B.C.FAN wrote: Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:23 pm
I have great respect for Bob Ackles. I use one of his quotes from The Water Boy in my signature. But it's time to stop believing that all would be well if he were alive today and actively involved in the business. The biggest change that has affected Lions' attendance, and other sports to a degree, is the fact that all games are now on HDTV and fans can get a much better experience watching on their big screens at home for free than they can in the stadium. That's why many people have given up attending games but still like to watch them on TSN.
The challenges of marketing the team in this era, especially with the changing media landscape, are nothing like Ackles experienced. Dennis Skulsky has maintained strong corporate sponsorship for the Lions. What he, David Braley and others in the organization have failed to do is find a way to reach potential fans and attract them to the stadium by promising them an entertaining and affordable family experience. That requires doing everything possible to reach a new generation of fans. The Lions' social marketing efforts have greatly improved lately but I'm not sure the paid advertising campaign has reached its target market. Ticket discounts such as the $5 kids' tickets can be effective if marketed properly. The onfield product will take care of the rest.
There is no question that all football teams are dealing with the new reality of big screen TV's, PVR's, and the ability to pause a game, grab a snack from the fridge, and not miss a play. Instant replays, better quality football telecasts, etc.
However, why has our Leos attendance slumped so badly in comparison to most other teams?
Our Leos attendance problems are usually lumped in with Toronto's attendance problems but in many ways they have been different situations and Toronto's poor attendance numbers were more understandable.
Both Toronto and Vancouver have had one similarity, until thankfully, Braley sold the Argos. Both were Braley ownership situations.
Its tougher in Toronto than in Vancouver to win fan dollars and attention. They have the Blue Jays and the Raptors whereas our Leos don't have a professional baseball team and basketball team to compete against for fan season ticket holders dollars.
But while it was especially tough in Toronto and tough in Vancouer, in terms of competition for sports fan dollars, Braley made it impossible in Toronto and much tougher in Vancouver than needed to be.
The Argos, in 2015, dealt with being displaced from Rogers Center for the Pan Am games and the Blue Jays playoff run with scheduling conflicts as well. Home games were played in Fort McMurray (3700 km. away) and in Hamilton, where local Hamilton fans could pick up dirt cheap tickets (attendance there was 3400 per game) and attend the game just to chant "The Argos suck".
But Braley had already almost killed the Argos in 2014, when he decided to sell the club. He had slashed the Argos marketing department and advertising for the Argos was almost non-existent (so much for caring about the CFL and 'his team (s)'.
Many long time staff of the Argos jumped off the Argos ship as if they were jumping off the Titanic. In Toronto, players and coaches had bounced between practice faciliites for years (the Argo's office portables at the U of Toronto actually burned down in 2011 and Braley would not fund a permanent place. The Argos meeting rooms had curtains as dividers and their budget would not allow the team to bring in NFL cuts.
Braley was notoriously known as being incredibly cheap in Toronto. Without anyone to market and sell tickets, both long time and causal fans both disappeared there.
Basically, Braley Braley bailed on funding the Argos, They were badly strapped for cash for years, as Braley injected less and less money ,while pricing them well above market value. But he could not find a sucker who would pay his price. The Argos were run like the old Renegades.
It was like watching a slow death while Braley offered no pain killers but instead Braley kept increasing the agony of it as well as prolonging it.
In Vancouver, Braley has also been cheap with marketing and there is no excuse for his doing so with our Leos. When we closed the upper bowl, ticket prices were raised. Our marketing has always been done on the cheap under Braley in Vancouver and gotten worse.
So, yes, B.C. Fan, I understand that the market in Vancouver is different than in Calgary, Edmonton, and Regina. But they also have big screen HGTV screens and pro hockey teams in Calgary and Edmonton and competition for the sports dollar there too.
Bobby Ackles, as you commented, would be having a tougher time in this market. But I highly doubt we would be in a situation as badly as we are now if Ackles was still alive and President of our Leos.
We have an absentee owner who is notoriously cheap, Buono is the face of the franchise, and Braley and Braley are the mutual admiration society. I don't think the linkage is beneficial to Buono, overall, these days.
I have my critical view of Buono, at times, in terms of football strategy, but we had an exciting quarterback last season, an exciting team, and this year's team looks to be both one of our most exciting and talented teams ever, no matter how good or not good our record turns out this 2017 season.
Buono has done a very good job in terms of creating a sense of confidence in this football team, as HC, in terms of both winning and an exciting product since he returned as HC last season.
But its an uphill battle now to get bums in the seats. We lost fans that we should not have lost and its proving difficult to get them back as well as bring new ones in. Every pro football team in North America is facing the same type of challenges as our Leos. Yes, some markets experience additional challenges, as do our Leos.
But most have spent more money, not less on marketing, have expanded their marketing departments, as well as developed more sophisticated and modern marketing strategies, whereas our Leos have not done so. That starts with David Braley but Skulsky, Buono, etc. also could have stepped up more at times too to help more in attempting to get this turned around.
I'm not going to let the lack of fan interest in our Leos spoil what should be an enjoyable season for me overall. I just think our Leos team and players deserve to be watched due to their talents. Wally will frustrate me at times with some of his game calls and strategies but this team has direction, team discipline, cohesion, and excitement.
With much better marketing, we could get more bums in the seats and once they watched this team, or watched this team again, they would be hooked. But our Leos are under the radar and there is much more to that than just big screen HDTV screens. This is not a well run organization, outside of the football team itself. That has hurt fan attendance more than anything.
Our Leos are basically a very good football team with a very seasoned and well known HC/GM and with many elite and talented players but most everything else, away from the practice field and playing field and scouting department is being done poorly, cheaply, or inadequately.
