Yes it's True...I've Jumped Ship

[argomANIA]

I think it's overblown. Just my opinion.

I paid $200 per seat for my season tickets this year, and I sit in the upper level on the 10 yard line. I have been credited 20 for the non playoff game, so I got 1 pre season and 9 regular season games for a total of $180. IMO, you can't beat that deal anywhere in sports. I don't expect any additional perks as I knew what I was paying for before I put my money down. Have I enjoyed town halls and draft parties in the past? Yes I have. But never have I made something like that a condition on purchasing my tickets.

At the end of the day it is Ania's choice to do what she wants. I just can't agree with her reasoning here. If the team sent me to a grey cup (let alone 2) on their dollar, I would never turn my back on them no matter what.

Agreed, it's my choice of how I spend my hard earned money. I never said the team sent me to those Grey Cups. They were sponsored contests that I had to work hard to prove how big of an Argo fan I was...gather votes and so on. Nothing's been handed to me.

My point is that you have received a good deal more than virtually all long(er) term Argonauts fans.

We haven't received two free trips to the Grey Cup.
We weren't invited to drink from the Grey Cup by Argonauts players.
We didn't have Argonauts players attend any personal functions.

Yet, you seem to expect new owners/managers to provide you with some type of insider's privileges that you had under previous owners.
Maybe they don't know you yet.
Maybe they have been too busy with other things associated with taking over a team, moving that team to a new venue, getting licenses/approvals for a new game day function (tailgating), planning the league's championship game and festival.
Hence my comment about the new owners try to retrofit a listing ship.

Again, never did I say all these were 'given' to me. I've worked hard, invested a lot of my time and money into this team. For about 10 seasons I took off one weeks vacation just to attend training camp. I built relationships with the players on a personal level that fueled my passion. None of the previous owners "knew" me. Nothing was handed to me. I probably own almost every piece of Argo merchandise form shirts to jackets to hats from the last 20 years.
What I'm saying is that when it all began I was 13 years old. These events and interactions with the players is what made me a fan. I feel like this is what the city needs to build a new fan base. Again, just my opinion.

[PullTogether73]

Agreed, it's my choice of how I spend my hard earned money. I never said the team sent me to those Grey Cups. They were sponsored contests that I had to work hard to prove how big of an Argo fan I was...gather votes and so on. Nothing's been handed to me.



Again, never did I say all these were 'given' to me. I've worked hard, invested a lot of my time and money into this team. For about 10 seasons I took off one weeks vacation just to attend training camp. I built relationships with the players on a personal level that fueled my passion. None of the previous owners "knew" me. Nothing was handed to me. I probably own almost every piece of Argo merchandise form shirts to jackets to hats from the last 20 years.
What I'm saying is that when it all began I was 13 years old. These events and interactions with the players is what made me a fan. I feel like this is what the city needs to build a new fan base. Again, just my opinion.

Thanks for clarifying this.
My impression from your original post was that you were given trips and privileges, many of which the rest of us could not imagine receiving.
Putting in the effort you did to cultivate relationships with the team is impressive.

As others have said, the decision to leave is yours, and if you are unhappy with the situation you should possibly move on.
I don't believe in blindly supporting a team. While an emotional connection exists with a team and its fans, ultimately it is a business and fans should exercise their right to withdraw support.

As I said before, I think it is too early in a new ownership's tenure to move on. Fans wait through lean years of on-field performance. I think the same can be done for off-field performance, at least in the shorter term.


As for joining the Tiger-Cats...well, good luck with that.
I will NEVER do that.

At the Argos first game at THF last year, I was walking alone in the concourse, wearing my Argos jersey and hat. A father and son walk past me, hand in hand. Nice family image. The boy, who could be no more than 10 years old, says to me "Argos suck!" The father says nothing and they continue walking. Some 10 year old boy says this to a respectable looking 50 year old man and the father says nothing? Seriously?

At one of the displaced Argos games from last year at THF, I sat in one of the main sections in the lower level with Argos fans. I heard some young kid in the upper deck constantly yelling out "Argos suck!" as his dad sat there next to him. A few minutes later I hear the same kid doing the same thing, but this time only a few rows behind me. Incredible! This idiot man and his young son thought it would be a good idea to move into the middle of a crowd of Argo fans and do this. I turned around and glared at the kid for at least a full minute.
They wisely moved back to the upper deck before I took the issue further - which I would have.

Finally, I took my daughters to an Argos game at Ivor Wynne a few years ago. We had been to at least two previously. We ended up leaving at half time as my daughters didn't feel safe in that environment. My daughters enjoyed going to Argonauts games with me for several years as a family. That was the last time we have gone together to a game in Hamilton.

Last year was the last time I will attend a game in Hamilton, other than the Grey Cup in which the Argonauts are participating.
I have attended football games in Chicago (Bears, Northwestern University), Indiana (Notre Dame), and Buffalo (Bills). I have never seen opposing fans treated as poorly as I have seen Argos fans treated in Hamilton.

As I said, good luck supporting the Tiger-Cats. I'll be impressed if you can lower yourself to their fans' level.

[R.J]

As for joining the Tiger-Cats...well, good luck with that.
I will NEVER do that.

At the Argos first game at THF last year, I was walking alone in the concourse, wearing my Argos jersey and hat. A father and son walk past me, hand in hand. Nice family image. The boy, who could be no more than 10 years old, says to me "Argos suck!" The father says nothing and they continue walking. Some 10 year old boy says this to a respectable looking 50 year old man and the father says nothing? Seriously?

At one of the displaced Argos games from last year at THF, I sat in one of the main sections in the lower level with Argos fans. I heard some young kid in the upper deck constantly yelling out "Argos suck!" as his dad sat there next to him. A few minutes later I hear the same kid doing the same thing, but this time only a few rows behind me. Incredible! This idiot man and his young son thought it would be a good idea to move into the middle of a crowd of Argo fans and do this. I turned around and glared at the kid for at least a full minute.
They wisely moved back to the upper deck before I took the issue further - which I would have.

Finally, I took my daughters to an Argos game at Ivor Wynne a few years ago. We had been to at least two previously. We ended up leaving at half time as my daughters didn't feel safe in that environment. My daughters enjoyed going to Argonauts games with me for several years as a family. That was the last time we have gone together to a game in Hamilton.

Last year was the last time I will attend a game in Hamilton, other than the Grey Cup in which the Argonauts are participating.
I have attended football games in Chicago (Bears, Northwestern University), Indiana (Notre Dame), and Buffalo (Bills). I have never seen opposing fans treated as poorly as I have seen Argos fans treated in Hamilton.

As I said, good luck supporting the Tiger-Cats. I'll be impressed if you can lower yourself to their fans' level.

Argos suck is all it took, really ?

Makes sense now why you disagreed with Marshall Ferguson saying that the Ticats should be rated higher - biases can cloud judgement.

[PullTogether73]

Re: the "Argos Suck" chant

I think it is one thing if it is just a general fan chant responding to something on the field, but totally different if someone is getting in your face about it. For the former, what are we supposed to do? We're in an away stadium, I don't expect people to sit there and not be hostile towards the opposing team. I think you do have a right to expect that an aggressive Ticat fan wouldn't get in YOUR face about it though.

Precisely.

Argos suck is all it took, really ?

Makes sense now why you disagreed with Marshall Ferguson saying that the Ticats should be rated higher - biases can cloud judgement.

It appears that you ignored my comment about the source of the jeers.
Two young kids saying it with the full acceptance of their respective fathers.
One said directly to me as I walked by minding my own business.
Speaks volumes to me about the (low) class of the fans.

And no, I give Hamilton commentators as much fair treatment as any others.
Ferguson is oppressively a homer.
That is his right, and HIS bias. But I cannot take his analyses seriously as a result.
Tatti is more balanced in his assessments imo.

[Bleeds Double Blue]

As for joining the Tiger-Cats...well, good luck with that.
I will NEVER do that.

I'm with you bro. I couldn't bring myself to cheer for Hamilton in an intersquad game and I'd rather cut out my tongue and join in with that idiotic oski-wee-wee chant.

[gilthethrill]

I'm with you bro. I couldn't bring myself to cheer for Hamilton in an intersquad game and I'd rather cut out my tongue and join in with that idiotic oski-wee-wee chant.

That latest edition of Pig Skin Pete honestly creeps me out.