Toppy Vann wrote:WestCoastJoe wrote:Points well made, Toppy. Without doing some research, they match my recollections of different issues.
Well what are you waiting for? We'll give you until tomorrow at this time to determine what would prevent or not the NFL from arriving in Toronto - the city of losing teams in recent years. Well not always the Argos.
How about you let the American handle this one.
First, there's the cost. Whether it's purchase or expansion, you're looking at around $1.2 billion American.
Next, you'll need a stadium, because the SkyCasket won't cut it. That means you have to find land, infrastructure and build a stadium up to NFL standards. That's another $750 million to a billion US.
Let's talk about television revenue. Whether it's an additional team or an expansion franchise, the new team now has to split a portion of the US domestic television revenue with US based franchises. Having a team in Toronto does nothing to enhance the value of the single largest revenue generator, the US domestic television contracts. 31 other teams are now splitting an equal share of television revenue with a franchise that does nothing to enhance the value of said contracts. So a non growing pie now has another seat at the table.
There's no team in Los Angeles. You aren't getting anywhere before you get this situation resolved.
The domestic Canadian television rights need to be rejiggered to accomodate the arrival of a Canadian team. Unless you're buying Sunday Ticket, you can cut the number of broadcasts of NFL games on television in Canada by close to half when the Toronto team is playing. "Canada" gets treated, as a whole, like any individual NFL city television wise. When the Toronto team plays, that's the only game on. This does not grow the domestic Canadian television package.
Has anyone taken a look at the exchange rate lately? Tack on another 10% of overhead to deal with that when the Canadian dollar is weak.
Kiss the CFL goodbye. Even if the league could survive without Toronto, it would lose the PR and marketing war. How would you like to own the franchised that kills a national cultural tradition?
When you build this shiny new stadium in Toronto, one of the most geographically sprawled markets in North America, how do you intend to get people to it? (Ironically, this is also a Los Angeles problem).
You're going to have to write the Bills a check for taking a significant chunk out of 20% of their fanbase. There's also a good chance you bleed the Bills dry. Can't see the NFL allowing that.
Finally, Toronto, as a sports town, stinks. It's a Leafs town and that's it. While an NFL team may turn a profit based on inertia , it's a fools errand to all but the GTA boomer doofuses that salivate toward this in the first place.
Far more negatives than positives in the whole NFL to Toronto thing.
When it comes to Toronto, if there's one thing I side with Richard Florida on, it's that Toronto really isn't Toronto, it's better characterized as Torbuffchester. From a media and trade standpoint, the region of Toronto-Hamilton-Buffalo-Rochester itself effectively can support one NFL team. With that being said, it makes sense to keep the current arrangement, with the Bills and a new stadium in Buffalo. Geographically, Buffalo sits at the center of this, draws fans from its own metro, the GTA, the Hammer and Rochester. This should be good enough for the NFL.
It would have been more work to set up Rogers Centre quickly for an NFL game than the Silverdome or whatever it's called. I find it more interesting that they went to Detroit and not, say, Cleveland, which they would have had to drive through on the way to Detroit.
The Silverdome closed in 2005. You're thinking of Ford Field.
Playing a game in Toronto involves moving a significant amount of equipment and players across an international border which you can't arrange on short notice.
You also can't move said players and material through eight feet of snow, which would have impeded you from getting from Buffalo to Cleveland. I-90 was closed from South Buffalo to the Pennsylvania border, so you couldn't drive to Cleveland from Buffalo if you wanted to. Plus, Ford Field is indoors, FirstEnergy Stadium is outdoors, and Ford Field had hosted another neutral site game (after the Metrodome roof collapsed) in the past.
Would Canada step in if the Bills or other team were to move to Ontario? Past actions as far back as PM Pierre Trudeau suggest yes. When the WFL was trying to go to Toronto Trudeau threatened legislation and they went away.
It's worth noting that the Canadian Football Act proposed back then never formally passed. And ultimately, a WFL game was played in London, Ontario in 1974 (in front of 2,000 people). Jim Pattison also tried very hard to get a WFL team, even after John Bassett gave up and moved the Northmen to Memphis, and Robert Harris wanted to move the Portland Storm to London.