Now is the time!

[tigerrr22]

BC Place is not large enough to support NFL minimum requirements, so for Aquilini to pursue NFL ownership, he would likely have to build his own barn or purchase BC Place and make yet more renovations....something that won't happen either way.

I think Grey Cup seating capacity is at 52,000 in BC Place. The NFL salary cap is $120 million. With an 18 game regular season and 2 pre season games that would give an NFL team 10 home dates before the playoffs. If cheap seats were $120 (18.000 seats) and mid range seats were $155 (14,000 seats) and premium seats were $185 per seat (20,000 seats) then the revenue in ticket sales alone would be close to: $80.3 million through the regular season.

If Aquilini (or any other NFL owner) purchased 49% of BC Place from the Province he would have 49% of the rent revenues for Whitecaps soccer, car and boat shows and musical concerts. He would have 49% of "on property" parking concessions. He would have 49% of concession stand rental revenues. He would have 49% of advertising revenue around the field and in the stadium. Then there would be a TV deal with Sportsnet or TSN or both. Then the NFL playoff revenues with player salaries already paid connected to one of the big four US networks. (NBC, CBS, ABC or FOX.) Tapping into the TV ratings of an American TV audience.

Would Aquilini consider this idea? If cheap seats were about $120. Mid range for $155. Premium for $185 per seat would Vancouver be able to sell out a 52,000 seat capacity every week for the long term win or lose? Would Aquilini see this as a good idea financially when he already owns the Canucks who play across the street right through the final 80% of the entire NFL season? This would be the needed reality for BC Place to be NFL viable. This is what Aquilini would chase if he were a football team owner.

Imagine if the Minnesota Vikings owner saw Vancouver and could only pay for 49% of BC Place to house his Vikings team? Much cheaper than a new stadium in Los Angeles or the prices they're kicking around to build a new stadium in Minnesota. If Vancouver and/or Toronto get an NFL team then the CFL will be in serious peril. Might be good for two dots on the Canadian map but the rest of the country would be reduced to summer/fall anonymity.

Dominic In Vancouver

P.S. I think Canada is much better with it's own pro football league. Save the NFL dream for a two hour drive down the highway. A consortium of Lions owners would stay well clear of the NFL compared to the likely chosen football endeavours of Aquilini.

[notahomer]

Buono's dealt with both ends of the ownership spectrum, IMO. The Meddler Owner who wants his son to be the starter, NOT GOOD. And the hands off owner. I thought this was the better option (still is,IMO) but it has its weaknesses too. I think the Canucks owner would be a purrfect fit. To follow his Canucks blueprint he'd hire off the map ala Mike Gillis and the new GM and seperate Head Coach would do well or be gone. So, one owner owning the Argos and Lions OR one owner owning the Canucks and Lions. My votes the later but I'm still grateful for Braley's contibutions to the CFL.

[David]

I don't think Aquilini could contain himself to pursue merely CFL football when the possibilty of the NFL is staring him in the face. That is the flaw I see in him owning the Lions. I don't question his intelligence. I only question his motives.

Dominc In Vancouver

Despite Vancouverites feeling all warm and gooey about our place on the world map after successfully hosting a Winter Olympics, there is virtually no strong argument for the NFL to put a team here. We're about the 24th ranked North American media market, have a low corporate base, a stadium that would hold 7,000 fewer seats than the current lowest capacity (Soldier Field @ 61,500) and would face stiff opposition from the Seahawks as they rely on this region for fan support.

I for one, am happy to make a 2 hour trek on Sundays if I want to catch NFL football.

DH

[Lions4ever]

I don't think Aquilini could contain himself to pursue merely CFL football when the possibilty of the NFL is staring him in the face. That is the flaw I see in him owning the Lions. I don't question his intelligence. I only question his motives.

Dominc In Vancouver

Despite Vancouverites feeling all warm and gooey about our place on the world map after successfully hosting a Winter Olympics, there is virtually no strong argument for the NFL to put a team here. We're about the 24th ranked North American media market, have a low corporate base, a stadium that would hold 7,000 fewer seats than the current lowest capacity (Soldier Field @ 61,500) and would face stiff opposition from the Seahawks as they rely on this region for fan support.

I for one, am happy to make a 2 hour trek on Sundays if I want to catch NFL football.

DH

I agree. The NFL ain't coming to Vancouver. Never. For all the reasons you enumerate and more. Besides, how rich is Aquilini personally? The NFL requires that teams be owned by individuals, not corporations. He would have to be able to personally peel off of his bankroll something in the range of $750M - $1B for a franchise.

[WestCoastJoe]

Despite Vancouverites feeling all warm and gooey about our place on the world map after successfully hosting a Winter Olympics, there is virtually no strong argument for the NFL to put a team here. We're about the 24th ranked North American media market, have a low corporate base, a stadium that would hold 7,000 fewer seats than the current lowest capacity (Soldier Field @ 61,500) and would face stiff opposition from the Seahawks as they rely on this region for fan support.

I for one, am happy to make a 2 hour trek on Sundays if I want to catch NFL football.

DH

Yup. The U.S. can have the NFL. And it is right there in Seattle for Vancouverites who want to take in a game.

Plus the CFL games are just more interesting. I find the athleticism and size of the NFL defences tend to snuff out the offences on those little, wee fields. It's a constant stream of train collisions with a few runs, catches and Run After Catch (Madden's phrase) yards thrown in.
......

While on this topic, IMO the U.S. can keep MLB and the NBA also. Baseball still has some charm for me. Not so much with the NBA (Maybe when LeBron, Dwyane and Bosh retire ... Nah).

[swervynmerv]

So 1 year later, different QB at the helm, same poor results. Casey was made into a scapegoat last year and while it looked like it may have been true after we turned the ship around, we're right back where we were one year later. Is it the players? Or the coaching? Tough to blame the players when despite adding new players on a consistent basis no one seems to be able to execute the scheme.

I have been a Lions fan since 1974. As a teenager I used to go to every day of training camp when it was held in the Okanagan to see Fernandez, Crawford, Hebler and the bunch.
What has me most concerned today is after last night's game I woke up today feeling betrayed and angry. I don't expect the Lions to win every year and lets face it, they usually don't. As a fan what I expect to see on a consistant basis is a good game and effort and a chance to win every game. Some seasons will be great, others not as good. I love the CFL game and the Lions are my team but last night's performance was a new low for me as a fan.I used to laugh at teams like the Argos and Tiger Cats who went 3-15 and could barely win a game.

However, this 35+ year fan can't help feel betrayed by the current ownership and management and their, IMHO, lack of care. Braley and Buono are basicaly telling us as fans that nothing is wrong and all the players need to do is execute. Pauser is dead on. The players have changed. How many guys have wore the Lions jersey the last four or five years? You can't change all the players, they can't be all bad. Eventually the coaches must be held accountable.

If the players arent' good enough then that is Wally the GM's fault. If the coaches can't coach, then that is Wally the Head coaches fault since he hired Chap and MB. So in either case we have a problem and that is Braley's department.

Braley has been great for the CFL and has single-handedly saved it many times and for that he should be commended. But to sit by for two seasons and do nothing while Wally says that nothing is wrong with the Coaching or the culture is negligance.

Somebody get Wally a Jacket because he has no clothes and Braley is playing the violoin while Rome is burning!!

[tigerrr22]

Despite Vancouverites feeling all warm and gooey about our place on the world map after successfully hosting a Winter Olympics, there is virtually no strong argument for the NFL to put a team here. We're about the 24th ranked North American media market, have a low corporate base, a stadium that would hold 7,000 fewer seats than the current lowest capacity (Soldier Field @ 61,500) and would face stiff opposition from the Seahawks as they rely on this region for fan support.

I for one, am happy to make a 2 hour trek on Sundays if I want to catch NFL football.

DH

Yup. The U.S. can have the NFL. And it is right there in Seattle for Vancouverites who want to take in a game.

Plus the CFL games are just more interesting. I find the athleticism and size of the NFL defences tend to snuff out the offences on those little, wee fields. It's a constant stream of train collisions with a few runs, catches and Run After Catch (Madden's phrase) yards thrown in.
......

While on this topic, IMO the U.S. can keep MLB and the NBA also. Baseball still has some charm for me. Not so much with the NBA (Maybe when LeBron, Dwyane and Bosh retire ... Nah).

The 45 second play clock is ridiculous too. If they went to a 30 second play clock then the players would have to lose some weight on the lines. (Greater cardio vascular fitness level needed.) Would open up things a bit. But when I've been to Seahawk games it almost feels like your waiting for a bus, between plays, without the TV replay or promo running between plays to be hypnotized by. The extra time outs for TV or coaches add to the time consuming lack of action at an NFL game live.

I don't think NFL types are on this site much either. They far out number the CFL fans in Vancouver. In Vancouver and Toronto the CFL just has a universal perception problem by these masses. (Especially in Toronto where the thinking is " We are Canada and Canada is Toronto." Winnipeg, Regina, Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton & Ottawa, soon, are able to appreciate the CFL. They are cities that still have a solid middle class. Too many people in Vancouver and Toronto just can't get over themselves. Or just can't be anything but globalized and dreaming of one passport to cyberspace. This is a challenge for the CFL when the biggest cities spend the smallest amounts of money on the league. (Hamilton is out drawing Toronto by about 4,000 fans per game.)

I don't think Vancouver can support the NFL long term either. Too expensive to keep up that level of ticket buying. ($120 + cheap seats and up.) What if the Canadian dollar collapses again? Can $120 cheap seats be a price to pack BC Place when the third year Vancouver Vikings are 3-8 and out of the playoffs for another season? The NFL types of Vancouver can talk the talk but they can't walk the walk. They're really just plasma screen blobs that remain seated all Sunday pretending that they live in Little America when nobody is looking. But as long as the NFL is every where you look then the CFL is a joke league to all of these globalized Gods of Little America. Ten times the population for four times the teams means massive TV dollars. Thats 90% of the difference between the leagues. Factor in the different physical requirements for certain player positions and that blurrs the skill level difference even more.

Dominic In Vancouver

[CatsEyes]

And if the players are all bad, doesn't that come down to scouting too?

[Bosco]

This team started to slide the day Bob Ackles passed away.

I would also look at the way that the Lions are marketed, yet another aspect of the organization that has gone south since the passing of Bobby Ackles. Where are the lunchboxes / backpack / bobble head giveaways that were a staple of the Lions organization when Ackles was in charge? Surely, companies such as B.C Hydro (although they seem to have their own problems these days) Telus and Tim Hortons could team up with the Lions, but over the last few years there have been no such fan giveaways to speak of. Heck, the Lions have even stopped making team calendars - which were also a staple of season ticket packages.

One constant before and after Ackles last term with the Lions? George Chayka.

[notahomer]

This team started to slide the day Bob Ackles passed away.

I would also look at the way that the Lions are marketed, yet another aspect of the organization that has gone south since the passing of Bobby Ackles. Where are the lunchboxes / backpack / bobble head giveaways that were a staple of the Lions organization when Ackles was in charge? Surely, companies such as B.C Hydro (although they seem to have their own problems these days) Telus and Tim Hortons could team up with the Lions, but over the last few years there have been no such fan giveaways to speak of. Heck, the Lions have even stopped making team calendars - which were also a staple of season ticket packages.

One constant before and after Ackles last term with the Lions? George Chayka.

Great point!!! The Ackles led Lions under-promised and OVER-DELIVERED in every category save Grey Cups, IMO. I came home from work one day and there was this card from Canada Post saying they'd tried to deliver a package. A package? I hadn't ordered anything!!! It was a copy of Ackles book the Waterboy sent to all season ticket holders (free of charge).

Now I get hassled by my friends. Hah, hah I watch the game at home drinking my beer and you are dumb enough to pay hundreds of bucks to go watch the Lions get hammered. WHy not just quit going to the games and watch them at HOME???? Well, I'm a CFL fan, the Lions/TSN can show the games on TV, I'll still go watch at the stadium. But those Ackles days sure made it easier to have ammo to toss back.......

[tigerrr22]

This team started to slide the day Bob Ackles passed away.

I would also look at the way that the Lions are marketed, yet another aspect of the organization that has gone south since the passing of Bobby Ackles. Where are the lunchboxes / backpack / bobble head giveaways that were a staple of the Lions organization when Ackles was in charge? Surely, companies such as B.C Hydro (although they seem to have their own problems these days) Telus and Tim Hortons could team up with the Lions, but over the last few years there have been no such fan giveaways to speak of. Heck, the Lions have even stopped making team calendars - which were also a staple of season ticket packages.

One constant before and after Ackles last term with the Lions? George Chayka.

Great point!!! The Ackles led Lions under-promised and OVER-DELIVERED in every category save Grey Cups, IMO. I came home from work one day and there was this card from Canada Post saying they'd tried to deliver a package. A package? I hadn't ordered anything!!! It was a copy of Ackles book the Waterboy sent to all season ticket holders (free of charge).

Now I get hassled by my friends. Hah, hah I watch the game at home drinking my beer and you are dumb enough to pay hundreds of bucks to go watch the Lions get hammered. WHy not just quit going to the games and watch them at HOME???? Well, I'm a CFL fan, the Lions/TSN can show the games on TV, I'll still go watch at the stadium. But those Ackles days sure made it easier to have ammo to toss back.......

You can bet Scott Ackles knows the secret to CFL success too! I hope he one day continues the Ackles' Legacy in BC!

Dominic in Vancouver

[sj-roc]

I would also look at the way that the Lions are marketed, yet another aspect of the organization that has gone south since the passing of Bobby Ackles. Where are the lunchboxes / backpack / bobble head giveaways that were a staple of the Lions organization when Ackles was in charge? Surely, companies such as B.C Hydro (although they seem to have their own problems these days) Telus and Tim Hortons could team up with the Lions, but over the last few years there have been no such fan giveaways to speak of. Heck, the Lions have even stopped making team calendars - which were also a staple of season ticket packages.

A quote from The Water Boy applies well here: "Someone decided, 'Oh, that's a lot of work. Let's not bother.' "

[TheLionKing]

Put a good product on the field, put the right people in management, get better marketing than what you have and people will turn out in droves.

X2 Right now, the Lions are a poor product, poor management, poor coaching and even poorer marketing.

[TheLionKing]

This team started to slide the day Bob Ackles passed away.

I would also look at the way that the Lions are marketed, yet another aspect of the organization that has gone south since the passing of Bobby Ackles. Where are the lunchboxes / backpack / bobble head giveaways that were a staple of the Lions organization when Ackles was in charge? Surely, companies such as B.C Hydro (although they seem to have their own problems these days) Telus and Tim Hortons could team up with the Lions, but over the last few years there have been no such fan giveaways to speak of. Heck, the Lions have even stopped making team calendars - which were also a staple of season ticket packages.

One constant before and after Ackles last term with the Lions? George Chayka.

My niece has been looking to buy a Lions shirt for her daughter. Nothing. The sales rep told her it's coming. We're almost half way through the season and "it's coming" She had absolutely no problem getting Canuck gear for her daughter

[Anglophone]

In Metrotown, they still haven't recieved jerseys for this year. Think about that. The season is almost half over - and you can't get a jersey because they haven't been shipped.