Argofans

Have to wonder how long until the Argos get put up for sale, and who would want to buy the team if it doesn't control its stadium (among other reasons why it might not be an attractive property to purchase). I doubt Tanenbaum will come to the rescue.

It's hard to think of any way to spin this as good news for the Argos, given how hostile the new owner was to the CFL in the Skydome days.

paulwoods13 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 18, 2024 9:05 am Have to wonder how long until the Argos get put up for sale, and who would want to buy the team if it doesn't control its stadium (among other reasons why it might not be an attractive property to purchase). I doubt Tanenbaum will come to the rescue.

You also have to wonder what will happen to the other MLSE properties such as TFC. Perhaps Rogers won’t want to hold onto TFC either which would make a prospective owner of both TFC and the Argos more doable. As for Tannenbaum, he just purchased St Etienne in France a few months ago, so he might be overexposed for obtaining TFC and the Argos.

One suggestion I read elsewhere was that Rogers could make the decision that BMO becomes soccer only, especially with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon. Could that even be a possibility? Any potential sale of the Argos could become very difficult if they don't have a venue to play in.

What are the attractions of owning the Argonauts? Their enterprise value has barely moved in 40 years. I suppose they could be tacked on to TFC for modest synergy purposes, but beyond that I'm having a hard time seeing why someone might want to submit a bid. Being a flyspeck on the books of a giant sports conglomerate is/was the best-case scenario IMO.

paulwoods13 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 18, 2024 11:01 am What are the attractions of owning the Argonauts? Their enterprise value has barely moved in 40 years. I suppose they could be tacked on to TFC for modest synergy purposes, but beyond that I'm having a hard time seeing why someone might want to submit a bid. Being a flyspeck on the books of a giant sports conglomerate is/was the best-case scenario IMO.

Any opportunities for a local, nostalgia type of purchase? Something like a John Candy connection again for example? Or a Bob Young type of situation in Hamilton? (I really don't know the Toronto landscape and who might be deeply connected to the team on a personal or emotional level). I agree, there really isn't much of a business value in buying them.

I'd say we can expect to hear NFL-to-Toronto chatter starting up in earnest again, especially now that the NFL has apparently removed the rule that insisted on individual owners.

This is not a welcome development, obviously. Rogers has done an OK job, I suppose, of rebuilding the Jays fanbase over the past 10-15 years, aided by the ALCS runs of '15 and '16, however, they have the two bumbling bozos (Shapiro + Atkins) making a stew of the team currently. What makes anyone think Rogers will be more competent with the MLSE properties?

shayman wrote: ↑Wed Sep 18, 2024 11:14 am I'd say we can expect to hear NFL-to-Toronto chatter starting up in earnest again, especially now that the NFL has apparently removed the rule that insisted on individual owners.

Whats the price tag today to buy a team, and build a stadium? $1.5 Billion each for $3 Billion USD total? ROI on that would be 50 years at least. Rogers is publicly traded. Not sure if shareholders would be on board or not.

Holy crap. If Rogers really wants nothing more to do with the Argos and CFL, than our team may need to be moved without a stadium to play in. Although not sure why they would kick out their tenant other than spite and outright hatred as they did to them at Skydome. The positive today is that league ownership has never been stronger with Billionaires as owners now. Hopefully there is some type of collective effort to keep the oldest professional team in North America in Toronto and in a stadium with a stable owner.