with Pokemon Go and have an exclusive Pokemon available inside BMO Field (and maybe at the Tailgates and the Shipyard too) for the July 25th game.

[Invader]

I don't think the cost of tickets is the defining factor in the lack of Argo fan support. I could see selling a "family" package with food, drinks and merchandize with discounted tickets, but only in a corner or end zone section.

The CFL's biggest problem is it's the greatest televised sport ever created...yes, even better than the NFL on TV. The CFL is the perfect TV sport...and many fans, even diehard ones, enjoy the games on TV as much or more than attending games live. The markets which are struggling with attendance (Toronto and Vancouver) have downtown stadiums which aren't readily accessible for many football fans who prefer to drive to the games...especially for weekday games. Coupled with the allure of watching CFL games on TV (and getting to watch both games of frequent CFL double-headers) in the comfort of their own big-screen home theatre with $2 beer...is just too enticing.

Nothing against the Argos or CFL but ticket sales are competing with TSN for eyeballs...and increasingly TV is winning out.

I hate to bring up the "B" topic because some will bring up the old cliches about "losing a generation of fans" with blackouts and "NHL, MLB, NBA and MLS don't blackout games, so why should the CFL?"...blackouts are "olde fashioned" and have "gone the way of the dodo bird"...and so on.

The difference is those sports are largely a crashing bore on TV (we have grown up with hockey and are accustomed to it's scrambly, hard to follow action, but in the U.S. football is 10 times more popular than NHL)...while the CFL is highly entertaining on TV.

Toronto fans know they can watch every Argo home game on TV...and many do, the ratings are solid. The Argos have been lifting home blackouts for 30 years or more...with their season ticket base dwindling to a reported 3,500 last year. Is that a concidence, or is it because they hate the Argos and CFL? I don't think so. The TV numbers and social media interaction speaks otherwise. There was just little compelling reason to buy Argo tickets at Skydome when the home TV option was readily available.

We all hoped the transition to a more intimate BMO would entice fans to attend games live but we should remember the Argos have cultivated a generation of football fans to watch home games...at home. This tradition cannot be undone in two games. Fore example, if the Argos had announced they were blacking-out up to half their home games if 90% of the tickets weren't sold (the league's official blackout threshold) and the only way you can be guaranteed to watch every home game is to buy a ticket...that might have spurred some fans off the fence.

Even if the Argos blacked-out 5 games a year, fans would still be able to watch 13 Argo games on TV plus about 70 other CFL games each year. I doubt that would cause the Argos to lose a generation of fans. Blackouts are not necessarily the solution but are a legitimate tool in encouraging fans to buy tickets to home games.

I do think once fans come out to BMO and enjoy the atmosphere of the games, they will come back for more. Now, they just need some incentive to get off the couch!

[Stevoman]

This season and realistically the next 2 or 3 are all about exposing the GTA to "Argos Football" and by that I mean tailgating and enjoying the atmosphere and hopefully a winning team. Ideally this will increase the season ticket base and then combined with the avid fans who like to watch on TV but can also only commit (whether financially or because of time) to 1 or 2 games per season, and a walk up crowd filled with newcomers, should result in an average attendance of around 20 - 23,000 fans which will be great for atmosphere in the stadium and on TV. It will just take time and an interesting team (not sure we are one right now).

[1argoholic]

I've said it a million times on here. The Argonauts never had a care in the world in the CNE days. They were the summer sport and the Leafs the winter. They screwed long time season ticket holders over upon the move to Skydome. They didn't allow them the first choice of primo seats. Many of these families had great seats for decades. Many tuned out and then just started to watch at home. The Argos have never given a long hard marketing campaign a good long go of it. The fans are out there but just not going to games. They have to pull out all the stops to get GTAers out to BMO.

[Ron]

The blackouts cost the team a generation. The team flirted with blackouts in the 90's and 20's and the attendance for blacked out games was lower than TV games. In a world where every real professional team's home games are on TV ... putting the Argos off TV is admitting they are not professional level anymore.

The older gen that watches games only on TV will not be enticed by a blackout to bother going down to BMO. They will just flip the channel and watch something else. The younger gen the team has to win will not be enticed by blackouts either.

[Ron]

What does everybody think of this article? The author of this site has never been CFL friendly in the slightest, but I can't argue with mcuh of what he wrote.

Well. His opinion has some merit for the last game but zero for the opener. The opener showed good crowds are possible. His idea on ticket prices are great but you'll never sell that guy a more expensive seat. The Argos would rather sell one ticket at $75 than four at $40+ perks.

[Neely2005]

If the Argonauts were smart they'd do a tie in with Pokemon Go and have an exclusive Pokemon available inside BMO Field (and maybe at the Tailgates and the Shipyard too) for the July 25th game.

When I spoke to my rep today I made this suggestion to him and he said that he overheard the marketing people discussing it so hopefully they do end up doing some kind of Pokemon Go promotion like some of the US MLB teams did.

[PullTogether73]

When I spoke to my rep today I made this suggestion to him and he said that he overheard the marketing people discussing it so hopefully they do end up doing some kind of Pokemon Go promotion like some of the US MLB teams did.

Great.
A bunch of zombies walking around BMO Field with their eyes focused on their phones.
I can hardly wait for the "improved fan experience" this will bring to the games.
Should be as entertaining as the video of the news anchor in the States who walked in front of the camera during the live weather forecast while playing that game.

[Double Dare]

Great.
A bunch of zombies walking around BMO Field with their eyes focused on their phones.
I can hardly wait for the "improved fan experience" this will bring to the games.

Ha,ha. There are enough "zombies" walking around in public with mobile devices as it is without introducing a game into the picture. Brains, brains, we need braaaaaaiiiiins.

Check this out: http://www.cnet.com/news/woman-playi...nds-dead-body/

[Neely2005]

Great.
A bunch of zombies walking around BMO Field with their eyes focused on their phones.
I can hardly wait for the "improved fan experience" this will bring to the games.
Should be as entertaining as the video of the news anchor in the States who walked in front of the camera during the live weather forecast while playing that game.

If you want new and younger fans to come out to games this is the type of promotion that you need to try.

[AngeloV]

If you want new and younger fans to come out to games this is the type of promotion that you need to try.

Eskimos have Flo Rida performing at their game this week. Well done on their part.

[ArgoGabe22]

Fan base needs to get younger but I doubt a Pokemon Go promotion will create a new fan. I really think families should be targeted more. Convert the kids while they're young. 20 somethings already have their opinions formed so I think a lot of them have made up their mind to have zero to no interest in the CFL/Argos. They'll catch their Pokemon, pay no attention to the game, leave and never come back.

[Neely2005]

Eskimos have Flo Rida performing at their game this week. Well done on their part.

Yeah I just saw that. Good for them.

[Neely2005]

Fan base needs to get younger but I doubt a Pokemon Go promotion will create a new fan. I really think families should be targeted more. Convert the kids while they're young. 20 somethings already have their opinions formed so I think a lot of them have made up their mind to have zero to no interest in the CFL/Argos. They'll catch their Pokemon, pay no attention to the game, leave and never come back.

You know this how? For families it's usually the younger kids that are playing Pokemon Go. MLB did it and I certainly think it's worth a shot for the Argonauts to try it too.

[1argoholic]

I'll add to Greydragons post and say, Dorks with no life looking at their mobile devices walking into people, traffic and being Lame as hell. People are friggin sheep or lemmings. This is the dumbest shite I've ever heard of. I wish I had a solid idea I could market to lemmings and become wealthy on the back of morons.

It'll all be fun and games until some Pokémoner falls from the upper deck at some stadium or gets clocked in the head by a line drive faul ball at a baseball game rendering them brain dead or what they already are.

[gilthethrill]

Great.
A bunch of zombies walking around BMO Field with their eyes focused on their phones.
I can hardly wait for the "improved fan experience" this will bring to the games.
Should be as entertaining as the video of the news anchor in the States who walked in front of the camera during the live weather forecast while playing that game.

Totally agree.