http://thestar.blogs.com/thespin/2006/1 ... large.html
Seems that Braley isn't fond of the new SMS to the point of not allowing the auditor to see the Lions books. Since this news would have happened during the season, I am surprised that it only is getting out now. On the other hand, Braley may have done that at the time when Wright was getting the boot, and didn't want him privy to the inner workings of the Lions.
Braley and the 'SMS'
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(Dennis puts on his asbestos suit...)
Okay, this is exactly the kind of *poop* that has landed the league in so much difficulty over the years. The fact that David Braley won't cooperate with the majority will of the league as a whole is shameful. The only way that a league, any league, can be run is if everyone is on the same page. He was in the meeting where the SMS was voted on, and it passed. The league agreed to a salary management system, and last time I looked the BC Lions were not an independent club team, but rather a member of the Canadian Football League.
Even if David Braley can afford to pay more than $4 million in salaries, the fact is that community owned teams like Saskatchewan and Winnipeg cannot. The lack of enforced salary cap is a huge part of the reason why Ottawa is no longer in the league -- their original owners had a business plan based on the silly notion that the old salary cap was actually real and being enforced, only to discover upon their arrival that the cap was an unenforced joke. Further, there is no way in God's green earth that any proposed Maritime-based team could make a go of it trying to match big ticket contracts with clubs like BC and Edmonton. Now they've raised the cap to over $4 million, a 60% increase from four seasons ago, and David Braley still won't play ball? Unreal.
The NFL is what it is today because great men like Wellington Mara of the Giants knew that they had to sacrifice some of their autonomy and strength in order to make the league as a whole a success. David Braley may have done a lot of good things for the Lions, but as a builder and man of vision for the CFL as a whole, he is sadly lacking.
Okay, this is exactly the kind of *poop* that has landed the league in so much difficulty over the years. The fact that David Braley won't cooperate with the majority will of the league as a whole is shameful. The only way that a league, any league, can be run is if everyone is on the same page. He was in the meeting where the SMS was voted on, and it passed. The league agreed to a salary management system, and last time I looked the BC Lions were not an independent club team, but rather a member of the Canadian Football League.
Even if David Braley can afford to pay more than $4 million in salaries, the fact is that community owned teams like Saskatchewan and Winnipeg cannot. The lack of enforced salary cap is a huge part of the reason why Ottawa is no longer in the league -- their original owners had a business plan based on the silly notion that the old salary cap was actually real and being enforced, only to discover upon their arrival that the cap was an unenforced joke. Further, there is no way in God's green earth that any proposed Maritime-based team could make a go of it trying to match big ticket contracts with clubs like BC and Edmonton. Now they've raised the cap to over $4 million, a 60% increase from four seasons ago, and David Braley still won't play ball? Unreal.
The NFL is what it is today because great men like Wellington Mara of the Giants knew that they had to sacrifice some of their autonomy and strength in order to make the league as a whole a success. David Braley may have done a lot of good things for the Lions, but as a builder and man of vision for the CFL as a whole, he is sadly lacking.
"Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever."
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OrangeShoes99
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Hmmm...a Toronto based reporter:
So as everyone else, including the teams that whined about no cap for years continue to make a mockery of it, all the blame is heaped apon David Braley yet again.
Some things never change.
He says (in Marty York type fashion) the Lions told the leagues auditors to get lost...but the Argos are being the good guys. No mention of the signing bonuses everyone else was handing out, (I believe the Riders signed 28 players before the deadline), which to me is just as bad as allegedly not letting anyone see your books."Damien Cox, the Star's hockey columnist and associate sports editor takes turns stirring up trouble and chuckling at the foibles of the sporting world. He'll start with hockey, Canada's ongoing passion play, and stick his nose into a few other games and places where athletes reside. You'll love some of his thoughts, hate others and get a chance to give your two cents on all of them."
So as everyone else, including the teams that whined about no cap for years continue to make a mockery of it, all the blame is heaped apon David Braley yet again.
Some things never change.
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SammyGreene
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This doesn't look good on Braley and indirectly explains why he is listed 10th by the Globe in their top 25 most influential sports personalities in 2006.
http://www.globesports.com/servlet/stor ... tball/home
Bottom line is he doesn't want anyone telling him what to do and how to run his business. He will make sure the next comissioner is nothing more than a grip and grin figure head.
http://www.globesports.com/servlet/stor ... tball/home
Bottom line is he doesn't want anyone telling him what to do and how to run his business. He will make sure the next comissioner is nothing more than a grip and grin figure head.
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OrangeShoes99
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Uh Dennis the Riders have proven in the last three years they can and they do...Even if David Braley can afford to pay more than $4 million in salaries, the fact is that community owned teams like Saskatchewan and Winnipeg cannot.
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OrangeShoes99
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I am not saying Braley is a saint, but to put all of the blame on him when other teams are doing the same thing AND complaining about the lack of a cap at the same time is ridiculous.
The Eskimos just sit quietly and go about business as usual. The Riders spend like it's going out of style, the Argos, the Als, the Bombers loaded up last year. Almost every team with the exception of the Bombers were handing out bonuses like they were going out of style before the deadline.
Yet it's David Braley ruining the league...those who live in glass houses...at least David Braley is up front about the way he wants to run his team.
The Eskimos just sit quietly and go about business as usual. The Riders spend like it's going out of style, the Argos, the Als, the Bombers loaded up last year. Almost every team with the exception of the Bombers were handing out bonuses like they were going out of style before the deadline.
Yet it's David Braley ruining the league...those who live in glass houses...at least David Braley is up front about the way he wants to run his team.
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Brian, this just can't become another "us vs. them" story. This reminds me of when I catch my son screwing up at school, and the first words out of his mouth are about some other kids who were doing worse things than him. I don't care about them -- I care about my kid, and when my kid lets me down I am unhappy. In this case, my football team is letting down the league, and no amount of "Toronto bias" or "they're doing it too" allegations makes it right.
In the case of Saskatchewan, the Riders' Board would likely argue, and not without some justification, that they have had to do so in order to keep up with the Joneses. Just look at what happened to Ottawa in '03 and '04 when their old ownership insisted that management stay within the salary cap -- they flat out couldn't compete for players, and stunk on the field as a result.
The CFL has a long, sad history of competing against itself for players -- you need look no further than the ridiculously inflated salaries being paid to many of the starting QBs around the league. Absolutely none of these guys could get anywhere near 400K a year to play football anywhere else, as demonstrated by the fact that not one of them could even stick in the NFL as a third stringer. In the CFL, though, this has been allowed to become the de facto market rate for a decent starting QB. Winnipeg is being rescued financially this year only by the Grey Cup, but yet felt duty bound to go out and give Barrin Simpson 180K a year to play middle linebacker for them. Simpson's a great player and all, but this is outrageous money, and simply not supported by Winnipeg's revenues. Yet if Winnipeg doesn't sign him, they probably don't improve in '06.
At the same time, it is still a primarily gate driven league, and those same teams that are shelling out 400K for a QB are trying to sell $10 family pack end zone seats in order to fill the stadium. It doesn't work -- the CFL's old business model is fundamentally broken, and works only when you have either a) consistently huge crowds, like Edmonton, or b) an owner who is willing to lose money on his toy. If this is the old NHL, we are the Detroit Red Wings, and David Braley is Mike Ilitch.
The CFL should be heading into a period of great stability and prosperity. The new TV deal provides all the teams with an extra financial cushion, and merchandise sales are improving. We should be able to get those two new teams in the league over the next few years, and have a strong 10 team league for many years to come. The only way you get stability, however, is with a cap that makes business sense. Otherwise, teams will continue to financially cannibalize each other. David Braley needs to be part of the solution here, but instead he's part of the problem.
In the case of Saskatchewan, the Riders' Board would likely argue, and not without some justification, that they have had to do so in order to keep up with the Joneses. Just look at what happened to Ottawa in '03 and '04 when their old ownership insisted that management stay within the salary cap -- they flat out couldn't compete for players, and stunk on the field as a result.
The CFL has a long, sad history of competing against itself for players -- you need look no further than the ridiculously inflated salaries being paid to many of the starting QBs around the league. Absolutely none of these guys could get anywhere near 400K a year to play football anywhere else, as demonstrated by the fact that not one of them could even stick in the NFL as a third stringer. In the CFL, though, this has been allowed to become the de facto market rate for a decent starting QB. Winnipeg is being rescued financially this year only by the Grey Cup, but yet felt duty bound to go out and give Barrin Simpson 180K a year to play middle linebacker for them. Simpson's a great player and all, but this is outrageous money, and simply not supported by Winnipeg's revenues. Yet if Winnipeg doesn't sign him, they probably don't improve in '06.
At the same time, it is still a primarily gate driven league, and those same teams that are shelling out 400K for a QB are trying to sell $10 family pack end zone seats in order to fill the stadium. It doesn't work -- the CFL's old business model is fundamentally broken, and works only when you have either a) consistently huge crowds, like Edmonton, or b) an owner who is willing to lose money on his toy. If this is the old NHL, we are the Detroit Red Wings, and David Braley is Mike Ilitch.
The CFL should be heading into a period of great stability and prosperity. The new TV deal provides all the teams with an extra financial cushion, and merchandise sales are improving. We should be able to get those two new teams in the league over the next few years, and have a strong 10 team league for many years to come. The only way you get stability, however, is with a cap that makes business sense. Otherwise, teams will continue to financially cannibalize each other. David Braley needs to be part of the solution here, but instead he's part of the problem.
"Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever."
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SammyGreene
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I guess one thing that does back this up is how evasive the Lions are about their bottom line.
Regular season attendance hasn't been this good in 15 years yet Ackles said the team was going to lose money this year until the big Western Final gate.
And what's it been now... 3 straight years of increases on ST prices?
It just seems like they never make it clear what their break even point is but I'm sure it was around the high 20s not that long ago.
There should be some serious concerns if a team is averaging 31,000 in the CFL and still is swimming in red numbers.
Regular season attendance hasn't been this good in 15 years yet Ackles said the team was going to lose money this year until the big Western Final gate.
And what's it been now... 3 straight years of increases on ST prices?
It just seems like they never make it clear what their break even point is but I'm sure it was around the high 20s not that long ago.
There should be some serious concerns if a team is averaging 31,000 in the CFL and still is swimming in red numbers.
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OrangeShoes99
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Actually when using you're own argument, your kid should get a free pass, cause the Riders have only been doing what the other kid (the Lions) have been doing, so that makes it ok. 8)Brian, this just can't become another "us vs. them" story. This reminds me of when I catch my son screwing up at school, and the first words out of his mouth are about some other kids who were doing worse things than him. I don't care about them -- I care about my kid, and when my kid lets me down I am unhappy. In this case, my football team is letting down the league, and no amount of "Toronto bias" or "they're doing it too" allegations makes it right.
In the case of Saskatchewan, the Riders' Board would likely argue, and not without some justification, that they have had to do so in order to keep up with the Joneses. Just look at what happened to Ottawa in '03 and '04 when their old ownership insisted that management stay within the salary cap -- they flat out couldn't compete for players, and stunk on the field as a result
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That's just it -- the Lions should be nicely profitable at that number, and David Braley should have no shortage of local interests to buy some, or all, of the team from him. Instead, no one wants to touch it, because for all the progress that has been made on attendance the league still has the slight whiff of financial instability to it.SammyGreene wrote:There should be some serious concerns if a team is averaging 31,000 in the CFL and still is swimming in red numbers.
Major junior hockey has managed to construct a very nice little business model, based on controlled costs and good attendance. (Now, the kids who play for them are basically indentured servants, but that's another thread.) If the CFL would stop shooting itself in the foot and get together on controlling player costs, it too could have that kind of positive, sustained business model. That takes cooperation, vision and leadership, however, and we sure don't see much of that anywhere around the League.
Oh, and Brian, I don't want you giving my kids any "how to talk your way out of trouble" seminars at any future tailgaters! :lol:
"Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever."
Hey, I never had a problem being in that position as a Wings fan.If this is the old NHL, we are the Detroit Red Wings, and David Braley is Mike Ilitch.
Let's wait for a story with some sort of accreditation, however. Someone from one of the Vancouver papers (since we know they hit this site for ideas) could and should follow up on this.
I am kinda lost here at the moment, cant follow to figure out if you being sarcastic or really mean this, but for those that would beleive the above, I must paraphrase the old type cliche and askyour kid should get a free pass, cause the Riders have only been doing what the other kid (the Lions) have been doing, so that makes it ok
If all the other kids were setting fire to houses, would it excuse your kid for doing the same?
Doesnt matter what the rest of the league is doing, only maybe makes them just as big minuses as Brailey. Brailey is still being a really bad dude on this, to say the least.
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