Braley Wants to Sell Lions

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SammyGreene
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Man, those are some pretty staggering losses regarding the Als’ franchise in recent years. $12.8 million in 2018 alone. Really?
And not overly comforting to know the new owners are Ontario businessmen that are 89 and 65 years of age respectively.
Still think the ideal situation would be someone to swoop in and purchase and Lions and Whitecaps at the same time and also take over BC Place.
What would we be hearing about the Argos situation these days if they weren’t just a small piece of MLSE that also happens to run BMO Field.?
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jwbavalon wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2020 5:36 pm
I know it is an apples to oranges comparison but the Seahawks have an estimated value of $2.8 billion. As a minimum, the cost of a NFL franchise is $1B. I remember when the CFL salaries were higher than the "old" NFL.
Have never been but guessing an NFL game day experience is $100 + minimum.

What secret ingredient is involved that allows NFL teams to fill their stadiums despite the opportunity for fans to stay home and watch on tv?
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B.C.FAN
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Murdoch wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 1:16 pm
Have never been but guessing an NFL game day experience is $100 + minimum.

What secret ingredient is involved that allows NFL teams to fill their stadiums despite the opportunity for fans to stay home and watch on tv?
Spectator sports play a much bigger role in American culture. From high school to college and professional sports, Americans are a lot more passionate about supporting their home teams in person.
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David
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NFL attendance has dropped nearly 5% since 2016, to an average of 66,151. That is their lowest average attendance of the entire decade. I know, it's a problem we'd love to have, right? But the days of all NFL games being automatic sellouts "because it's the NFL" are over. It's happening in lots of markets too: Jacksonville, Cincinnati, Washington, Tampa Bay, to name a few, all playing to plenty of empty seats. US college football attendance is down as well. Attendance across major college football has declined nationally for seven consecutive years!

https://www.statista.com/statistics/249 ... n-the-nfl/


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jwbavalon
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"What secret ingredient is involved that allows NFL teams to fill their stadiums despite the opportunity for fans to stay home and watch on tv?"

I think a few reasons, the population in the US, Fantasy Football and single game betting. Even with attendance down, the numbers are still very large. The fantasy football and gambling keep people engaged all the time.

Just my thoughts as it is no solution for the CFL.
JohnnyMusso
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And marketing. The NFL is marketed very well and is I think the popular sport in the US, ahead of baseball and basketball. The CFL cannot even compare to the NFL. The NFL blows it out of the water in terms of popularity and perception among the general public.
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David
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Celebrity ownership can be a risky venture, especially if they are not huge, passionate, long-term fans. Can they stomach losing (games, money) or will this a blow to their ego? That said, I've long thought that someone like Ryan Reynolds would be an interesting match for our Lions. He has huge cache, is local, and a mega-star with deep pockets. He may be able to kick-start a new era of excitement for our club with such a huge celebrity endorsement. Help connect with younger fans (I recall him saying something nice on-air about the Lions last year).

Fortunately or unfortunately, he is considering purchasing an English football side according to reports today:

https://www.reporter.am/film-star-reyno ... exham-afc/


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B.C.FAN
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Nothing against Reynolds but I prefer an ownership group with deep business connections in the community. I don't know that local celebrity part-ownership has helped the Vancouver Whitecaps (Steve Nash) Giants (Michael Buble).

It doesn't seem to matter much anyway. I doubt that Braley would ever approve any new owner. It will be left for his heirs to take whatever money is offered and run.
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David
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B.C.FAN wrote:
Wed Sep 23, 2020 2:55 pm
Nothing against Reynolds but I prefer an ownership group with deep business connections in the community. I don't know that local celebrity part-ownership has helped the Vancouver Whitecaps (Steve Nash) Giants (Michael Buble).

It doesn't seem to matter much anyway. I doubt that Braley would ever approve any new owner. It will be left for his heirs to take whatever money is offered and run.
That would likely be my preference as well, B.C.FAN. But I am not sure I would equate a RR ownership with Nash and Buble. Those two seem to offer little more than obligatory celebrity endorsements with little skin in the game (minority owner figureheads?) than actual owners that Reynolds/McElhenney would be. The last time it happened was McNall, Gretzky, and Candy with the Argos, IIRC.

Why they selected a Welsh soccer club I am not sure, but I wouldn't bet against B.C. Lions "tire-kicking" if they ever decide to add more sports franchises to their portfolio. He still seems quite attached to his hometown (will Braley ever sell, is the better question as you point out)


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Murdoch
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Anything new given the developments?

Curious if a $10 million offer would be considered.
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Hambone
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Murdoch wrote:
Mon Jan 18, 2021 9:45 am
Anything new given the developments?

Curious if a $10 million offer would be considered.
Unless the estate is willing to dump the team at a fire sale price a fraction of $10M I doubt there will be anything new to report until the CFL has the green light to start playing with fans in the stands. Realistically why would anybody want to buy the Lions or any other CFL team for that matter until they know the CFL has survived the pandemic?
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Murdoch
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Hambone wrote:
Mon Jan 18, 2021 1:53 pm
Unless the estate is willing to dump the team at a fire sale price a fraction of $10M I doubt there will be anything new to report until the CFL has the green light to start playing with fans in the stands. Realistically why would anybody want to buy the Lions or any other CFL team for that matter until they know the CFL has survived the pandemic?
The recent player signings surely means someone knows something and that there will be a season. No reason to make an announcement now that might change prior to opening day. I would speculate the upcoming collective agreement may be a more critical factor influencing the future of the league for potential investors. Still $10 million without assuming any debt is not a lot of money for a storied franchise.
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Hambone
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Murdoch wrote:
Mon Jan 18, 2021 2:14 pm
Hambone wrote:
Mon Jan 18, 2021 1:53 pm
Unless the estate is willing to dump the team at a fire sale price a fraction of $10M I doubt there will be anything new to report until the CFL has the green light to start playing with fans in the stands. Realistically why would anybody want to buy the Lions or any other CFL team for that matter until they know the CFL has survived the pandemic?
The recent player signings surely means someone knows something and that there will be a season. No reason to make an announcement now that might change prior to opening day. I would speculate the upcoming collective agreement may be a more critical factor influencing the future of the league for potential investors. Still $10 million without assuming any debt is not a lot of money for a storied franchise.
I'm bullish that there will be a 2021 season in some form or another but don't believe what form it might take shape in will be known until literally the eve of training camp. Supposedly Braley left the club with a nice nest egg to see them through the next 2 or 3 years. While it may be true $10M would buy a team without debt it's also true that unless the team is able to operate with fans in the stands that $10M would also come with guaranteed immediate and substantial losses moving forward. There really is no difference between assuming a substantial debt and assuming guaranteed losses. I'm thinking it will be 2023 before the league situation will correct itself to the point where the club is a viable purchase option for prospective buyers.
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Sir Purrcival
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I'm also hopeful that the Lions might get a bit of a shot in the arm (pun intended) after the pandemic is finally under control. People have been sitting at home, doing the isolation thing and when the gates finally open, people may be eager and willing for any and all social pursuits. Maybe this will impact the Lions.
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Reg18
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I like the kdeas of the woodall Keith group with one change. After they buy the lions foit 1$ then they should sell half the shares at 100$ each to fans and we could end up a community owned team with a rabid fan base of owners. That would stoke community interest big time. The generated public enthusiasm would enable the big shareholders to recoup their investment quickly. Lets fill the dome again!
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