Yes... They will finanlly get it
No.... They will screw this up royally
hmmm... not sure? how much money will they make from this?
not you....that mulder dude..
You have any proof of that claim? I know Southern Ontario ratings for CFL is decent, but no one has any real numbers to prove GTA TV ratings claim.
You mean free tickets and heavily discounted tickets that made up good chuck of attendance during Cynamon and Sokolowski era?When I started following the Argos and became a season ticket in at the time in 2007, the stadium was much fuller. Even in 2008 I sat around alot of under 40 people who were also season ticket holders. There were quite a few incidents around the stadium that caused many people to drop their seasons. One partly being a crappy team from 2008-2011 (2010 was ok) The second was the way Rogers Centre security treated many of the fans.
Can you imagine being told at a TFC game to sit down and not cheer so loudly? Well this actually happened in 2009. In many sections around the stadium.
Last edited by TFC07; 10-27-2014 at 03:38 PM.
Right but….
Phase 3 is where the stadium grows to 40,000 temporary seats (presumably for Winter Classics and Grey Cups). NHL adds fuel to the fire by saying (as quoted by Tim L) that they need 40,000 seats to entertain a conversation about the Winter Classics.
Phase 3 doesn't happen without the $20M in funding or MLSE waiving the financial requirement.
So yes, stadium the moves ahead without the Argos but the pot of gold… the Winter Classic and Grey Cup… doesn't happen in Phase 1 or 2. If phase 3 goes forward, as MLSE wants it to, the Argos are always going to be in the equation.
I'm still thinking the upgrades to take it to 40K are possible without the rolling stands (which is the only real Argo related change apart from the move to field turf)
If anything, it would be easier.
Election changes nothing.
Grimes wins.
Doug Ford loses but RoFo gets to whine about BMO at council.
So steady as she goes on the BMO front.
Only subtle change would be if Tory makes somebody other then Grimes EX chair, which could easily happen. Tory is likely to use that post as a patronage position to build a bridge. I could see him giving the chair position to Layton actually - would be the sort of "hands across the aisle" thing he will want to do in the next few months - and it loses him nothing in doing so. Grimes is more interested in public works.
Spent time tonight with a communications professional who works with MLSE. Says the Argos looking for other quarters than BMO Field. Partly because they won't get bang for their bucks at BMO, partly because they acknowledge the very real need to find their own home. Not a lot of sympathy for them at MLSE.
Here's hoping it works out for the Argos.
And your point? His ties with Rogers runs way deeper than CFL.
Tory hasn't done anything his time as CFL commissioner to fix Argos issue. I highly doubt city of Toronto is going to give more money (especially given they got more important things to spend on) to get Argos into BMO field.
$20 million is going to either come from provincial government and/or private party. Federal government already turned down Argos request for $10 million for BMO field renovation.
All the sense in the world except if they are as broke and destitute as some have portrayed, how can they afford the Reno costs on their own?
Hope is a wonderful thing but then reality has to be considered.
"We've always hoped that the CFL comes," he said. "It's a natural situation, a great solution for them."
- Bob Hunter, Chief Facilities and Live Entertainment Officer, MLSE (Sept 23, 2014)
http://www.tsn.ca/first-phase-of-bmo...future-1.89132
All that is happening behind the scenes is a negotiation on a business deal.
That quote also clearly ends the "City is forcing the Argos on MLSE" narrative that has been put forward.
Last edited by Pookie; 10-28-2014 at 05:51 AM.
Ur going to hang ur hat on Hunter talking in front of Grimes?
The narrative until about May was "CFL in" and then things changed.
As I said, I still think the Argos are in as renters. But something is up, and its not as cut and dried as it seemed in March.
And the CFL is not Tory's priority, unlike the guy who skipped council meetings to yell at kids in pads and make them roll around in goose shit.
There actually is such a place:
It was interesting to hear my colleague discuss the bitter relationship between Rogers and TSN in the MLSE boardroom and how it cripples the decision-making process that goes into every aspect of all their teams. It can't last for long and the impression he had was that Rogers would win. And they are not friends of the Argos.
That said, we may be stuck with an unhappy compromise. But at least it sounds like the Argos are aware that they need to chart their own course. As I suggested before, the Pan Am games stadium site would be a very good choice if funding is to be acquired beyond whatever Braley and the CFL can cobble together.
Last edited by greatwhitenorf; 10-28-2014 at 01:02 PM.
I'm a big fan of watching construction progress on various buildings. So, if there are any roller bladers out there who wouldn't mind taking some pic's of the progress of the construction and posting them here that'd be great!
Tory's view on the CFL is sort of moot isn't it given that the City has already approved their share of the funding? I'd wager it would trigger some kind of penalty if they pulled out.
I agree with you in that I do think negotiations are going on right now.
The Argos are likely looking for the best deal possible, which is why this notion of "looking elsewhere" is popping up IMO. No one likes to negotiate from a corner. That said, there really isn't another realistic option for them. So the only leverage they have is to use the timeline to pressure MLSE into concessions. Perhaps a better share of Grey Cup dollars, low (to no) rent, earlier closing date (ie. play in 2016), etc, etc.
The 40,000 seats need to be done by the Leafs 2017 season (their 100th). The NHL needs assurance that the 40,000 seats are going ahead before they award it. This back and forth with varying degrees of interest from all parties is simply the normal ebb and flow of business negotiations between 6 parties (Feds, Province, City, MLSE, Braley, CFL). It's complicated and everyone is fighting for a fair share of the spoils. But everyone wins in this if it moves forward (MLSE gets their stadium, Argos have a place to play that they can afford) … well everyone wins except the taxpayer.
so guys anyone go down to see what work has been down yet