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Parkdale
06-01-2011, 10:55 AM
http://www.thegridto.com/city/people/qa-maple-leaf-sports-bigwig-tom-anselmi/

they didn't ask him about his Diary entries though.... ;)


I recently read that Raptors tickets are going to come down in price by 30 per cent next season. Were you involved in that decision?
Definitely. Prices had crept too high over the past few years. We’ve been rebuilding our team and we’ve had some erosion of our fan base. So I’d rather sell 100 tickets at 10 bucks than 10 tickets at 100 bucks.


Any chance of a similar drop for Leafs tickets?
We have frozen our prices over the last couple of years but it’s really a whole different business.


So don’t get your hopes up?
Prices will remain flat for next year.


How optimistic are you about TFC’s prospects?
We’ve had some good wins this season. We recently tied Colorado, the 2010 league champions, and we were short some of our best players. It’s also great to see the rivalry with Vancouver heating up.


Thirty years from now, can you imagine soccer being as big in Toronto as hockey is now?
Absolutely. Soccer is the number one sport for about six billion of the eight billion people on the planet. We just announced a new $20-million training facility at Downsview, which will be huge. In the next 30 years, we’re going to be developing players for the national team. Canada is going to qualify for the World Cup.


Attendance went up when Toronto played L.A. Galaxy at BMO Field last month. Is there any effort to attract a David Beckham of our own?
Well, Beckham is an international icon—a celebrity as much as a soccer player, so it’s a little different. We’re not looking for someone to help sell tickets, we just need players who can help us win.

Parkdale
06-01-2011, 10:57 AM
it's a bit of a puff piece, but I figured you guys would like to see it.

Gazza
06-01-2011, 10:58 AM
He certainly says all the right things.

But not even HE can spoil my mood for tonight's game:)

TFC07
06-01-2011, 10:59 AM
I recently read that Raptors tickets are going to come down in price by 30 per cent next season. Were you involved in that decision?


Definitely. Prices had crept too high over the past few years. We’ve been rebuilding our team and we’ve had some erosion of our fan base. So I’d rather sell 100 tickets at 10 bucks than 10 tickets at 100 bucks.WOW!

ryan
06-01-2011, 11:10 AM
WOW!

Be sure to bring up that quote next year when the crowds get smaller.

trane
06-01-2011, 11:12 AM
Mr. Anslemi, do you envision TFC ever being good?


Hahahahaha. Of course not, why would we want that? Hahahaha.

Darlofletch
06-01-2011, 11:12 AM
Be sure to bring up that quote next year when the crowds get smaller.

supply and demand! apples and oranges!

scooter
06-01-2011, 11:18 AM
Be sure to bring up that quote next year when the crowds get smaller.

when the crowds get smaller can they get any smaller than they already are this season
last saturday the stadium was not even half full
anybody know the ficticious anouncement of attendance was ?

its transfer window time and hopefully mariner has something up his sleeve cause this ship is going down fast

Parkdale
06-01-2011, 11:21 AM
when the crowds get smaller can they get any smaller than they already are this season
last saturday the stadium was not even half full
anybody know the ficticious anouncement of attendance was ?


according to the MLS site : Attendance: 20,122 (http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2011-05-28-toronto-fc-vs-philadelphia-union/recap)


http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss197/kibaboa/lol-face.jpg

TFCRegina
06-01-2011, 11:23 AM
Not to nitpick, but the latest estimates of the World Population are around 7 billion, not 8.

Not that it's a big deal or anything, he's only off by a whole billion people.

Waggy
06-01-2011, 11:26 AM
Not to nitpick, but the latest estimates of the World Population are around 7 billion, not 8.

Not that it's a big deal or anything, he's only off by a whole billion people.

Explains the attendance numbers

menefreghista
06-01-2011, 11:27 AM
anybody know the ficticious anouncement of attendance was ?

20,122

http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2011/05/toronto-thrown-around-home

Beach_Red
06-01-2011, 11:37 AM
Not to nitpick, but the latest estimates of the World Population are around 7 billion, not 8.

Not that it's a big deal or anything, he's only off by a whole billion people.


A billion here, a billion there....

But his point is right, soccer can be as big as hockey in Toronto.

ryan
06-01-2011, 11:40 AM
A billion here, a billion there....

But his point is right, soccer can be as big as hockey in Toronto.

If MLSE has nothing to do with it...

Redcoe15
06-01-2011, 11:42 AM
A billion here, a billion there....

But his point is right, soccer can be as big as hockey in Toronto.
It could. But I highly doubt that the hockey obsessed media here will allow for that to happen.

menefreghista
06-01-2011, 11:45 AM
The part about not signing a DP to sell tickets is interesting. Either they are convinced that all they need to turn things around is winning, or they are not leading anyone on to how bad the demand is.

Ossington Mental Youth
06-01-2011, 11:54 AM
could be a bit of both with a bit towards the former.
I dont believe they dont wanna win, i just think they have taken all the worst/wrong steps in attempting to achieve it

menefreghista
06-01-2011, 11:57 AM
I dont believe they dont wanna win

I never for a second ever thought the TFC FO guys didn't want to win.

They simply did and continue to do such a shit job running this team that it makes it difficult for us to win.

mastermixer
06-01-2011, 11:59 AM
A billion here, a billion there....

But his point is right, soccer can be as big as hockey in Toronto.

The US is about 10 years ahead of us on the development of soccer, and it still is peanuts compared to the other major North American sports in terms of recognition.

Beach_Red
06-01-2011, 12:11 PM
It could. But I highly doubt that the hockey obsessed media here will allow for that to happen.


Maybe you're right. But everytime I hear this I think back to when I was a kid and the NFL was a far distant second to baseball and MLB's place couldn't be questioned. Besides, the more popular a sport the more the media can make money from it.

The US sports market is different than Canada's. Just the addition of college sports makes a huge difference. Some markets in the US could have soccer in the top three sports and in some it just won't register.

But if TFC had been handled better the #2 spot in Toronto was theirs for the taking five years ago.

ManUtd4ever
06-01-2011, 12:11 PM
Well, at the very least, the article gives me hope that MLSE would be willing to address the ticket pricing issue when the seasons ticket holder base starts to dwindle next season.

menefreghista
06-01-2011, 12:15 PM
But if TFC had been handled better the #2 spot in Toronto was theirs for the taking five years ago.

I agree.

And right now the Blue Jays are well on their way to talking the #2 spot back and people old enough will remember there was a time where the battled the Leafs for the #1 spot.

I went to a Jays game a few weeks back and the thing I noticed the most was how young the crowd was. Lots of fans in there 20's and 30's at the game. The crowd wasn't as old as it use to be.

C.Ronaldo
06-01-2011, 12:45 PM
I agree.

And right now the Blue Jays are well on their way to talking the #2 spot back and people old enough will remember there was a time where the battled the Leafs for the #1 spot.

I went to a Jays game a few weeks back and the thing I noticed the most was how young the crowd was. Lots of fans in there 20's and 30's at the game. The crowd wasn't as old as it use to be.

I turned am a born again Jays fan.

total baseball - stealing, decent pitching, and home runs

menefreghista
06-01-2011, 12:52 PM
I turned am a born again Jays fan.

total baseball - stealing, decent pitching, and home runs

LOL. Total baseball, I love it.

I've always been a Jays fan. But than again, I've always been a fan of all of Toronto's teams (although I don't really care about the Argos and Rock but I do hope they do well).

They Jays can sell hope at least. TFC is trying to sell hope but it appears the fanbase isn't buying it, yet.

Globetrotter
06-01-2011, 12:56 PM
If the jays are at their best, and TFC are at theirs (league leaders), baseball will trump soccer. Perhaps with another generation or generation and a half soccer might usurp baseball, but at the moment soccer being more popular (even underground support) is wishful thinking (or biased).

TFC07
06-01-2011, 01:09 PM
If the jays are at their best, and TFC are at theirs (league leaders), baseball will trump soccer. Perhaps with another generation or generation and a half soccer might usurp baseball, but at the moment soccer being more popular (even underground support) is wishful thinking (or biased).

Baseball is dying sport in Canada. The fact old baseball fields in GTA are being converted into soccer and cricket fields says a lot. Blue Jays in the long haul are going to suffer (if they haven't already) because popularity of baseball is on decline in GTA and rest of Canada. Also, having pro soccer teams in 3 big Canadian markets will just help to grow soccer in Canada even more.

Soccer (and basketball) has more potential to be a threat to hockey in Toronto than baseball.

The problem with TFC is their shit management and quality of the team/league. Once quality of league improvements and TFC start winning (plus Canada playing in World Cup regularly) then we'll see TFC take over Toronto.

Parkdale
06-01-2011, 01:24 PM
if 'people playing' a sport directly related to it's popularity.... then NFL style football (and CFL) would be long dead, and hockey would be next on the hit list.

I think the Jays are having a revival.

the cost of a game is so cheap that it's attracting a TON of people from the condos next to the dome,
and Hipsters everywhere are sporting Jays caps without Irony.

TFCRegina
06-01-2011, 01:26 PM
I turned am a born again Jays fan.

total baseball - stealing, decent pitching, and home runs

Since reading Moneyball, I've started to care more about baseball and the fact that the Jays are doing alright this year is making me more interested.

TFC07
06-01-2011, 01:29 PM
if 'people playing' a sport directly related to it's popularity.... then NFL style football (and CFL) would be long dead, and hockey would be next on the hit list.

I think the Jays are having a revival.

the cost of a game is so cheap that it's attracting a TON of people from the condos next to the dome,
and Hipsters everywhere are sporting Jays caps without Irony.

It's also based on aging fanbase. Jays attendance isn't that great anymore (but they're lucky they have Yankees and Red Sox come often to Toronto).

Right now, it just there's a lot of hype around the jays since other teams are shit and Jays are selling hope to Toronto.

menefreghista
06-01-2011, 01:31 PM
It's also based on aging fanbase. Jays attendance isn't that great anymore (but they're lucky they have Yankees and Red Sox come often to Toronto).

Right now, it just there's a lot of hype around the jays since other teams are shit and Jays are selling hope to Toronto.

Like I said, you would be shocked at how young the crowd at Jays games are these days.

Its a similar yuppy crowd TFC gets.

Parkdale
06-01-2011, 01:31 PM
It's also based on aging fanbase. Jays attendance isn't that great anymore (but they're lucky they have Yankees and Red Sox come often to Toronto).


but see the post in this thread where someone said young people are starting to turn up at Jays games?


I went to a Jays game a few weeks back and the thing I noticed the most was how young the crowd was. Lots of fans in there 20's and 30's at the game. The crowd wasn't as old as it use to be.


With all the condos around there filled with childless 20's and 30's... a cheap sports night is bound to attract people.

I really see the Jays as being the sports story of the summer.

menefreghista
06-01-2011, 01:39 PM
I really see the Jays as being the sports story of the summer.

Especially with the hype around Jose Bautista increasing.

ryan
06-01-2011, 01:41 PM
Especially with the hype around Jose Bautista increasing.

They are competitive!

Provided the other AL East teams don't soar to a +20 above .500 mark, we'll be in it till at least September.

Parkdale
06-01-2011, 01:41 PM
Especially with the hype around Jose Bautista increasing.


yep.

ask the 'average toronto sports fan' to name a player on TFC.... and I bet a good chunk would still say 'DeRo'.

ManUtd4ever
06-01-2011, 01:43 PM
if 'people playing' a sport directly related to it's popularity.... then NFL style football (and CFL) would be long dead, and hockey would be next on the hit list.

I think the Jays are having a revival.

the cost of a game is so cheap that it's attracting a TON of people from the condos next to the dome,
and Hipsters everywhere are sporting Jays caps without Irony.

Agreed.

Oldtimer
06-01-2011, 01:56 PM
Like I said, you would be shocked at how young the crowd at Jays games are these days.

Its a similar yuppy crowd TFC used to get.

FYP :(

C.Ronaldo
06-01-2011, 02:15 PM
Baseball is dying sport in Canada. The fact old baseball fields in GTA are being converted into soccer and cricket fields says a lot. Blue Jays in the long haul are going to suffer (if they haven't already) because popularity of baseball is on decline in GTA and rest of Canada. Also, having pro soccer teams in 3 big Canadian markets will just help to grow soccer in Canada even more.

Soccer (and basketball) has more potential to be a threat to hockey in Toronto than baseball.

The problem with TFC is their shit management and quality of the team/league. Once quality of league improvements and TFC start winning (plus Canada playing in World Cup regularly) then we'll see TFC take over Toronto.

Basketball is on the decline to, and not just here in Toronto.

and while we are at it, Sadly nascar is on the uprise.
just wait until that track is built

Globetrotter
06-01-2011, 02:45 PM
If the jays are at their best, and TFC are at theirs (league leaders), baseball will trump soccer. Perhaps with another generation or generation and a half soccer might usurp baseball, but at the moment soccer being more popular (even underground support) is wishful thinking (or biased).


Baseball is dying sport in Canada. The fact old baseball fields in GTA are being converted into soccer and cricket fields says a lot. Blue Jays in the long haul are going to suffer (if they haven't already) because popularity of baseball is on decline in GTA and rest of Canada. Also, having pro soccer teams in 3 big Canadian markets will just help to grow soccer in Canada even more.

Soccer (and basketball) has more potential to be a threat to hockey in Toronto than baseball.

The problem with TFC is their shit management and quality of the team/league. Once quality of league improvements and TFC start winning (plus Canada playing in World Cup regularly) then we'll see TFC take over Toronto.

Is your response in agreement, and you are just repeating what I've said? I said right now baseball>soccer. All you said talks quite a few years down the line... like what i suggested was still a generation away.

Canada is still a really white country, and it will be some time before we see cricket fields leading the way. Basketball is no rival Canada wide. Talk of any sport here surpassing hockey is complete gibberish.

Baseball is still a massively popular sport. Even if kids play soccer, that doesn't mean they can name TFC, Whitecaps, Impact, or even Man U players. I bet you though an 8 year kid that plays baseball in Kelowna, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, or Saint John could name a player on the Jays.

Young people are going to Jays games, and paying attention to them. School trips go to games. Elderly people listen to it on the radio or TV. Like I said, it's still at least a generation before soccer could truly move ahead of baseball in popularity.

Toronto_Bhoy
06-01-2011, 02:58 PM
We've had some good wins this year.

Tom. We only have TWO win this year!

McBrace
06-01-2011, 03:00 PM
I have never experianced a bad win...lol...

BFin
06-01-2011, 03:18 PM
Sports are cyclical. Basketball is only on the decline because the Raptors stink right now.

When Vince Carter, Antonio Davis and the crew were here it was sold out every night. That lasted for 4-5 years before we began our current cycle of poor play and the crowds started dwindling. If the Raptors begin winning 50 games a year the crowds will turn out.

Jays weren't drawing people because they were bad and didn't offer much optimism in the form of a Home Run king, a great group of prospects, a young pitching staff with lots of upside...they do now and the crowds are starting to come back.

Point is, win and you will get the crowd in Toronto...no matter what major professional sport you're in.

brad
06-01-2011, 03:25 PM
if 'people playing' a sport directly related to it's popularity.... then NFL style football (and CFL) would be long dead, and hockey would be next on the hit list.

I think the Jays are having a revival.

the cost of a game is so cheap that it's attracting a TON of people from the condos next to the dome,
and Hipsters everywhere are sporting Jays caps without Irony.

And soccer would be the number one sport in both Canada and the US.

ensco
06-01-2011, 03:42 PM
Tom. We only have TWO win this year!

Tom doesn't understand that beating Deadmonton doesn't count.

scooterTFC
06-01-2011, 03:58 PM
Am I the only person who notices that beer prices seemed hire for the Beckham game?

brad
06-01-2011, 04:05 PM
Am I the only person who notices that beer prices seemed hire for the Beckham game?

You know what, I bought a bottle of water at that game and the price was higher. I remember thinking - the buggers raised the prices to make up for declining ticket sales.

Next game the prices had dropped back off.

Davenport
06-01-2011, 04:35 PM
Mr. Anselmi. It's obvious you know fook all about soccer, so I'll ask you a general question.
Why is your head so big ?

GBV
06-01-2011, 04:47 PM
If the jays are at their best, and TFC are at theirs (league leaders), baseball will trump soccer. Perhaps with another generation or generation and a half soccer might usurp baseball, but at the moment soccer being more popular (even underground support) is wishful thinking (or biased).

of course, but the jays play in the biggest/best/richest/best-known baseball league in the world. as do leafs and raptors in their respective sports. that right there is next to impossible to "trump" ... should any or all of those teams be in first place etc.

Mikey
06-01-2011, 07:18 PM
FIXED....

I recently read that Raptors tickets are going to come down in price by 30 per cent next season. Were you involved in that decision?
Definitely not. I had an eastern european black market organ selling - Raptors ticket exchange operation ready to go once we hit leafs prices, but some marketing dipshit said we cant do that until Harper has been in power for a bit longer.

Any chance of a similar drop for Leafs tickets?
WHAT? FUCK NO!, print that shit and I'll have you shot.

So don’t get your hopes up?
Hopes? I'm sorry I thought you said Leafs.

How optimistic are you about TFC’s prospects?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHA. Fuck, did you see that, my coffee came out of my nose. hahahahaahahahahahahhaha.

Thirty years from now, can you imagine soccer being as big in Toronto as hockey is now?
Absolutely. I'll get those ticket prices up to Leafs level somehow, and I can see the crowd sizes at er, whatsit, that soccer park place, coming down to match the ACC crowds real soon.

Attendance went up when Toronto played L.A. Galaxy at BMO Field last month. Is there any effort to attract a David Beckham of our own?
Two words... Justin fuckin' Beiber, on the wing.
No seriously, it's far too early to start any DP rumours, ticket renewals is not until September.

Macksam
06-01-2011, 07:37 PM
While the Jays are more popular right now, TFC will eventually do to the Jays what the Flyers have done to the 76ers in Philadelphia.

Pookie
06-01-2011, 08:50 PM
Ticket pricing is such an interesting subject because there are theories abound about what constitutes a fair price.

In the end though, it really appears to be a simple equation. It doesn't come down to star players. It doesn't come down to winning records. It generally comes down to disposable income and market demographics.

If you make a general assumption that those that attend one sport are also likely to attend games from other sports, you can see that as market prices climb in one sport, it impacts the other. They aren't mutually exclusive.

When MLSE says that it is pricing their tickets relative to other sports in the city, that may be true. The problem is that our disposable incomes are finite.

Simply put, if I have $1,000 to spend annually on sport tickets, I can spread that around if prices are reasonable. If my TFC ticket is $400, I might be able to spend $200 on the Jays, $100 on the Raptors and take in a Leaf game for the other $300.

If it costs me $1,000 bucks for TFC tickets, I am not able to go to the other events.

As MLSE raises the prices for one of their properties, their other teams likely feel the pinch at the gate.

Worth noting too that MLSE was the 2nd highest in net operating income when they were charging 2008 level prices.

swan
06-01-2011, 09:17 PM
Ticket pricing is such an interesting subject because there are theories abound about what constitutes a fair price.

In the end though, it really appears to be a simple equation. It doesn't come down to star players. It doesn't come down to winning records. It generally comes down to disposable income and market demographics.

If you make a general assumption that those that attend one sport are also likely to attend games from other sports, you can see that as market prices climb in one sport, it impacts the other. They aren't mutually exclusive.

When MLSE says that it is pricing their tickets relative to other sports in the city, that may be true. The problem is that our disposable incomes are finite.

Simply put, if I have $1,000 to spend annually on sport tickets, I can spread that around if prices are reasonable. If my TFC ticket is $400, I might be able to spend $200 on the Jays, $100 on the Raptors and take in a Leaf game for the other $300.

If it costs me $1,000 bucks for TFC tickets, I am not able to go to the other events.

As MLSE raises the prices for one of their properties, their other teams likely feel the pinch at the gate.

Worth noting too that MLSE was the 2nd highest in net operating income when they were charging 2008 level prices.


come on that can't be the price for 1 game if so people actually pay that fucking ridiculous...

ive never been to a leaf game i usually go watch the wings play for 40 -60 bucks..

Pachuco
06-01-2011, 09:43 PM
Ticket pricing is such an interesting subject because there are theories abound about what constitutes a fair price.

In the end though, it really appears to be a simple equation. It doesn't come down to star players. It doesn't come down to winning records. It generally comes down to disposable income and market demographics.

If you make a general assumption that those that attend one sport are also likely to attend games from other sports, you can see that as market prices climb in one sport, it impacts the other. They aren't mutually exclusive.

When MLSE says that it is pricing their tickets relative to other sports in the city, that may be true. The problem is that our disposable incomes are finite.

Simply put, if I have $1,000 to spend annually on sport tickets, I can spread that around if prices are reasonable. If my TFC ticket is $400, I might be able to spend $200 on the Jays, $100 on the Raptors and take in a Leaf game for the other $300.

If it costs me $1,000 bucks for TFC tickets, I am not able to go to the other events.

As MLSE raises the prices for one of their properties, their other teams likely feel the pinch at the gate.

Worth noting too that MLSE was the 2nd highest in net operating income when they were charging 2008 level prices.

Or you'll stretch yourself and buy tickets to a cool event just because you HAVE to be there.

People aren't as rational as you think they are when budgetting and buying anything.

Give people a product they HAVE to go see and people will find the money to do it.

Waggy
06-01-2011, 09:59 PM
The way the Jays are written off on this board astounds me. TFC on a good day draws 200k viewers nationally. The Jays DOMINATE those numbers. And as someone who lives downtown and regularly takes the TTC, you see INFINITELY more Jays gear then any other Toronto team, even the Leafs. The Jays are everyones 2nd favorite Toronto team. TFC is either peoples favorite, or on the same level as the Rock. Sad but true

Stryker
06-01-2011, 10:17 PM
Mr. Anselmi. It's obvious you know fook all about soccer, so I'll ask you a general question.
Why is your head so big ?

Two words... penile implant.

ensco
06-01-2011, 10:24 PM
FIXED....

I recently read that Raptors tickets are going to come down in price by 30 per cent next season. Were you involved in that decision?
Definitely not. I had an eastern european black market organ selling - Raptors ticket exchange operation ready to go once we hit leafs prices, but some marketing dipshit said we cant do that until Harper has been in power for a bit longer.

Any chance of a similar drop for Leafs tickets?
WHAT? FUCK NO!, print that shit and I'll have you shot.

So don’t get your hopes up?
Hopes? I'm sorry I thought you said Leafs.

How optimistic are you about TFC’s prospects?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHA. Fuck, did you see that, my coffee came out of my nose. hahahahaahahahahahahhaha.

Thirty years from now, can you imagine soccer being as big in Toronto as hockey is now?
Absolutely. I'll get those ticket prices up to Leafs level somehow, and I can see the crowd sizes at er, whatsit, that soccer park place, coming down to match the ACC crowds real soon.

Attendance went up when Toronto played L.A. Galaxy at BMO Field last month. Is there any effort to attract a David Beckham of our own?
Two words... Justin fuckin' Beiber, on the wing.
No seriously, it's far too early to start any DP rumours, ticket renewals is not until September.

Tip of the hat. Couldn't have said it better myself!!

SoccMan
06-01-2011, 11:41 PM
I think a poster a few threads before put it best, the Jays, the Leafs and Raptors should be getting better attendance and TV ratings than TFC for the simple fact that these three teams all play in the best leagues in the world for their respective leagues and with the best players in the world,however, TFC plays in a league that is far down the ladder when it comes to soccer leagues around the world and they are pretty popular considering the level of league they play in so I don't think they will be surpassing any of these three teams in popularity for this fact alone. I'm just satisfied that they have been getting good attendances so far something that no one ever expected including myself.

CSO_BBTB
06-02-2011, 05:44 AM
Hopefully the Ontario Teachers' Pension Fund managers realize they are dealing with a AAA baseball or AHL hockey sort of product right now, which should be treated as more of a long term investment with a view to what happens 30 years from now (as Anselmi hints at) rather than as a cash cow in the present day. With a stronger performance on the field of play it easily still could be the hottest ticket in town if they hadn't been so greedy on the pricing of the new North Stand.

boban
06-02-2011, 05:49 AM
Hopefully the Ontario Teachers' Pension Fund managers realize they are dealing with a AAA baseball or AHL hockey sort of product right now, which should be treated as more of a long term investment with a view to what happens 30 years from now (as Anselmi hints at) rather than as a cash cow in the present day. With a stronger performance on the field of play it easily still could be the hottest ticket in town if they hadn't been so greedy on the pricing of the new North Stand.
Agreed. But the problems of greed extend far beyond the north stand.

Section 110
06-02-2011, 07:43 AM
The Blue Jays play in the best baseball league, the Leafs play in the best hockey league... TFC, with its niche market, plays in far from the best football league.

The Blue Jays have a great history and, as a lifelong Jays fan, I can tell you that my interest hasn't waned, hence my unironic sporting of a Jays hat. A Jays hat, I might add, from one of the two years they won the World Series - it says so right on it. Yep that's right. There's a World Series patch on it. This is why another generation of Jays fans exists; they remember, or have been told of the glory years, just like the Leafs (albeit in the more distant past).

For TFC and football to eclipse baseball it will take years of good teams; the Jays won two World Series but there were some very good years before that. The sport has to capture the imagination of the fanbase through years of success. So far not so good with TFC. Don't get me wrong - the Jays had some very lean years to start out with - but they had a solid plan and good management.

You could compare the TFC Academy to the way that the Jays developed their farm team - that's one hopeful - but the Jays management/ownership was committed to winning championships. We have seen, throughout many years, that MLSE will not or cannot commit to that with any of their franchises, and that, more than anything, may keep TFC from winning out over the Jays.

zamperina
06-02-2011, 08:06 AM
Not to turn this into a Jays thread but I believe this team will contend next season. They will be big spenders this offseason and hopefully there young pitching staff will continue to develop.

Parkdale
06-02-2011, 08:25 AM
Tip of the hat. Couldn't have said it better myself!!


Dear Diary....



and while we are at it, Sadly nascar is on the uprise.

actually it's not anymore. Nascar made huge mistakes that alienated their core market. Instead of being a 'good old boys down south' event, they banned cigarette advertising (lucky strike, marlboro and camel) and burnt all their cred wooing corporate sponsors. Nascar was in a much better place (brand wise) five years ago.

The lesson is crystal clear - you can't fuck with your core fanbase in order to win over converts.

Wagner
06-02-2011, 09:06 AM
Nascar was also linked to the financial crisis in the US.
it was the people that had 40 year mortgages with Fannie and Freddy...that were all of a sudden flush with cash, and they spent it on Nascar...then boom...the party was over...and the well dried up for Nascar.

cmonyoureds
06-02-2011, 08:47 PM
Attendance went up when Toronto played L.A. Galaxy at BMO Field last month. Is there any effort to attract a David Beckham of our own?
Two words... Justin fuckin' Beiber, on the wing.
No seriously, it's far too early to start any DP rumours, ticket renewals is not until September.

ahahhaahahha, easily the funniest comment here in a while.

if he wasn't already apparently going to Barcelona they'd probably try it. (see shameless photos of him practicing with the Catalans)

Macksam
06-02-2011, 10:26 PM
The way the Jays are written off on this board astounds me. TFC on a good day draws 200k viewers nationally. The Jays DOMINATE those numbers. And as someone who lives downtown and regularly takes the TTC, you see INFINITELY more Jays gear then any other Toronto team, even the Leafs. The Jays are everyones 2nd favorite Toronto team. TFC is either peoples favorite, or on the same level as the Rock. Sad but true
No.

When the Rock play, I don't notice anything.

When TFC play, the are sparkled with red.