2015 All Things Lions Marketing & Promotions

[SammyGreene]

Only 6,100 at UBC for the exhibition when they were hoping for 10,000. Of course, in what's become typical of the Skulsky-era, entrance fee was $ 40. Not too family friendly.

The fun is gone folks and it's become stale. Ticket prices are too high for people to come out and enjoy themselves with their kids.

The Lions will be lucky to sell out the lower bowl if things don't change. There's way more available on Ticketmaster for the home opener than what' s showing as there are thousands of seats in the lower bowl to be released in the system.

Of course, in the new configuration, the first casualty is the all-in $ 30. seats that have been offered in past couple of seasons.

When is the club ever going to learn not to throw around unrealistic estimated crowd numbers when they ALWAYS fall short of the target?
On TSN 1040 this morning, Patterson and Price commented on how it was a great night at UBC with the attendance perhaps being the only disappointment. It never would have been if the 10,000 figure wasn't being tossed around a couple of weeks ago. Even during the Lions recent hay day from 2005-2008 there were a number of times they speculated breaking the 40,000 barrier for a late fall regular season game and it never happened.

And you're right J5V attendance for early season home games has always been underwhelming. There is no way that many tickets have already been sold. Given where their season ticket base is 21,000 to 22,000 seems much more realistic even with a good start in Ottawa the previous week.

[sj-roc]

Interesting article about a poll of Canadian & American sports fans, which claims Americans, and especially younger Americans, are following the CFL at unprecedented heights. Much of this is down to the fact that it's simply an easier sport to follow in the current digital age than ever before, and because Americans like to follow former NCAA stars who bring their careers north. it's somewhat ironic that the most devoted CFL fans in the USA are under 35 while it's the older demographic (55+) who most closely follow the sport domestically.

I mentioned earlier in this thread about taking part in survey of sports fans but I don't think it's the one in this article; the one I took was in May, whereas it mentions February here, although it otherwise might well have been.

While I think that our league can still thrive without US fandom and that we don't really need the validation of Americans, I still see this as a positive — in the sense that a higher CFL profile in the US will encourage more players to consider a pro career up here if they can't get on an NFL roster. This can only boost the league's level of talent.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/younger-am ... -1.2442380

Younger Americans noticing CFL: survey
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
Published Friday, June 26, 2015 2:15PM EDT

As the CFL looks to gain a younger audience in Canada, the league is most popular with Americans under 35, a new survey suggests.

Dr. Reginald Bibby, a sociologist at the University of Lethbridge, conducted online surveys in Canada and the U.S. last February in partnership with Vision Critical. The Canadian poll found the league's top demographic domestically was 55 and over, with 33 per cent of respondents saying they followed it closely.

In the U.S. survey, 22 per cent of respondents between 18 and 34 said they followed the CFL, compared to seven per cent in the 35-to-54 category and three per cent for those 55 and over.

"The thing that's the eye-catcher is CFL interest among people in the U.S. under the age of 35," Bibby said. "What I wanted to do initially was just look at the whole idea that Americans tend to be far more caught up in following sports than Canadians are.

"I obviously wanted to include the CFL but I did that with a lot of apprehension simply because I thought this was going to be masochistic and the U.S. figures were going to be terrible for the CFL."

Of the 4,022 Canadians surveyed, 26 per cent said they followed the CFL, second only to the NHL (46 per cent) and slightly ahead of the NFL (23 per cent) and Major League Baseball (22 per cent). That figure dropped to 10 per cent in the U.S., leaving the league tied with curling for last among 17 listed sports.

The U.S. survey suggests that the CFL is most popular with those in the 18-to-34 demographic who also follow NCAA football, with 45 per cent saying they followed the league.

Not surprisingly, the NFL rules in the U.S., ranking first among the 4,079 Americans surveyed at 53 per cent. Baseball was next at 40 per cent, followed by NCAA football (37), NBA (33) and NCAA basketball (32). The NHL was tied with NASCAR for sixth with 24 per cent or respondents saying they follow hockey.

Bibby said a big reason for CFL interest in the U.S. is that fans can easily follow NCAA stars playing in Canada online.

"Before, people in the U.S. really wouldn't have a clue about what happened to players in their area once their college careers were over," he said. "The net has dramatically changed all that . . . I think it's dramatic news to find there's this opportunity and people seem to be taking advantage of it.

"These findings show the CFL continues to know considerable vitality. Given the Internet is giving it unprecedented visibility, the league is now on the verge of an unexpected and extraordinary opportunity to increase its brand exposure beyond Canada -- beginning with the U.S."

Predictably, CFL interest in Canada varies by province. Saskatchewan (64 per cent) boasts the highest ahead of Manitoba (51 per cent) and Alberta (42 per cent). B.C. was fourth (29 per cent) followed by Ontario and Quebec (both 21 per cent). Atlantic Canada, which doesn't have a league franchise, was the lowest at 14 per cent.

In fact, the survey shows that football in Saskatchewan is more popular than the NHL (38 per cent) and curling (36 per cent).

According to the survey, the CFL's best demographic is men 55 and over, with 47 per cent of respondents saying they follow the league. That drops to 39 per cent for males those between the ages of 35 and 54 and to 26 per cent for those at 18 to 34.

The polling industry's professional body, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error as they are not a random sample and therefore are not necessarily representative of the whole population.

[BC 1988]

^^Yes that is good (and ironic) news that CFL has more of a following with younger fans in the US than here. Makes sense about the desire to follow players' careers post-college.

I just heard a radio ad on 1040 that mentioned something is coming July 5th. At first it talked about social activities, and that there will be a beer garden during games. I almost didn't recognize it as a Lions ad because it lacked the "carnival barker" approach (such as the shouting "Are You Ready For What's Next" ad that's been running for weeks).

[Toppy Vann]

I think the survey shows how poor the CFL is with growing the game. Americans finding it accidentally...lol... is not a growth strategy nor is it due to CFL efforts to grow the game.

The fan in Canada can get games but not outside Canada. TSN doesn't even let overseas fans see the hi-lites any more. I have Telus TV at home in Canada but can't get games anymore. I tried some years back to pay for the games but it simply wouldn't work in Hong Kong and China.

Pretty much this season resigned to waiting until I get home for semi-permanent good before seeing games. They're shutting off the live streaming sites across the globe. Wiziwig used to do it but they've shut down to laws in Spain.

The US coverage of games is brutal on ESPN as the fans don't get the half time panels but complete unrelated garbage.

TSN has great panels and that is denied to US viewers.

[Hambone]

I think the survey shows how poor the CFL is with growing the game. Americans finding it accidentally...lol... is not a growth strategy nor is it due to CFL efforts to grow the game.

The fan in Canada can get games but not outside Canada. TSN doesn't even let overseas fans see the hi-lites any more. I have Telus TV at home in Canada but can't get games anymore. I tried some years back to pay for the games but it simply wouldn't work in Hong Kong and China.

Pretty much this season resigned to waiting until I get home for semi-permanent good before seeing games. They're shutting off the live streaming sites across the globe. Wiziwig used to do it but they've shut down to laws in Spain.

The US coverage of games is brutal on ESPN as the fans don't get the half time panels but complete unrelated garbage.

TSN has great panels and that is denied to US viewers.

Ever try Slingbox Toppy? I still have one but haven't hooked it up for a few years. It used to work pretty good. Basically it enabled you connect to your own home TV via the internet. I remember watching the PG Spruce Kings play a 5 OT game in the RBC Cup while sitting in my hotel room in Portland. I don't recall there being any blocking of channels.

[SammyGreene]

Saw on my Twitter feed this morning Russell Wilson is bringing his Passing Academy to Vancouver on July 10. Last year it coincided with the Seahawks 12th Man Tour which brought huge crowds to Ambleside Park — to the point where there was a lottery required for fans to see the Vince Lombardi Trophy because the line-up was so big.

Wilson has moved his Academy to a bigger venue this year — Swangard. It then clicked for me that this was the same day as the Lions home opener against the Riders. My initial thought was what a kick in the nuts to be doing this on the same day as the home opener for the attention starved hometown football team.

Then I saw this on the Seahawks site:

Burnaby: Russell Wilson Passing Academy

Swangard Stadium (Burnaby, BC)
July 10, 2015 - 9:00 am

The Seattle Seahawks are bringing some Play60 fun to the Russell Wilson Passing Academy. The Seahawks activities are for both participants and non-camp participants. Come check out the Seahawks and the Play60 drills!

If you would like to register your 8-17 year old go online to ThePassAcademy.com and click on the "Sign Up" icon!

Vancouver: Seahawks at BC Lions Game

BC Place (Vancouver, BC)
July 10, 2015 - 7:00 pm

The 12 Tour will make a stop at a BC Lions game. Join in the fun and come root with the Seahawks! For more information about this event and tickets please click here and use PROMO CODE: 12TOUR

So my guess is a number of Seahawks will be at the Lions game for autographs, including Wilson and whatever else. Will be interesting to see how many Seahawk only fans in Vancouver will buy tickets to partake in the 12th Tour events. At any rate, good to see the Seahawks teaming with the Lions on this.

This is the first I have heard of it which shouldn't surprise me with Lions low key approach these days.

[Lions4ever]

Saw on my Twitter feed this morning Russell Wilson is bringing his Passing Academy to Vancouver on July 10. Last year it coincided with the Seahawks 12th Man Tour which brought huge crowds to Ambleside Park — to the point where there was a lottery required for fans to see the Vince Lombardi Trophy because the line-up was so big.

Malcolm Butler says you're welcome for resolving that issue this time around.

[sj-roc]

Further to my post a few days ago, Maclean's has an article today about the Bibby fan study, which includes comments from a couple of American CFL fans.

http://www.macleans.ca/society/two-poin ... n-viewers/

Two-point conversion: How the CFL is wooing American viewers
The 103rd chase for the Grey Cup has begun. But here’s a new twist: One in 10 Americans say they follow the Canadian Football League

Aaron Hutchins
June 30, 2015

Joe Pritchard tweets way too much about the CFL for a guy born, raised and living in Wisconsin. At least, that’s what his Twitter bio says.

Growing up in Chippewa Falls, the 32-year-old says his first exposure to Canadian football came when he was a child and his grandmother gifted the family with a VHS tape of CFL highlights. Without much on TV back then, it was put in rotation alongside a few tapes of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. Then came the CFL’s expansion into the U.S. in the mid-1990s, and Pritchard adopted the Baltimore Stallions as his team. When the Stallions won the 1995 Grey Cup, they were among five American franchises in the CFL, but never got the chance to repeat as champions. After three years, the experiment with U.S. teams ended.

“It was fun to go on that ride for a couple of years, and then it was gone,” Pritchard says. “I didn’t want to lose that connection, because I really felt something those couple of years.”

Pritchard followed CFL game reports online and listened to radio play-by-play. Finally, in 2006, he took his first trip to Canada, driving nine hours from Eau Claire, Wis., to Winnipeg and on to Regina for the Labour Day game. The hardest part of the trip wasn’t cheering for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers among the packed Saskatchewan Roughrider crowd, but, rather, convincing Canadian customs that, yes, he was crossing the border alone just to watch a CFL game. “Everyone was terribly polite,” he remembers, “but they really questioned my story.”

As the quest to become the 103rd Grey Cup champion begins, it should come as little surprise that more than one in four Canadians follows the CFL, making it the second-most popular sports league among Canadians (behind hockey), according to a recent Canadian-American sports survey conducted by Vision Critical and University of Lethbridge sociologist Reginald Bibby. What might turn a few heads, however, is that 10 per cent of Americans, according to the survey, say they follow the CFL either “very closely” or “fairly closely.” So, while Pritchard might not see three-down football get priority on TV at his local bar—Major League Baseball, pro basketball, NASCAR, pro golf and tennis are all more popular in America—he is far from the being the lone CFL fan in a football-obsessed United States.

It’s virtually impossible to have a TV in America and not be able to find anything football-related to watch. There’s the 24-hour NFL Network, college football, high school football, and even the Arena Football League. So why would one in 10 Americans follow Canada’s version of the game? “It’s still football,” says CFL Commissioner Jeffrey Orridge. “It certainly satisfies an appetite for live sport when other sports are not in season in the U.S.”

Born in Virginia, Matt Lalor says he had two choices growing up: “Either be a [Washington] Redskins fan or don’t watch football.” In the summer of 2011, during the Redskins off-season, the paramedic was at home flipping channels “and, lo and behold, there’s a football game on,” he remembers. With their green and yellow uniforms, he could think of the Edmonton Eskimos as “the summer Green Bay Packers.”

“[The Canadian game] was noticeably different,” Lalor says, pointing to the extra man on the field and the focus on a passing game. “But it was still football.” The CFL first came to his attention during the brief NFL players’ strike in 1982, when NBC aired Canadian football games. Thirty years later, he’s still hooked. A Saskatchewan Roughriders fan, Lalor wears a green jersey with the number 13, representing the fans as the “13th man” on the field. Every Labour Day, he sits back to watch his beloved Roughriders take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

But what makes Lalor an especially unique CFL fan is not that he has an uncanny knowledge of the entire league’s history; it’s that he has never once set foot in Canada. “The closest I got was Tonawanda, N.Y.,” he says, “but I know a good game when I see it.”

While many Americans say they follow the CFL, it has not translated into big viewership numbers. ESPN, the U.S.-based sports media juggernaut, signed a multi-year deal to broadcast CFL games on ESPN, ESPN2 and on its WatchESPN app. Last season, the first of a reported five-year agreement, the three CFL games televised on ESPN averaged 181,000 viewers, the company says, while the 13 games on ESPN2 averaged 160,000 viewers. (Canada’s CFL coverage on TSN averaged 660,000 viewers during last year’s regular season.)

ESPN says a third of its televised CFL games were on Sundays, which put them in direct competition with the vastly more popular NFL. Indeed, the American network’s highest-rated CFL game came on a Friday—a day without NFL or college football games on TV—when the mid-October matchup between the Ottawa Redblacks and Hamilton Ticats averaged 313,000 viewers. In Canada, that same game on TSN had an average viewership of 413,000. To get more eyeballs this year, ESPN plans to televise the bulk of its CFL games before the NFL season gets underway in September.

Mainstream football journalists in America are starting to pick up their CFL coverage, too. Peter King of Sports Illustrated, arguably America’s most authoritative football sportswriter, dedicated an entire week last summer to his “Monday morning quarterback” website to the CFL, featuring columns from recent Montreal Alouettes-turned-NFL coach Marc Trestman, as well as three-time Grey Cup champion (and Boston College legend) Doug Flutie.

“When a well-known college player or a former NFL standout moves on to the CFL, that often helps to draw more interest in the league, here in the States,” says Gregg Morriss, ESPN’s manager for programming and acquisitions. He points to Duron Carter, a star receiver last season with the Alouettes, who happens to be the son of NFL Hall of Famer—and ESPN TV analyst—Cris Carter. After two years in the CFL, Duron signed with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts this year.

Canadian football remains a pipeline for American football players holding onto the dream of playing in the NFL. The majority of CFL players are American. Even the new commissioner, Jeffrey Orridge, was born in the U.S. As a child, Orridge remembers hearing stories about American athletes going up and playing in Canada, particularly those in the African-American community. On the rare occasions CFL games were on TV in New York City, he would watch with his dad. “What was striking to me was the fact there were black quarterbacks in the CFL,” Orridge says. “I remember my father saying to me: ‘That’s why I love Canada. If you’re qualified, if you’re capable, you will have an opportunity to compete.’ ”

The CFL is, today, a breath of fresh air for Lalor. There isn’t round-the-clock coverage about cheating by deflating footballs. There’s no talk about concussion cover-ups, murder trials or domestic violence. The Grey Cup, he says, is about the game of football, as opposed to much of the Super Bowl buzz surrounding half-time music and commercials. “It’s actually fun to watch football again,” Lalor says, “and I had to turn to Canada to do that.”

[Toppy Vann]

I think the survey shows how poor the CFL is with growing the game. Americans finding it accidentally...lol... is not a growth strategy nor is it due to CFL efforts to grow the game.

The fan in Canada can get games but not outside Canada. TSN doesn't even let overseas fans see the hi-lites any more. I have Telus TV at home in Canada but can't get games anymore. I tried some years back to pay for the games but it simply wouldn't work in Hong Kong and China.

Pretty much this season resigned to waiting until I get home for semi-permanent good before seeing games. They're shutting off the live streaming sites across the globe. Wiziwig used to do it but they've shut down to laws in Spain.

The US coverage of games is brutal on ESPN as the fans don't get the half time panels but complete unrelated garbage.

TSN has great panels and that is denied to US viewers.

Ever try Slingbox Toppy? I still have one but haven't hooked it up for a few years. It used to work pretty good. Basically it enabled you connect to your own home TV via the internet. I remember watching the PG Spruce Kings play a 5 OT game in the RBC Cup while sitting in my hotel room in Portland. I don't recall there being any blocking of channels.

I had the use of my pal's who was working in South Africa but he'd wake up early and cut me out. I finally think it is looking OK on streaming.

I will return in October and be home more if not all the time.

[Toppy Vann]

Correction on ESPN not showing the panel. The last game they showed the end of first half panel as the teams left at the half and then a blank screen until the game was on. That's crappy.

The former CFL players down south should be part of the marketing strategy as these guys are the legends - Flutie, Moon, Theismann. Leon Bright told me he went south due to the size of the contract but loved the CFL game more. Players love the 3 down variety and our unique rules more. Trestman says the CFL game is harder to coach due to the design of the game. He's right.

4 downs (granted field is smaller) is crap. If they run on first down it isn't a play dictator for 2nd down like in the CFL. 2 and 7 in the CFL means they got to pass - not so in the 4 down game.

[sj-roc]

I've just been taking part in an in-depth, online sports fan survey where they want to gauge things like which leagues have the most devoted following, which leagues have more TV viewers than live attendees, etc. ...

I wrote the above in early May this year and I think this survey is the one mentioned in this TSN article:

http://www.tsn.ca/survey-habs-the-stron ... a-1.327906

Survey: Habs the strongest pro sports brand in Canada
TSN.ca Staff 12h ago

Is it Toronto's iconic blue Maple Leafs logo? What about the green wave that marks Saskatchewan Roughrider fans?

When it comes to the brand strength of Canadian professional sports franchises, according to a recent survey, another team tops them both: the bleu, blanc et rouge of the Montreal Canadiens.

An independent poll by Insightrix Research polled 2,700 Canadian sports fans - 300 in each of nine major cities - in what was called a "sports brand equity index." [sj-roc note: I don't think this regional breakdown is right; the report itself on Insightrix's website, which I discuss in more detail below, says that each city was weighted in the survey with a number of respondents that reflected the national population percentage of that city as per census data] Fans were asked questions regarding five key metrics: first team that comes to mind, respect for the team, perception of the most loyal fans, team popularity and stadium/arena atmosphere. Each of these attributes had an assigned weight based on their impact on the team's brand equity.

Fans were also asked to predict the outcome of the survey in each metric, which the company says gives a more accurate measurement of the brand's strength.

The Canadiens came out on top, with the Maple Leafs second and the Roughriders third. Toronto's Blue Jays and Raptors finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Mario Caceres, senior research executive for Insightrix, discussed the Maple Leafs' high placement on the list despite the club's lack of recent success on the ice.

"It's amazing to see a team that has not won anything in such a long time come in second across Canada," he said. "Winning helps, but it's not the only factor a team's brand should focus on."

Of the 10 spots on the list, six were taken by NHL teams, with the Edmonton Oilers the only franchise left off. The Montreal Alouettes were the only CFL team besides the Roughriders to make the list.

The complete list is below:

1. Montreal Canadiens
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Toronto Raptors
6. Winnipeg Jets
7. Vancouver Canucks
8. Calgary Flames
9. Ottawa Senators
10. Montreal Alouettes

Among CFL teams, only the Alouettes and Roughriders made the top ten out of 21 Canadian pro sports teams (9 CFL, 7 NHL, 3 MLS, 1 MLB, 1 NBA) studied.

There's a much more detailed report on the website of Insightrix Research, the polling company who conducted the survey. You can find this report in a 27-page pdf (or more like a pdf-ised powerpoint file) at this link:

http://insightrix.com/wp-content/upload ... da-2.0.pdf

The TSN article doesn't mention it but the study also examined fans' views on 21 companies/brands who are widely recognised for their sponsorship of pro sports in Canada. I don't have much to say on this aspect of the study except to note that the popularity of Tim Hortons revealed in this study is consistent with that noted in the UVic study I posted to a recent thread in the pub section.

This pdf file shows several top ten lists, ranking teams by five metrics as noted in the TSN article.

Let's see how well the Lions did and what other CFL teams made the cut.

Spoiler: most of these top ten lists contain the seven NHL teams, the Roughriders, the Jays and/or the Raptors and possibly one other CFL team, usually only barely making the cut. In the rare case where one of the NHL teams fails to rank, it's usually — as is the case on the overall list — the long-woeful Oilers.

TOP OF MIND TEAM RECALL: Thinking of all the five major sports leagues in Canada, regardless of the one you follow the most, what are the first 3 Canadian teams that pop into your mind?
• Lions didn't rank, only the Roughriders made the cut at #10 being named by 2.80% of respondents. Mtl Canadiens led the way at 23.30%.

TOP OF MIND TEAM RECALL:Regardless of the team/teams you follow, which teams do you think will pop first into the minds of sports fans across all Canada?
• Again, the Lions didn't rank, but interestingly the Roughriders ranked fifth in this list, named by 4.47% of respondents. Habs led here, too, at 31.64%.

PERCEPTION OF POPULARITY: Which of the following Canadian teams do you believe are the three most popular across the country? Rank the top three from most to least.
• Again the Roughriders were the lone ranking CFL team, placing fifth and named by 5.32% of respondents. Habs won again at 34.36%.

PERCEPTION OF POPULARITY: Which of the following teams do you think will be viewed by Canadian sports fans as the most popular?
• The Roughriders were named by 5.81% of respondents to rank fifth. The Alouettes sneaked onto the list with 1.75% of responses, displacing the Edm Oilers from a list that is otherwise very similar to that of the previous ranking above.

MOST LOYAL FANS: Which of the following Canadian teams do you think have the most loyal fans? Rank the top three from most to least.
• Roughriders ranked third at 12.45% with no other CFL teams making the cut. Winner: Habs, 27.78%.

MOST LOYAL FANS: Which of the following teams do you think will be selected by Canadian sports fans as having the most loyal fans?
• Roughriders again ranked third at 13.88%, again the only CFL entrant. Winner: Habs, 28.61%.

STADIUM/ARENA ATMOSPHERE: Which of the following Canadian teams do you think have the best stadium/arena atmosphere? Rank the top three from most to least.
• Here's where the Lions made their best showing. They ranked 9th, named by 2.55% of fans. Ssk led the way among CFL teams at 7.03% (ranking 6th overall) while Habs were again the overall winner at 27.71%. One suspects the Lions might have ranked even higher, or at least had drawn a higher percentage of responses, had the survey been taken a few years ago when we were still regularly drawing in the 30k's. By way of comparison, the Canucks were named by 5.74% of fans, good enough for 7th overall.

STADIUM/ARENA ATMOSPHERE: Which of the following teams do think will be selected by Canadian sports fans as having the best stadium/arena atmosphere?
• The Lions again ranked 9th, named by 3.02% of fans (more than in the previous question but I'm not sure whether the margin is statistically significant). Ssk ranked 3rd overall at 8.79% while the Habs were again tops at 29.34%. This ranking might reflect the Lions' strong showing in television ratings the couple seasons. The Canucks also ranked 7th overall here at 4.50%.

RESPECT: Regardless of which teams you like or dislike, please rate the following Canadian teams based on how much you respect them overall. (average ratings based on a 10-point scale)
• Ssk ranked 5th with a score of 6.88/10. Two other football teams made the cut: the Alouettes were 9th scoring 6.71/10 and the Stampeders came 10th at 6.64/10. Habs at 7.69/10 topped the list.

RESPECT: Which of the following teams do you think will be rated highest by Canadian sports fans in regards to respect?
• Ssk ranked 3rd, named by 7.38% of fans. Alouettes were the only other CFL team in the mix at #10, 2.07%. Winner: Habs, 37.04%.

The results of this survey might be discouraging in that the Lions come out in the bottom half of 21 teams in nearly all of these rankings, but it's interesting that within the CFL, the Lions rank 2nd on gameday atmosphere, both as ranked by the team's own fans and also as perceived across fans sampled in this survey. And as poorly as the Lions might have ranked, the Whitecaps — with their self-proclaimed best sporting atmosphere in the city — might take umbrage at not making the cut on any of these top ten rankings.

Also interesting that Cgy & Mtl made the cut on the respect metric, which IMHO is largely a by-product of the solid ownership of these teams and of what Hufnagel and Popp (and to some extent Trestman who is still fairly fresh in the minds of most CFL observers) have achieved in football ops in their respective cities. I think the Lions would have made the cut on respect and might have even outranked Ssk if this survey had been done during the Ackles II era. The Eskimos might have also fared better on some of these lists in previous years before their slide into mediocrity that began under Danny M, from which they have only recently begun to re-emerge under HC Chris Jones.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this survey is that the thread about it on the riderfans forum is only 11 posts long as I type (still on just its first page!) and even then they seem mostly concerned with how other teams ranked rather than engaging in self-congratulation.

[B.C.FAN]

Regarding the Lions, I noticed that their game with the Redblacks was the second most watched sports broadcast of the weekend (after the Women's World Cup final). Lions games have consistently ranked near the top of the weekly sports TV rankings, despite some 7 p.m. start times that are inconvenient to Eastern viewers and 4 p.m. games (or 3 p.m. last week) that are inconvenient to B.C. viewers. This week's game against Saskatchewan is a good bet to be No. 1 overall on TV.

[sj-roc]

Regarding the Lions, I noticed that their game with the Redblacks was the second most watched sports broadcast of the weekend (after the Women's World Cup final). Lions games have consistently ranked near the top of the weekly sports TV rankings, despite some 7 p.m. start times that are inconvenient to Eastern viewers and 4 p.m. games (or 3 p.m. last week) that are inconvenient to B.C. viewers. This week's game against Saskatchewan is a good bet to be No. 1 overall on TV.

Chris Zelkovich of Yahoo! has the numbers as usual: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh-ga ... 11150.html

Interesting to note that the Argos/Riders game on Sunday didn't suffer all that much from being carried only on TSN3/4/5, drawing 598k (4th overall for the weekend) to BC/Ott's 659k (2nd). One of the programs that aired on TSN1/2 Sunday in conflict with the CFL was the F1 British Grand Prix which drew only 241k to rank 12th. There was also a junior world basketball game that didn't make the cut in the rankings above.

[JohnHenry]

I've just been taking part in an in-depth, online sports fan survey where they want to gauge things like which leagues have the most devoted following, which leagues have more TV viewers than live attendees, etc. ...

I wrote the above in early May this year and I think this survey is the one mentioned in this TSN article:

http://www.tsn.ca/survey-habs-the-stron ... a-1.327906

Survey: Habs the strongest pro sports brand in Canada
TSN.ca Staff 12h ago

Is it Toronto's iconic blue Maple Leafs logo? What about the green wave that marks Saskatchewan Roughrider fans?

When it comes to the brand strength of Canadian professional sports franchises, according to a recent survey, another team tops them both: the bleu, blanc et rouge of the Montreal Canadiens.

An independent poll by Insightrix Research polled 2,700 Canadian sports fans - 300 in each of nine major cities - in what was called a "sports brand equity index." [sj-roc note: I don't think this regional breakdown is right; the report itself on Insightrix's website, which I discuss in more detail below, says that each city was weighted in the survey with a number of respondents that reflected the national population percentage of that city as per census data] Fans were asked questions regarding five key metrics: first team that comes to mind, respect for the team, perception of the most loyal fans, team popularity and stadium/arena atmosphere. Each of these attributes had an assigned weight based on their impact on the team's brand equity.

Fans were also asked to predict the outcome of the survey in each metric, which the company says gives a more accurate measurement of the brand's strength.

The Canadiens came out on top, with the Maple Leafs second and the Roughriders third. Toronto's Blue Jays and Raptors finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Mario Caceres, senior research executive for Insightrix, discussed the Maple Leafs' high placement on the list despite the club's lack of recent success on the ice.

"It's amazing to see a team that has not won anything in such a long time come in second across Canada," he said. "Winning helps, but it's not the only factor a team's brand should focus on."

Of the 10 spots on the list, six were taken by NHL teams, with the Edmonton Oilers the only franchise left off. The Montreal Alouettes were the only CFL team besides the Roughriders to make the list.

The complete list is below:

1. Montreal Canadiens
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Toronto Raptors
6. Winnipeg Jets
7. Vancouver Canucks
8. Calgary Flames
9. Ottawa Senators
10. Montreal Alouettes

Among CFL teams, only the Alouettes and Roughriders made the top ten out of 21 Canadian pro sports teams (9 CFL, 7 NHL, 3 MLS, 1 MLB, 1 NBA) studied.

There's a much more detailed report on the website of Insightrix Research, the polling company who conducted the survey. You can find this report in a 27-page pdf (or more like a pdf-ised powerpoint file) at this link:

http://insightrix.com/wp-content/upload ... da-2.0.pdf

The TSN article doesn't mention it but the study also examined fans' views on 21 companies/brands who are widely recognised for their sponsorship of pro sports in Canada. I don't have much to say on this aspect of the study except to note that the popularity of Tim Hortons revealed in this study is consistent with that noted in the UVic study I posted to a recent thread in the pub section.

This pdf file shows several top ten lists, ranking teams by five metrics as noted in the TSN article.

Let's see how well the Lions did and what other CFL teams made the cut.

Spoiler: most of these top ten lists contain the seven NHL teams, the Roughriders, the Jays and/or the Raptors and possibly one other CFL team, usually only barely making the cut. In the rare case where one of the NHL teams fails to rank, it's usually — as is the case on the overall list — the long-woeful Oilers.

TOP OF MIND TEAM RECALL: Thinking of all the five major sports leagues in Canada, regardless of the one you follow the most, what are the first 3 Canadian teams that pop into your mind?
• Lions didn't rank, only the Roughriders made the cut at #10 being named by 2.80% of respondents. Mtl Canadiens led the way at 23.30%.

TOP OF MIND TEAM RECALL:Regardless of the team/teams you follow, which teams do you think will pop first into the minds of sports fans across all Canada?
• Again, the Lions didn't rank, but interestingly the Roughriders ranked fifth in this list, named by 4.47% of respondents. Habs led here, too, at 31.64%.

PERCEPTION OF POPULARITY: Which of the following Canadian teams do you believe are the three most popular across the country? Rank the top three from most to least.
• Again the Roughriders were the lone ranking CFL team, placing fifth and named by 5.32% of respondents. Habs won again at 34.36%.

PERCEPTION OF POPULARITY: Which of the following teams do you think will be viewed by Canadian sports fans as the most popular?
• The Roughriders were named by 5.81% of respondents to rank fifth. The Alouettes sneaked onto the list with 1.75% of responses, displacing the Edm Oilers from a list that is otherwise very similar to that of the previous ranking above.

MOST LOYAL FANS: Which of the following Canadian teams do you think have the most loyal fans? Rank the top three from most to least.
• Roughriders ranked third at 12.45% with no other CFL teams making the cut. Winner: Habs, 27.78%.

MOST LOYAL FANS: Which of the following teams do you think will be selected by Canadian sports fans as having the most loyal fans?
• Roughriders again ranked third at 13.88%, again the only CFL entrant. Winner: Habs, 28.61%.

STADIUM/ARENA ATMOSPHERE: Which of the following Canadian teams do you think have the best stadium/arena atmosphere? Rank the top three from most to least.
• Here's where the Lions made their best showing. They ranked 9th, named by 2.55% of fans. Ssk led the way among CFL teams at 7.03% (ranking 6th overall) while Habs were again the overall winner at 27.71%. One suspects the Lions might have ranked even higher, or at least had drawn a higher percentage of responses, had the survey been taken a few years ago when we were still regularly drawing in the 30k's. By way of comparison, the Canucks were named by 5.74% of fans, good enough for 7th overall.

STADIUM/ARENA ATMOSPHERE: Which of the following teams do think will be selected by Canadian sports fans as having the best stadium/arena atmosphere?
• The Lions again ranked 9th, named by 3.02% of fans (more than in the previous question but I'm not sure whether the margin is statistically significant). Ssk ranked 3rd overall at 8.79% while the Habs were again tops at 29.34%. This ranking might reflect the Lions' strong showing in television ratings the couple seasons. The Canucks also ranked 7th overall here at 4.50%.

RESPECT: Regardless of which teams you like or dislike, please rate the following Canadian teams based on how much you respect them overall. (average ratings based on a 10-point scale)
• Ssk ranked 5th with a score of 6.88/10. Two other football teams made the cut: the Alouettes were 9th scoring 6.71/10 and the Stampeders came 10th at 6.64/10. Habs at 7.69/10 topped the list.

RESPECT: Which of the following teams do you think will be rated highest by Canadian sports fans in regards to respect?
• Ssk ranked 3rd, named by 7.38% of fans. Alouettes were the only other CFL team in the mix at #10, 2.07%. Winner: Habs, 37.04%.

The results of this survey might be discouraging in that the Lions come out in the bottom half of 21 teams in nearly all of these rankings, but it's interesting that within the CFL, the Lions rank 2nd on gameday atmosphere, both as ranked by the team's own fans and also as perceived across fans sampled in this survey. And as poorly as the Lions might have ranked, the Whitecaps — with their self-proclaimed best sporting atmosphere in the city — might take umbrage at not making the cut on any of these top ten rankings.

Also interesting that Cgy & Mtl made the cut on the respect metric, which IMHO is largely a by-product of the solid ownership of these teams and of what Hufnagel and Popp (and to some extent Trestman who is still fairly fresh in the minds of most CFL observers) have achieved in football ops in their respective cities. I think the Lions would have made the cut on respect and might have even outranked Ssk if this survey had been done during the Ackles II era. The Eskimos might have also fared better on some of these lists in previous years before their slide into mediocrity that began under Danny M, from which they have only recently begun to re-emerge under HC Chris Jones.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this survey is that the thread about it on the riderfans forum is only 11 posts long as I type (still on just its first page!) and even then they seem mostly concerned with how other teams ranked rather than engaging in self-congratulation.

A couple of points which popped up for me were: The survey was conducted in early May with the NHL/NBA playoffs in full swing and MLB/MLS seasons going for a couple months...but over 5 months since the last CFL game played with a month before CFL training camps open. This is a factor in the awareness of the teams. If the survey was held in November, for instance, the BJ's and MLS might come into mind less with the CFL more (with fans keyed up for the popular CFL playoffs). April/May is probably the lowest ebb of CFL interest during the year.

The Seahawks poll published by the Sun a week before the Super Bowl showed the Seahawks trouncing the Whitecaps and nearly equaling the Lions in "casual" fan interest in Vancouver. If you held that same Seahawks survey in May, their level of interest would be much lower than during Super Bowl week.

Another anomaly was the Jets topping the Canucks in the poll. That just makes no sense. The Canucks extended TV market is 3.8 million which is more than triple the total population of Manitoba. I don't see how any metric would have the near 50-yr-old Canuck franchise being below the Jets who've only been in business for a year or two. That set off alarm bells for me about the validity of the survey...and the "weighting" of the markets as they claim.

[sj-roc]

Another anomaly was the Jets topping the Canucks in the poll. That just makes no sense. The Canucks extended TV market is 3.8 million which is more than triple the total population of Manitoba. I don't see how any metric would have the near 50-yr-old Canuck franchise being below the Jets who've only been in business for a year or two. That set off alarm bells for me about the validity of the survey...and the "weighting" of the markets as they claim.

A lot of Canuck games are played after eastern prime time viewing hours so I don't think the team is on people's radar in that part of the country whereas the Jets are only one hour behind and this is less of a factor. Just under 2/3rds of respondents were from the four CFL eastern markets, which are essentially the three NHL Eastern Conference markets in this country. Also the Jets made the playoffs this year for the first time since their return to Wpg. It was a short run, a first round sweep, but I think it was enough to help raise the team's profile across the country.

Finally and perhaps most significantly, if you check page 11 of the pdf link I posted you'll see that the 1-10 overall ranking of the teams doesn't have the teams evenly spaced from one notch to the next. The dropoff from 1 to 2 is more than double that from 3 to 10. The Habs are seriously leaving everyone behind in the dust, even the Leafs. The Leafs to a lesser extent have a healthy margin on everyone else, but the rest of the top ten are more tightly clustered, to the point that I wonder if the 3-10 ranking is fully statistically significant. One wonders how far behind the top ten the remaining 11 teams rank on the scale in that graphic — I suspect they probably all land on the remaining space behind the Alouettes on that blue bar, possibly with plenty to spare.

You could have run the survey on another different group of 2,676 fans at the same time, sampled in identical fashion, and come out a very different 3-10 ranking, with possibly several of the 21 teams making the cut in one (and only one) of the two parallel surveys. The Canucks and Jets are in fact the two adjacently ranked teams with the least to choose between them, with the possible exception of the Canucks and the Flames who finished just below the Canucks. The three teams look to be about evenly spaced.

One other interest observation from the graphics in that file is on the respect question. When asked which teams fans respect the most, the Leafs, who otherwise performed well in the survey, didn't make the cut, which shouldn't surprise anybody based on their chronic on-ice failures. Yet when fans were asked to rank the teams based on how they expected them to finish in this survey, the Leafs finished all the way up at #4.