Quote Originally Posted by argofan87 View Post
Bob Young has done such a terrific job in Hamilton that these challenges are no longer present, but I still remember a time when Ticat attendance was also dreadfully bad. It'll take a little more time in Toronto because I don't think the Ticats (in spite of those issues) were ever as disconnected from the culture of Hamilton as the Argos are disconnected presently from the culture of Toronto, but if it can happen in Hamilton, Ottawa and Montreal then I believe that it can also happen here. As for some of the fans, well we all got morons. I guess the single most thing that irritates me about that subset of Ticat fans is their exaggeration of the % of Ticat fans present at Ticats @ Argo games.
Yes, Bob Young has done a great job but it did not happen overnight. There were some dreadful seasons early on, where a honeymoon period with Bob kept the butts in the seats despite losing records. Followed by the Great Stadium Debate (yes, it deserves to be a proper noun lol) where Bob became public enemy #1 in many Hamiltonians eyes (including many Ticat fans) and resulting in a better-than-nothing stadium location. That was followed by a season in the wilderness in Guelph, and half a season at Mac. We are lucky we have the owner we do. Think any other owner would have bailed a long time ago. So it wasn't an easy turnaround. And you're right that even when the crowds were sparse, there was still an aura of Ticats in the city. People still talked about the team. Might be harder in TO, but Bell and LT seem dedicated. I love how Rogers has to sit back and watch while their MLSE partners buy the one sports organization Rogers hates. I hope it is a resounding success and Rogers is left out in the cold.