How Would Moving the CFL Season Earlier Affect the Argos?

[Neely2005]

Attendance at Argos playoff game kind of defeats that theory, especially when considering they had only about 4,000 season tickets.

Come on you know very well that CFL teams are having a hard time selling playoff games. IIRC the only sell out playoff game this year was in Ottawa which is one of the smallest CFL stadiums.

https://globalnews.ca/news/1679244/s...to-avoid-cold/

[AngeloV]

Come on you know very well that CFL teams are having a hard time selling playoff games. IIRC the only sell out playoff game this year was in Ottawa which is one of the smallest CFL stadiums.

https://globalnews.ca/news/1679244/s...to-avoid-cold/

Those same teams you speak of aren't selling out regular season games either. I truly believe it will have a negative effect on regular season attendance and TV ratings. IMO, it's better to sacrifice a couple of thousand playoff ticket sales for 4 games, than it is to sacrifice 8 or 9 weeks (30-35 games or so) of ticket sales.

[R.J]

Those same teams you speak of aren't selling out regular season games either. I truly believe it will have a negative effect on regular season attendance and TV ratings. IMO, it's better to sacrifice a couple of thousand playoff ticket sales for 4 games, than it is to sacrifice 8 or 9 weeks (30-35 games or so) of ticket sales.

Len Rhodes has been the most vocal about this, complaining that the fall games are the reason for the Eskimos attendance issues, yet he never mention how the Summer games look empty as well. Empty seats in the fall is usually because teams have very little to play for until the playoffs start, Calgary and Winnipeg didn't sell out their playoff games because of where to markets are currently at right now and not because of weather IMO.

CFL "fans" always seem to look for excuses not to go to games.

[Neely2005]

Those same teams you speak of aren't selling out regular season games either. I truly believe it will have a negative effect on regular season attendance and TV ratings. IMO, it's better to sacrifice a couple of thousand playoff ticket sales for 4 games, than it is to sacrifice 8 or 9 weeks (30-35 games or so) of ticket sales.

Interesting, I think that it will have a positive impact on Attendance and TV Ratings. IMO the Grey Cup should always be played on the First Sunday of November.

Adding a 10th team could help too as the schedule could be balanced with less bye weeks.

[paulwoods13]

IMO the Grey Cup should always be played on the First Sunday of November.

And yet Ambrosie is talking about third weekend of October -- that's FIVE weeks earlier than now, which means (with the third bye week) the schedule would start around May 12. Heck, when I lived in Edmonton, people didn't even plant flowers until May 24 weekend because of the threat of frost.

[Neely2005]

And yet Ambrosie is talking about third weekend of October -- that's FIVE weeks earlier than now, which means (with the third bye week) the schedule would start around May 12. Heck, when I lived in Edmonton, people didn't even plant flowers until May 24 weekend because of the threat of frost.

I think that's too early but I also think that's just a negotiating tactic to ask for more than what he really wants/expects.

[paulwoods13]

I think that's too early but I also think that's just a negotiating tactic to ask for more than what he really wants/expects.

Who's he negotiating with, exactly?

[Neely2005]

Who's he negotiating with, exactly?

The owners. Plus he's trying to sell it to the fans so if he comes back later and says we decided to 'only' move it up 3 weeks it comes off better.