Lions ownership discussion thread (Topics merged into here)

The Place for BC Lion Discussion. A forum for Lions fans to talk and chat about our team.
Discussion, News, Information and Speculation regarding the BC Lions and the CFL.
Prowl, Growl and Roar!

Moderator: Team Captains

Post Reply
User avatar
cromartie
Hall of Famer
Posts: 5004
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 2:31 pm
Location: Cleveland, usually

David wrote:
Tue Jun 20, 2017 5:37 pm
CardiacKid wrote:
Tue Jun 20, 2017 5:09 pm
This past weekend I spoke with a few American tourists who recognized my Leo's togs and they started talking CFL. They were all "yeah, we watch CFL. We love it! It is so fast paced, exciting" etc. Maybe those young Canadians resistant to the charms of 3 down football need to listen to the American perspective of our game.
Isn't it amazing how many Americans speak glowingly of the CFL game? Especially NFL football executives (scouts, GMs etc.). There seems to be more respect down there for our game than many Canadians have! Americans seem more comfortable enjoying different forms of the sport - be it high school, college, pros. They take each for what it is. It seems in Canada, we have to choose one! :roll:
Part of it is that American millennials are increasingly detached from the proximity method of sports fandom. When you consider that the EPL just signed a billion dollar television contract down here over six years, and ESPN is snapping up rights to every sports league under the sun (though I wish they'd just buy out Willow and make an investment in cricket already), rooting for something other than the home team is actually in fashion nowadays.

American interest in the CFL is ok, despite the loss of the CBC exposure it used to provide in border cities. A lot of this can be attributed to the ESPN exposure in June/July and early August as more games appear on ESPN2 and ESPNNews. I'd like to see a commisioner experiment with ESPN in offernig an online package/digital app with ESPNNow that sells full season exposure for $9.95, just to see how many takers it would actually get. (They did this a few years ago with the Indian Premier League, though for all I know I was the only person who bought it).

My hope was that the "only major league/world class things matter" mentality would wane in Canada as time wore on but it isn't looking like that's the case. But the Jays are close to stinking again, so we'll see that enthusiasm fade here eventually.
Qman
Champion
Posts: 932
Joined: Wed May 02, 2012 12:59 pm
Location: Section 240

cromartie wrote:
Tue Jun 20, 2017 8:24 pm
David wrote:
Tue Jun 20, 2017 5:37 pm
CardiacKid wrote:
Tue Jun 20, 2017 5:09 pm
This past weekend I spoke with a few American tourists who recognized my Leo's togs and they started talking CFL. They were all "yeah, we watch CFL. We love it! It is so fast paced, exciting" etc. Maybe those young Canadians resistant to the charms of 3 down football need to listen to the American perspective of our game.
Isn't it amazing how many Americans speak glowingly of the CFL game? Especially NFL football executives (scouts, GMs etc.). There seems to be more respect down there for our game than many Canadians have! Americans seem more comfortable enjoying different forms of the sport - be it high school, college, pros. They take each for what it is. It seems in Canada, we have to choose one! :roll:
Part of it is that American millennials are increasingly detached from the proximity method of sports fandom. When you consider that the EPL just signed a billion dollar television contract down here over six years, and ESPN is snapping up rights to every sports league under the sun (though I wish they'd just buy out Willow and make an investment in cricket already), rooting for something other than the home team is actually in fashion nowadays.

American interest in the CFL is ok, despite the loss of the CBC exposure it used to provide in border cities. A lot of this can be attributed to the ESPN exposure in June/July and early August as more games appear on ESPN2 and ESPNNews. I'd like to see a commisioner experiment with ESPN in offernig an online package/digital app with ESPNNow that sells full season exposure for $9.95, just to see how many takers it would actually get. (They did this a few years ago with the Indian Premier League, though for all I know I was the only person who bought it).

My hope was that the "only major league/world class things matter" mentality would wane in Canada as time wore on but it isn't looking like that's the case. But the Jays are close to stinking again, so we'll see that enthusiasm fade here eventually.
isn't every game on ESPN3 streaming platform in the states as well?
User avatar
Sir Purrcival
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4621
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2003 11:48 am
Location: Comox Valley

B.C.FAN wrote:
Mon Jun 19, 2017 9:26 pm
Coast Mountain Lion wrote:
Mon Jun 19, 2017 9:04 pm
With all due respect to northeastern and "south of the Fraser" residents, hands up anyone who seriously believes that attendance would increase if they moved to a stadium in, say, Coquitlam, Surrey, North Delta, or even Richmond? Maybe south or central Burnaby or New West, but where would they build a stadium there?
I fully support downtown stadium locations in Vancouver and North American cities in general, as much as it frustrates me to get downtown from the Valley on a weeknight. As other have said, the club needs to do a better job of attracting people who live in the city of Vancouver, especially millennials and young families, if there are any any young families left in the city.

I couldn't help but notice how thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Canadian millennials went to Seattle a couple of weeks ago to cheer for the Blue Jays against the Mariners. The Blue Jays seem to be hot with young adults in Vancouver, as in Toronto. The Seahawks seem to have a passionate following locally in the same demographic, even though most surveys say the CFL/Lions fan base is bigger in the Vancouver area. The CFL's social marketing efforts have improved greatly in recent years and the Lions' team videos are among the best in the league. I don't know what else it would take to make a breakthrough with the under-40 crowd.
2 parts to this post.

1. I think there is a world of difference between a one off game or two between the Blue Jays and the Mariners and trying to get a repetitive attending crowd repleat with young new attendees you hope to be fans of the future. You also have people making a weekend of it (ROAD TRIP!) so they can do a little duty free shopping and of course fill up with cheap gas on the way home. Those are things that the Lions can't offer.

2. I can't say for certainty whether or not a stadium in more outlying regions would help their cause but there is a certain reality to the nature of population growth in this city. It is moving outwards despite the efforts to revitalize the city core by putting in residences. There are basicaly two types of peoples living in the core. The very wealthy and the very young. Culturally, football has always been a bit of 'lunch box', 'average guy and family' kind of game in this country. Those that live in the core don't easily fit into that perspecitve.

Where would you play? Well, I can think of a couple of places. The Scott road area would be a good possibility. Good Skytrain connection, new highway bringing people from Delta or South Surrey. Good connections from the Freeway so Langley and Maple Ridge are in the mix too. You also are not too far from New West, Burnaby and the Tri Cities. NorthShore fans would suffer admittedly as that becomes a bit of jaunt. It isn't even all that far from the Abbotsford Airport so visiting teams could come via that route and it is close to the Lions practise facility. It would sure be a face lift to that area.

The other of course is back at the PNE. I think that one is probably less ideal in someways but a Stadium could become the anchor to a revitalized fair grounds. Something that was desired as far back as the early 80's when the decision to put BC Place downtown essentially killed for 30 years any major improvements to the PNE site. It has the benefit of good access to the freeway and the Northshore but it does lack for a robust business community around the stadium and access to Skytrain. Since the Canucks and Lions left, the hotels that served them in that community have basically dried up as well. It would have to be a very well thought out redevelopment of the PNE grounds to make that fly.

I know this is all pie in the sky ideation. BC Place isn't going anywhere. It and the Lions are there to stay. It is a beautiful stadium afterall but when even a die hard lifer of a fan like me sort of quietly dreads the process of getting to games, it isn't an encouraging sign. Where I'm at in my life now, the downtown just doesn't appeal. I'm not much of a drinker, I'm way to old for clubbing so what is the draw beside the Lions? As many have noted, today, you can stay in your comfy recliner, get a better view of the game on HD and have your own fridge with snacks and beverages just feet away, not to mention a nice clean bathroom. You can even pause the game and come back to it. Hard to compete with that at anytime.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
Blitz
Team Captain
Posts: 9094
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 8:44 am

David wrote:
Tue Jun 20, 2017 5:37 pm
CardiacKid wrote:
Tue Jun 20, 2017 5:09 pm
This past weekend I spoke with a few American tourists who recognized my Leo's togs and they started talking CFL. They were all "yeah, we watch CFL. We love it! It is so fast paced, exciting" etc. Maybe those young Canadians resistant to the charms of 3 down football need to listen to the American perspective of our game.
Isn't it amazing how many Americans speak glowingly of the CFL game? Especially NFL football executives (scouts, GMs etc.). There seems to be more respect down there for our game than many Canadians have! Americans seem more comfortable enjoying different forms of the sport - be it high school, college, pros. They take each for what it is. It seems in Canada, we have to choose one! :roll:

On a related note, did anyone catch the new Gruden video? In it, he's wearing an Argos hat and "talking up" Marc Trestman. Brilliant PR move by the Argos for a bit of name recognition cache. :thup:


DH :cool:
I watched the video the other day David. Smart move by the Argos, who are marketing their best commodity right now - their Head Coach.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
Blitz
Team Captain
Posts: 9094
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 8:44 am

David wrote:
Tue Jun 20, 2017 5:37 pm
CardiacKid wrote:
Tue Jun 20, 2017 5:09 pm
This past weekend I spoke with a few American tourists who recognized my Leo's togs and they started talking CFL. They were all "yeah, we watch CFL. We love it! It is so fast paced, exciting" etc. Maybe those young Canadians resistant to the charms of 3 down football need to listen to the American perspective of our game.
Isn't it amazing how many Americans speak glowingly of the CFL game? Especially NFL football executives (scouts, GMs etc.). There seems to be more respect down there for our game than many Canadians have! Americans seem more comfortable enjoying different forms of the sport - be it high school, college, pros. They take each for what it is. It seems in Canada, we have to choose one! :roll:

On a related note, did anyone catch the new Gruden video? In it, he's wearing an Argos hat and "talking up" Marc Trestman. Brilliant PR move by the Argos for a bit of name recognition cache. :thup:


DH :cool:
I watched the video the other day David. Smart move by the Argos, who are marketing their best commodity right now - their Head Coach.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
User avatar
Gridiron Ernie
Champion
Posts: 685
Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 4:36 pm
Location: within earshot of the ghosts of Empire Field

Farhan is usually not far off the mark... so this could be solid info (though I tend to take 3DownNation 'news' with a grain of salt)
http://3downnation.com/2017/07/13/repor ... asons-end/

.
TheLionKing
Hall of Famer
Posts: 25103
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2005 10:13 pm
Location: Vancouver

Sure hope Farhan's right. Could be a very interesting off season.
User avatar
WestCoastJoe
Hall of Famer
Posts: 17721
Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 8:55 pm

Gridiron Ernie wrote:
Thu Jul 13, 2017 7:59 pm
Farhan is usually not far off the mark... so this could be solid info (though I tend to take 3DownNation 'news' with a grain of salt)
http://3downnation.com/2017/07/13/repor ... asons-end/.
I respect what Braley has done to keep the league afloat.

But it is time to move on.

David Sidoo as part of the ownership would be my hope. For the rest, I would hope for deep pockets, business acumen and commitment
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
User avatar
Hambone
Hall of Famer
Posts: 8173
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:25 pm
Location: Living in PG when not at BC Place, Grey Cup or Mazatlan.

Everything seems to be following the timeline as I personally expected for the past year.
You're as old as you've ever been and as young as you're ever going to be.
Matt Baker
Rookie
Posts: 91
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2016 10:13 pm

As per the comments on how much respect our league gets south of the border: I have really noticed it first hand with the two US free agent camps the club has sent us to cover, most recently in Dallas this past April.

Along with the talent on display, the stadium was full with curious onlookers, a couple former players, high school coaches, scouts etc. who all were there looking with a keen interest. "Football is football" was the vibe I got from a lot of those folks. That was really cool to see and I always think back to it when I hear people up here trash the CFL.
User avatar
WestCoastJoe
Hall of Famer
Posts: 17721
Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 8:55 pm

All any football fan has to do is watch the CFL one time, and one can see the beauty of the game.

Burnham. Moore. Manny. JJ24. JJ10. Lulay. Solomon. Rainey. Our DBs. Even the O Line play, as exemplified by Hunter Steward. It is a beautiful game, on a huge field, where all the talent shows. The TiCat game is just the latest example.

Go, CFL.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
User avatar
B.C.FAN
Team Captain
Posts: 12579
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:28 pm

Matt Baker wrote:
Sun Jul 16, 2017 4:33 pm
As per the comments on how much respect our league gets south of the border: I have really noticed it first hand with the two US free agent camps the club has sent us to cover, most recently in Dallas this past April.

Along with the talent on display, the stadium was full with curious onlookers, a couple former players, high school coaches, scouts etc. who all were there looking with a keen interest. "Football is football" was the vibe I got from a lot of those folks. That was really cool to see and I always think back to it when I hear people up here trash the CFL.
It sounds like the free agent camps get a better turnout than training camp. I've noticed a drop in attendance in Kamloops in recent years.
Matt Baker
Rookie
Posts: 91
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2016 10:13 pm

B.C.FAN wrote:
Sun Jul 16, 2017 8:31 pm
Matt Baker wrote:
Sun Jul 16, 2017 4:33 pm
As per the comments on how much respect our league gets south of the border: I have really noticed it first hand with the two US free agent camps the club has sent us to cover, most recently in Dallas this past April.

Along with the talent on display, the stadium was full with curious onlookers, a couple former players, high school coaches, scouts etc. who all were there looking with a keen interest. "Football is football" was the vibe I got from a lot of those folks. That was really cool to see and I always think back to it when I hear people up here trash the CFL.
It sounds like the free agent camps get a better turnout than training camp. I've noticed a drop in attendance in Kamloops in recent years.
Having only been with the club full time since March of 2016 I only have the last two training camps to base that on. Three weeks compared to a one day free agent camp is a tough comparison... I suppose the "dog days" in Kamloops have less turnout than fans coming up for the start or for fan fest weekend etc...
User avatar
SammyGreene
Team Captain
Posts: 8079
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2002 11:52 am

Great insight Matt. Has to be the different cultures on both sides of the border and how football is a way of life down south for so many. You only have to go to Ferndale to see that.

Way too many Canadians think they are "football experts" based on what they are seeing on US television stations on Sundays. They have little time for NCAA, never mind CIS, and zero appreciation for their athleticism. Apparrently it's so easy to get a full-ride scholarship to play football.

I'm still dumbfounded at how many think guys are plucked off the street to play in the CFL. The ignorance seems even worse among millennials.
User avatar
David
Team Captain
Posts: 9364
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 10:23 am
Location: Vancouver (Kitsilano)

I agree SammyGreene. The amount of ignorance some Canadians display about the CFL is astonishing. I think because it's a small league with lower salaries and budgets that people, especially younger ones, equate with "small time," forgetting that it's our own domestic league.

I had to set a guy straight on Twitter last week who thought that no one from "Alabama" signs in the CFL; that CFL rosters consist of "wash-ups" from Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona State (that's the other thing that drives me nuts....people who think a US college team can wipe the floor with a CFL team :roll: ).

I systematically pointed out all of the big NCAA Div 1 schools represented on the Lions alone: Rainey, Purifoy (Florida), Roh, (Michigan), Johnson (Oregon), Burnett (USC), Shirley (Washington). And guess what? Not all NFL rosters consist of players from big programs!


DH :cool:
Roar, You Lions, Roar
Post Reply