Does Cohon have the cojones to stand up to Braley?

[1argoholic]

No doubt that I tend to be a glass half empty type of person and if things work out then I'm thrilled and if they don't I don't feel as much pain. However when very positive people are felling and seeing the gloom in this situation then you know it's a real deal issue. So frustrating as fans when nothing seems to be getting done. Just reading everyone's posts on here has me feeling sick. I've talked to and e-mailed friends and everyone feels the same.

[matthew]

Another element to this is that in its current state, good people with diplomas in sports marketing won't be interested in working for the Argos so consequently marketing efforts will be lacklustre.

[1argoholic]

At this point any marketing would be a good thing.

[Neely2005]

I had the exact same feeling on the Go heading to Burlington, heard some FC fans mentioning that last night was their 8th straight sellout crowd.
Like you Argoholic this team has meant so much to me since my childhood that I felt extreme sadness heading home, this franchise is very ill right now, hopefully something positive develops sooner than later, I think we all could use some good news!

The funny thing is that the Argonauts crush TFC in TV Ratings and the attendance is comparable but the Perception is that TFC is thriving and that the Argonauts are failing.

[argolio]

The funny thing is that the Argonauts crush TFC in TV Ratings and the attendance is comparable but the Perception is that TFC is thriving and that the Argonauts are failing.

If that continues, then sooner or later reality will match perception.

[rdavies]

Another element to this is that in its current state, good people with diplomas in sports marketing won't be interested in working for the Argos so consequently marketing efforts will be lacklustre.

As someone with a marketing diploma (in one of my many past lives) if you look hard enough and are smart enough you'll always find someone good enough and crazy enough to take on a challenge. ie The Canadian National soccer team men's coach is a former coach and technical director of Real Madrid and was a big contributor to the Spanish soccer philosophy. Maybe he's a has been, maybe not, but when you don't have the big bucks and there is no guarantee of success (ie SGE coaching England) then sometimes it's worth a risk.

Another way to go is someone who has been held hostage under the glass ceiling and is ready to breakout (ie an assistant coach under a great master who is never going anywhere until the master leaves... or dies ) or sometimes the boy wonder who doesn't have the experience but reinvents the game. There is always somebody but if you play it safe...you'll get what you get.

[rdavies]

What is up with those stupid giant emoticons, is there a way to turn them off (or down), aside from not using them.

[Argo57]

The funny thing is that the Argonauts crush TFC in TV Ratings and the attendance is comparable but the Perception is that TFC is thriving and that the Argonauts are failing.

Aren't you the guy who started the thread yesterday regarding "the alarming drop in Argo attendance in 1 year" listing attendance this year vs last year??
Now you are claiming comparable attendance between the 2 organizations??

TFC attendance:
2014 average 22591 per game (103% of building capacity) a 25% increase in attendance from 2013!!!

Check your own thread, perception is in fact reality!!

[Neely2005]

Aren't you the guy who started the thread yesterday regarding "the alarming drop in Argo attendance in 1 year" listing attendance this year vs last year??
Now you are claiming comparable attendance between the 2 organizations??

TFC attendance:
2014 average 22591 per game (103% of building capacity) a 25% increase in attendance from 2013!!!

Check your own thread, perception is in fact reality!!

And the TV Ratings?

Also the Argonauts have only played 2 Home Games so far this season so let's compare last season's complete numbers:


Toronto Argonauts 2013 Average Regular Season Rogers Centre Attendance: 21,926

http://argonauts.ca/schedule/year/2013/7

Toronto FC Average 2013 Regular Season BMO Field Attendance: 18,131

Toronto FC Average 2012 Regular Season Attendance: 18,155

http://mlsattendance.blogspot.ca/201...pdate.html?m=1

So like I said "Comparable Attendance".

[rdavies]

Rod Pederson Blog
July 7, 2014

1 - THAT WOKE 'EM UP: Saturday's Roughrider game in Toronto was a heckuva lot of fun however unfortunately for the road team, they got embarrassed 48-15 evening both teams' records at 1-1. It was fun because it was a perfect day for football with a temperature up near 30 degrees and the Rogers Centre roof was open. The Argonauts have always put on a good game day presentation so that was a bonus, including a wonderful halftime show by country artist Brett Kissel.

...

4 - THE MONCTON ARGONAUTS: There are plenty more worthwhile things to argue about including the fact the CFL is fading into oblivion in Canada's largest city. Hooo boy, we could on and on about this for awhile. I'll try to keep it short.

The attendance at Rogers Centre on Saturday was 17,758 and while many Argo apologists referred to that as "not bad", it certainly wasn't good. And of course if it wasn't for the Rider Nation, there would have been less than 10,000 on hand. Music festivals, road construction, blah, blah, blah were all blamed for the low attendance.

At least the Argonauts didn't outdraw the Roughriders for their home-opener, however they were only 2,000 behind. That's a topic for another time.

So the evening before the game, I met a nice couple from Buffalo, NY in an Italian restaurant called Kit Kat. They saw my Grey Cup ring and started up a conversation. Of course, with Americans, those discussions always begin with Doug Flutie. Regardless, these folks - both Buffalo Bills season ticket holders - were up for the weekend and staying just a few blocks from Rogers Centre. However they had absolutely no idea the Argonauts were playing at home that weekend. When I told them the game details, they jumped on it. The cheapest tickets can be had for $37 while the most-expensive are $106. I'm not sure which they chose.

But the fact these tourists didn't even know there was a CFL game on during their stay is the quintessential example of dropping the ball. That's the essence of marketing; making people aware of your product. I learned that during my studies at the School of Hard Knocks. If you're a sports team and people don't know when you're playing at home, how are they supposed to come to your games?

Now, I don't blame the Argonauts marketing staff nor the Toronto media. The Argos threw their hands up in the air long ago when it comes to marketing their team. They won a Grey Cup and Torontonians still didn't care. TSN's Sportscentre had CFL stories running as the #2 item behind Wimbledon all weekend. If you didn't know the Argos were playing at home last weekend, you likely weren't paying attention.

And therefore, I blame Torontonians. Sunday was a slow day on Twitter so I fired up the notion, along with @FakeGainer, that the Argos should be moved to Moncton. Well that got people in Toronto all fired up, not the least of which are long-time Toronto football reporters Dan Ralph of the Canadian Press and Mike Hogan, the Voice of the Argos on TSN Radio.

Hogan wrote on Twitter, "Yep, move 'em. Should have moved the Riders there in the late 80's too. Smh". (Shake my head)

Of course we all know that's an Apples and Oranges discussion and I don't have it in me to argue with Hogan at my advanced age. We would have won that argument without even breaking a sweat but for now, we'll let it die. Comparing the Riders to the Argos is like comparing Jenny McCarthy to her cousin Melissa.

And that's exactly what's happening to the Toronto Argonauts. They're dying. The once proud franchise - the oldest pro football team in North America - is withering up like a weed right before our very eyes. You can blame the traffic or whatever you want all day long. However the Blue Jays, Raptors, Maple Leafs and Toronto FC all play downtown and nobody complains about going to those games. It's like people griping about Sask Place being on the outskirts of Saskatoon. Either you want to go, or you don't.

The Argos are sliding right off the page and within a few years they won't even have a place to play because they're being booted out of Rogers Centre.

However the feeling I got in Toronto over the weekend was a notion of, "What? Me Worry?" If the football people in that city aren't concerned, then why the hell should I be?

[Argo57]

And the TV Ratings?

Also the Argonauts have only played 2 Home Games so far this season so let's compare last season's complete numbers:


Toronto Argonauts 2013 Average Regular Season Rogers Centre Attendance: 21,926

http://argonauts.ca/schedule/year/2013/7

Toronto FC Average 2013 Regular Season BMO Field Attendance: 18,131

Toronto FC Average 2012 Regular Season Attendance: 18,155

http://mlsattendance.blogspot.ca/201...pdate.html?m=1

So like I said "Comparable Attendance".

Don't remember anyone disputing the TV ratings.
Thanks again for making my point.
Argo 2013 Average attendance 21926 (Regular Season)
Argo 2014 Average attendance 16930 (Regular Season) 2 Game sampler

Toronto FC 2013 Average Attendance 18131 (Regular Season)
Toronto FC 2014 Average Attendance 22591 (Regular Season)

Looking at these numbers I can't figure out why people would think these 2 organizations are heading in opposite directions.

[AngeloV]

The funny thing is that the Argonauts crush TFC in TV Ratings and the attendance is comparable but the Perception is that TFC is thriving and that the Argonauts are failing.

TFC has sold out 8 consecutive games. What makes you think that if the stadium was 30k, they still wouldn't be selling it out?

I can guarantee the Argos would prefer to be selling 25-30k and get smaller ratings. TV ratings are nice, but it really doesn't make the Argos enough money. Even with the increased TV deal, you need to average over 20k (actual paid tickets) to come close to breaking even.

[Neely2005]

Don't remember anyone disputing the TV ratings.
Thanks again for making my point.
Argo 2013 Average attendance 21926 (Regular Season)
Argo 2014 Average attendance 16930 (Regular Season) 2 Game sampler

Toronto FC 2013 Average Attendance 18131 (Regular Season)
Toronto FC 2014 Average Attendance 22591 (Regular Season)

Looking at these numbers I can't figure out why people would think these 2 organizations are heading in opposite directions.

I said that the attendance is "Comparable" and it is.

As to the TV Ratings:

I was looking for the Raptors ratings and I found this:

"While the Raptors are showing promise, their soccer brethren aren't faring so well on television. In what has to be a major embarrassment, the team's game against Dallas on Saturday drew the interest of only 35,000 viewers to Sportsnet One.
Granted, Saturday night during the hockey playoffs is never good for ratings and Sportsnet One doesn't have the widest distribution. But 35,000 is the kind of audience you'd expect for lumberjack competitions. This is not what MLSE envisioned when it paid out all those millions for star players."

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...230401936.html

[Rich]

With Braley owning 2 teams and having a lot of pull on the board of governors, I imagine Cohon is between a rock and a hard place trying to deal with Braley.

There's got to be 7 other governors who are unhappy with the situation. Suddenly their big TV contract looks a little bit precarious with the future of the Argos in some doubt. Surely they are looking for a quick resolution instead of watching this agony drag out for another two years. They've got to find a way to buy Braley off and make the deal with MLSE sooner rather than later.

[Mulder]

Seems he does

CFL commish Mark Cohon told me he met yesterday & today with Argos owner David Braley on plan to boost #Argo attendance. #CFL #Argos

— Curtis Rush (@CurtisGRush) July 16, 2014

[Neely2005]

A proper football stadium with good sightlines for football. Preferably in York Region.

[Invader]

A proper football stadium with good sightlines for football. Preferably in York Region.

Yep, the Argos will thrive once they relocate to a more intimate football stadium, like their Big-Four competitors in Ottawa, Montreal and Hamilton. Even MLSE, which is 37.5% owned by Rogers, won't touch the Argos until they are out of RC.

[Argo]

A proper football stadium with good sightlines for football. Preferably in York Region.

I find the idea of the Argonauts residing (say) above Bloor St. and/or longitudinally offset unnatural and unpalatable. Nevertheless, the team's situation has again become chronically disturbing. Something, somehow, somewhere must give. So whatever it takes to cure the patient...

[Qman]

Yep, the Argos will thrive once they relocate to a more intimate football stadium, like their Big-Four competitors in Ottawa, Montreal and Hamilton. Even MLSE, which is 37.5% owned by Rogers, won't touch the Argos until they are out of RC.

All cohon keeps saying is look "the ratings are 600-700k and are great, all we have to do is get these people in the stadium". And, as the Dave & Dave show pointed out their is a tons of interest.

The fans don't want to come downtown and fight traffic or transit.
its time to get a intimate stadium north of the city near the fans. With a small stadium, the fans are forced to by season tix if they want a seat. Argos can sell to all the SMEs in the 905 belt
Don't see BMO working for the same issues as the dome ... even its only 22000 between the goalines and fans are covered by roofs. Fans don't want to come downtown.

[Ballstothewall]

http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/07/16/...ise-and-league
Great story from the Sun, on the Argos troubles. I like the part about Rogers treating the Argos, like crap, but I know that can't be true, because some of you on here say Rogers is well balance towards the Argos/ CFL. Getting to the point, that the league may need to find a loophole in its constitution and take the team from Brailey if possible, even if highly unlikely, at least make some noise about it.

Aren't you the guy who started the thread yesterday regarding "the alarming drop in Argo attendance in 1 year" listing attendance this year vs last year??
Now you are claiming comparable attendance between the 2 organizations??

TFC attendance:
2014 average 22591 per game (103% of building capacity) a 25% increase in attendance from 2013!!!

Check your own thread, perception is in fact reality!!

Agreed, but perception is reality, do most people know that TFC officially did NOT sellout at BMO from I beleive is from 2009 through to 2013. Most people think from media reports that BMO is always sold out, far from true, until this year