Keith Pelley's back

[shayman]

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/mlse-to-hire-keith-pelley-as-president-chief-executive-1.2060702

Well that's interesting. I think he did a good, enthusiastic job as president of the Argos 20 years ago despite not having much to work with (and he was a great friend of the band too, and enthusiastically got us onto a stage in the Skydome end zone for a couple of glorious years.)

welcome back, Keith. Don't get TOO distracted by the Leafs and Raptors!

[paulwoods13]

He will have plenty on his plate keeping both Bell and Rogers happy and aligned. Won't have much time (if any) to focus on the Argos.

[shayman]

If he can ensure that Pinball has whatever he needs, that'll be a good thing.

[SkalbaniasGhost]

The divorce will happen within the next 15 months.

[Rich]

This is great news for the Argonauts, and a well-kept secret by the org.

Of course Pelley will have a very full plate, but if he can spend even five minutes a day on the Argonaut file he will make a big difference. He is a visionary, he is a doer, and he’s not afraid to take risks, unlike his predecessor who was just a beancounter.

Pelley has a deep understanding of the challenges the Argonauts face in this market, and I gotta believe he’s got a soft spot for the double blue. He has worked with Pinball before, but back then the team didn’t have the aura of on-field excellence it enjoys now.

Now that he’s calling the shots, how many minutes would it take for him to decide to spend more MLSE money promoting the Argonauts, in order to capitalize on the on-field excellence?

[gilthethrill]

When I read Pelley was back I was hoping as full time President of the Argos.

[paulwoods13]

Fans here and elsewhere seem to be hoping Pelley's past connection to the Argos will mean something positive for the team. I wish I could believe that was possible, but I'm a realist. The people Pelley reports to have much bigger concerns than the Argos, and he will naturally focus on those concerns. I imagine he will attend an Argo game this summer, and renew his acquaintance with Pinball, and supervise Manning, but IMO it's unrealistic to think he might ramp up promotion and marketing for such a small segment of the MLSE machine.

[Argo57]

When I read Pelley was back I was hoping as full time President of the Argos.

I was hoping Pelley was back as DC since we don’t have one.

[AngeloV]

Fans here and elsewhere seem to be hoping Pelley's past connection to the Argos will mean something positive for the team. I wish I could believe that was possible, but I'm a realist. The people Pelley reports to have much bigger concerns than the Argos, and he will naturally focus on those concerns. I imagine he will attend an Argo game this summer, and renew his acquaintance with Pinball, and supervise Manning, but IMO it's unrealistic to think he might ramp up promotion and marketing for such a small segment of the MLSE machine.

I tend to agree with your thoughts here Paul. Argos already have a president in Manning. Pelley is the president of MLSE which goes far beyond the sports teams.

[Rich]

I tend to agree with your thoughts here Paul. Argos already have a president in Manning. Pelley is the president of MLSE which goes far beyond the sports teams.

If Manning wants to spend more money promoting the Argos, he’s gotta run that idea past MLSE management. Because of the type of executive he has proven to be, Pelley is likely more sympathetic to ideas like that than his predecessor, whatever his name was, was.

[paulwoods13]

If Manning wants to spend more money promoting the Argos, he’s gotta run that idea past MLSE management. Because of the type of executive he has proven to be, Pelley is likely more sympathetic to ideas like that than his predecessor, whatever his name was, was.

Surely you are not expecting Manning to propose spending more on promotions? Also, we don't actually know if Manning reports to Pelley. One would think he would, but it ha been widely reported that Shanahan and Ujiri reported directly to the Board, not to Frisdahl.

[Rich]

Surely you are not expecting Manning to propose spending more on promotions? Also, we don't actually know if Manning reports to Pelley. One would think he would, but it ha been widely reported that Shanahan and Ujiri reported directly to the Board, not to Frisdahl.

Surely you’re not suggesting that extra promotional money was available to the Argonauts but that Manning chose not to pursue it? That wouldn’t make sense. I don’t think he has ever been given access to that kind of funding.

Also I believe I heard that the team presidents would now be reporting directly to Pelley and not the Board, which means Shanny would be wise to hold off on any major home renovation projects for now.

[AngeloV]

Surely you’re not suggesting that extra promotional money was available to the Argonauts but that Manning chose not to pursue it? That wouldn’t make sense. I don’t think he has ever been given access to that kind of funding.

Also I believe I heard that the team presidents would now be reporting directly to Pelley and not the Board, which means Shanny would be wise to hold off on any major home renovation projects for now.

I don’t see how Pelley would have any impact on a budget that still needs to go through the board. We can all hope, but I’m not convinced this move will have any more impact on the team. I personally like the slow progression we’ve seen the last 3 years. If they can keep increasing average attendance by 1,000 per year for the next 5 years, we should all be happy with that.

[paulwoods13]

Surely you’re not suggesting that extra promotional money was available to the Argonauts but that Manning chose not to pursue it? That wouldn’t make sense. I don’t think he has ever been given access to that kind of funding.


I don't have any idea how you could draw that conclusion from my post, Rich.

[Rich]

Surely you are not expecting Manning to propose spending more on promotions?

I read this as meaning Manning is not interested in spending more on promotions.

[Rich]

I don’t see how Pelley would have any impact on a budget that still needs to go through the board. We can all hope, but I’m not convinced this move will have any more impact on the team. I personally like the slow progression we’ve seen the last 3 years. If they can keep increasing average attendance by 1,000 per year for the next 5 years, we should all be happy with that.

They wouldn’t have hired Pelley if they just wanted someone to rubber-stamp Board decisions. I’m not saying an increased promotion budget is inevitable, I’m saying it is more possible now than it has been in several years.

[paulwoods13]

I read this as meaning Manning is not interested in spending more on promotions.

Which is substantially different than "extra promotional money was available to the Argonauts but that Manning chose not to pursue it."

[ArgoRavi]

I agree with Angelo and Paul. I don't see Pelley's hiring having a huge effect on the Argos. We shall see though.

[Rich]

I agree with Angelo and Paul. I don't see Pelley's hiring having a huge effect on the Argos. We shall see though.

I agree with all of you. Even if he increases the promotional budget it won’t have a “huge effect” on the Argos.