Damien Cox article in Star

[Stevoman]

I remember being disappointed that attendance in the mid 2000's was always between 20,000 - 25,000 and now that would mean being nearly sold out. It's sad that it is down about 10,000 from the last decade and while there have been 2 championship seasons, there has not been a lot of winning in between.

I think the biggest thing the Argos need to do is win consistently for a few years and they can regain those 10,000 ticket buyers per game.

[Treblecharger1]

Difference between a Rocket type signing in ‘91 compared to now is that while Rocket was making eithe 4 or 6 million per on his contract depending on who you believe, that type of signing would cost about 25M today based on what high end players now make in the NFL. Not going to happen IMO.

Also true Angelo, Steve also hit it on the nail! The biggest issue is that they have not truly been great since 96-97. We could use a streak like the Stamps have had had.

[paulwoods13]

When the Argos were truly great -- 1996-97 was almost unquestionably the best two years in franchise history, with the greatest CFL player ever (Flutie) working his magic weekly alongside the greatest Argo ever (Pinball) -- attendance was around 18,000 per game. It will take a lot more than a winning team to bring fans into the stadium.

We've recently had a thread full of discussion and argument about how Argos mgmt. are, or are not, doing what is necessary to revive the brand, with underlying agreement that the brand is at a low ebb and something must be done. A journalist writes that the brand is at a low ebb, and the messenger gets shot.

[Treblecharger1]

When the Argos were truly great -- 1996-97 was almost unquestionably the best two years in franchise history, with the greatest CFL player ever (Flutie) working his magic weekly alongside the greatest Argo ever (Pinball) -- attendance was around 18,000 per game. It will take a lot more than a winning team to bring fans into the stadium.

We've recently had a thread full of discussion and argument about how Argos mgmt. are, or are not, doing what is necessary to revive the brand, with underlying agreement that the brand is at a low ebb and something must be done. A journalist writes that the brand is at a low ebb, and the messenger gets shot.

Paul, you might know better on this. But the Argos typically have this trend where we gain some momentum and then drop down. Those Sherwood years for example were horrid in terms of attendance. I know they reported higher number then we are getting at the moment but no way did we have more then 10k in the stands for those years. Things go in cycles. 20k in BMO is a realistic target within the next 10 years. I think they will get too it.

[paulwoods13]

Paul, you might know better on this. But the Argos typically have this trend where we gain some momentum and then drop down. Those Sherwood years for example were horrid in terms of attendance. I know they reported higher number then we are getting at the moment but no way did we have more then 10k in the stands for those years. Things go in cycles. 20k in BMO is a realistic target within the next 10 years. I think they will get too it.

So do I. We also have a long history (stretching back to 1984) of attendance and interest dropping right after winning the Grey Cup. There are likely many reasons for that, but it all adds up to a complex challenge for the current ownership group. We've had basically 35 years of neglect and in some cases abuse by ownership groups, punctuated by sporadic increases in attendance/interest and lots (I believe) of number-padding and ticket giveaways.

[Topshelf]

They tried that with Ricky Williams, who generated polorizing interest, then broke his arm.
A few teams thought Manziel would sell tickets.
The CFL isnt going to be able to attract a prime time college prospect.
Maybe we can try to go the route of fading nfl vet (like the MLS soccer route), but ocho cinqo wasn't a success either.
Also, ismail created a huge buzz, but he took a lot of cheap shots and even a beer can from the sidelines.
The established union cfl lifers havent been kind to these million dollar imports in the past.

[bannedforlife]

When the Argos were truly great -- 1996-97 was almost unquestionably the best two years in franchise history, with the greatest CFL player ever (Flutie) working his magic weekly alongside the greatest Argo ever (Pinball) -- attendance was around 18,000 per game. It will take a lot more than a winning team to bring fans into the stadium.

We've recently had a thread full of discussion and argument about how Argos mgmt. are, or are not, doing what is necessary to revive the brand, with underlying agreement that the brand is at a low ebb and something must be done. A journalist writes that the brand is at a low ebb, and the messenger gets shot.

Agree with the first part disagree with the second. I've read people here say "journalists" are not cheerleaders, true, but they're not designated hitmen either. That messenger should be shot (figuratively) because of the repetitive nature of his narrative and the glee he seems to extract from it. He must, he does it often enough in print and on radio.

[bannedforlife]

[Stevoman]

How in the world did 26,000 show up on average for the Bart Andrus season????

I still think that a few seasons in a row of consistent winning will make a big difference. 2004 through 2007 seem to attest to that as that was the last stretch where the Argos were usually finishing second behind the Al's and above .500

[DoubleBlue_Red]

Those 2004-2009 numbers are grossly inflated, although Cynamon and Sokuloski did paper the heck out of the place.

[Will]

Those 2004-2009 numbers are grossly inflated, although Cynamon and Sokuloski did paper the heck out of the place.

I agree that they are inflated. Not sure I agree with "grossly inflated" though.

When, for example, it says that Argos averaged 30,000 in 2005, I do believe that it was close to that number, just that a good chunk of them weren't paying customers.

[Ron]

MLSE ain't getting rid of the Argos. The Argos fill 10 dates a year in their facility and that's worth something.

Oh ... and Cox has been and always will be an alleged moron that loves to kick the Argos down whenever he can. When the team does better in the future you won't see any positive stuff from his bald head.

[Topshelf]

Argos arent going away, but i dont care if every ticket is free, it would be nice to see seats filled.
I think the best option would be to make the whoke stadium affordable. Have it for both tfc and argos so fans arent bickering.
5 dollar small cans beer throughout stadium,
Total value pricing on popcorn, hot dogs etc
Make it a cheap accessible outing.
Years ago people filled the all you can eat pizza seats
May have been their best promotion idea
(Hot dog, beer and whiskey a go go dancers one of worst).

The media are sheep. They will ride a bandwagon, if we have 25k fans again, even cox will write about the resurgence of the argos

[DoubleBlue_Red]

What's not helping is the team has been a tire-fire on the field since moving to BMO (with the exception of the 9-9 Grey Cup year).

[Will]

What's not helping is the team has been a tire-fire on the field since moving to BMO (with the exception of the 9-9 Grey Cup year).

No but the struggles on the field arguably go back to 2008.

The team won 11 games in 2005, 2007 and 2013, but haven't won more than 11 since 1997!

[Neely2005]

Argos arent going away, but i dont care if every ticket is free, it would be nice to see seats filled.
I think the best option would be to make the whoke stadium affordable. Have it for both tfc and argos so fans arent bickering.
5 dollar small cans beer throughout stadium,
Total value pricing on popcorn, hot dogs etc
Make it a cheap accessible outing.
Years ago people filled the all you can eat pizza seats
May have been their best promotion idea
(Hot dog, beer and whiskey a go go dancers one of worst).

The media are sheep. They will ride a bandwagon, if we have 25k fans again, even cox will write about the resurgence of the argos

Regular priced tickets start at $20. They had 1 free kids admission per ticket at the BC game.
Beer is already $5 at the Shipyard and during the game at dozens of stands.
Hot dogs are $3

[Neely2005]

No but the struggles on the field arguably go back to 2008.

The team won 11 games in 2005, 2007 and 2013, but haven't won more than 11 since 1997!

Honestly I think that this is a very underrated factor. We've sucked in the regular season for over a decade. Why do I want to pay to watch the team lose? And quite often in an embarrassing manner.

[Jon Gonzo]

Honestly I think that this is a very underrated factor. We've sucked in the regular season for over a decade. Why do I want to pay to watch the team lose? And quite often in an embarrassing manner.

With a boring offense for most of it too

[paulwoods13]

Because we are fans, and we stick with the team through good times and bad. In all my years as a fan, only once -- right before Huard got fired -- did I feel inclined to stop going to games or cheering them on. IMO part of what makes being a fan so appealing is that our unconditional love is occasionally rewarded with tremendously enjoyable experiences. They can't happen all the time, and sometimes they happen far too infrequently, but when they do happen, it makes the bad times worth it.

[AngeloV]

I always get up for a live game no matter what the record. I love football and especially the Argos. I will be there no matter what their record is.