Lionbackers.com

David wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 17, 2019 12:46 pm

Not sure I necessarily want the Aquilinis either but I'm going to bite this time (ignoring the other 15x you've written the same thing on here, lol). How have they "completely screwed" the Canucks? They are one of the most valuable teams in the league. Rumours persist of their (Francesco's?) over-involvement, thus delaying the rebuild. But the Canucks have drafted well and have a number of key assets in place to make the playoffs this year or next. Hell, they came within one game of winning the Stanley Cup in 2011!

Could their vast scale and reach not be helpful to the Lions' marketing? I love the Canucks marketing. "We Are All Canucks" was adopted as a local battle cry. I wish we had the staff and creative assets they have. The Stampeders seem to have benefitted from their partnership with the Flames as well. Even if you don't like the Aquilini family, what makes you think they would be as "hands-on" with the Lions as they are with the Canucks?

Further, while the sample size with Vancouver Warriors is limited and professional lacrosse teams have always been bad in this market, their attendance more than doubled by moving downtown to Rogers Arena and with ancillary marketing/branding by Canucks Sports and Entertainment (source: Globe and Mail, April 25, 2019). There is a precedent for owning other sports franchises and cross-promotion.


DH

The Canucks came within 1 win of the Stanley Cup in 2011, and then Frank started getting more involved in pushing for certain hockey operations decisions. Prior to that , Mike Gillis had more control. The Canucks have been an unmitigated disaster, and have now been the second worst team in the league over the last 4-year period. There has been no rebuild. They have continued with an incompetent management regime that , rather than rebuilding, has simply failed at their annual attempt at making the playoffs. I also wouldn't say the Canucks have drafted well, as there is very little outside of their first round picks making an impact. It's also not difficult to draft good players when you're picking high in the first round every year, but despite that they still have two glaring screw ups with the Virtanen and Juolevi picks. The Canucks certainly are not making the playoffs this year or next thanks to all the blunders their management has made. If they had committed to an actual rebuild they would absolutely be a team on the rise.

The Canucks have actually lost franchise value over the past half decade, and are one of only two teams in the negative during that time period. The Canucks are an organization that promotes nepotism, with Aquilini having family members working in the organization. The general manager has also hired his own son as a scout (Brandon Benning's previous job was as a security guard), and has now been promoted to a more prominent role on the scouting staff for some reason.

The "We are all Canucks" marketing slogan was part of an NHL campaign, not a local Canucks campaign.

I do agree that there are some benefits in terms of streamlined marketing, merchandising, and I'm sure they could work out some sort of inter-branded ticket sales. And if the Canucks were owned by someone else I would probably think it's a good idea. But not with the Aquilini's, and certainly not with how the Canucks have been mismanaged over the past decade.

Do the lions make money ? If not, what is the incentive for potential buyers? Seems like a big risk without much financial gain.

The_Pauser wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 17, 2019 1:29 pm

The "We are all Canucks" marketing slogan was part of an NHL campaign, not a local Canucks campaign.

If that was an NHL campaign why have I never heard it being used in any other NHL markets I've been to during the season since I first heard it in Vancouver including Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Detroit and Arizona?

I don't know if it was a league thing or not, but I do know the Islanders used "We're All Islanders" if they don't still.

The thing is it works for Islanders, because the fans would be actual islanders. The same way most Canucks fans are Canadian, hence "canucks" .

Doesn't quite work as well with We Are All Penguins or We are all Ducks.

I recall the LA Kings used that slogan.



But I don't know if it was an NHL campaign or just copied - seems more the latter as it's come in different years.

The NHL were trying to get fans to identify more with their teams especially around their last lock out.

The former CFL commish did a great job rallying CFL fans against the players during the prior to the last round of bargaining with the players. I disagreed with what he did but it was effective.

Honour Dewalt wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 17, 2019 10:25 pm

I don't know if it was a league thing or not, but I do know the Islanders used "We're All Islanders" if they don't still.

The thing is it works for Islanders, because the fans would be actual islanders. The same way most Canucks fans are Canadian, hence "canucks" .

Doesn't quite work as well with We Are All Penguins or We are all Ducks.

So if We are all Canucks why is the logo a whale? ... bring back Johnny Canuck

D wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 18, 2019 8:25 pm

So if We are all Canucks why is the logo a whale? ...

Because whales are also Canucks.

After the 2011 Vancouver riots, I don't look agree with the "we are all Canucks" slogan. I know its supposed to have been a small group that started it, which got everyone else into a riot frame of mind, but I don't think Lions or Whitecap fans would do that.

In terms of Lions slogans, I still don't understand why the "nothing rhymes with orange" advertisements has lion players faces with no eyes.

To be truthful, I came to the conclusion years ago that trying to invoke that nationalistic component in people is often just a stupid excuse for reprehensible behaviour. Something that seems more on display everywhere in the world than ever. People are people and regardless of nationality, you can't avoid the mental midgets of the world who will do crazy things. Trying to make some kind of blanket statement about quality of persons based on their affiliation either to team or region or nationality is just asking for disappointment. I don't really know what being a Canuck is supposed to stand for anymore (if I ever really did). I know how I conduct myself and I consider myself a pretty decent guy as most people generally are but there are also a lot of "Canucks" that are complete jerks and holes too. I cringe when stupid people go out an make .....hats of themselves while affiliating themselves with whatever it is. I would just rather say I am a fan of the sport without aligning myself with any particular group. My desire to belong isn't strong enough that any kind of trite slogan is going to induce me to be more of a fan. That's just me however. Maybe it works better with others. (Ironically so says the member of Lionsbackers).

johnchow604 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 18, 2019 11:27 pm

After the 2011 Vancouver riots, I don't look agree with the "we are all Canucks" slogan. I know its supposed to have been a small group that started it, which got everyone else into a riot frame of mind, but I don't think Lions or Whitecap fans would do that.

In terms of Lions slogans, I still don't understand why the "nothing rhymes with orange" advertisements has lion players faces with no eyes.

JohnChow604 linkage of the riot to the slogan isn't the first time someone has used that and here is one person's take on the slogan and the fans. It's an interesting quick read.

The author starts with this:

“We are all Canucks” until we riot, apparently. Then it’s the work of a “handful.”

“Hockey’s over-the-top fandom (and the same could be said for the Olympics) seems a frantic expression of what the post-modern metropolis and its high-rise ghettos lack and even deliberately negate — a human-scale community in which individuals feel purposeful and acknowledged.”

“In the absence of any shared collective progressive principles, the BC elite longed for a new solidarity forged from of this “fighting collectivity” of Canucks fans. You could not find a politician that didn’t reinforce the jingoism, not the least with Premier Christy Clark speaking exclusively in hockey metaphors. But grounding social solidarity in competitive spectacle is a risky wager, as the solidarity can be wiped away by a 0-4 tally.”

http://ounodesign.com/2011/06/16/canuck ... vancouver/

johnchow604 wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 17, 2019 1:48 pm

Do the lions make money ? If not, what is the incentive for potential buyers? Seems like a big risk without much financial gain.

Owners like David Braley don't typically lose money on a franchise but there are basic tax breaks if your business loses money.

This article during an NBA labour dispute says this about NBA teams and owners:

With all that in mind, Gladwell suggests we chuck Microeconomics 101 out the window. He says owning a basketball team should be like owning a painting: Something rich people do for both the money and the psychic benefits.

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/ar ... ey/244190/

Vancouver located business blog too has a take:

https://www.visioncritical.com/blog/gate-revenue
Why many high-performing sports teams are losing money at the gate
Written by Chris Bondarenko
Last updated May 01, 2019

Interesting podcast discussion with Jim Mullin and another host as they discuss the future of the Leos. Jim seems really pessimistic about the club's future. They talk about the stadium's challenging location, Braley's ownership, and the club's failure to connect with younger fans.

I disagree with him on a couple of fronts. First, he estimates there were only 7,000 people in the stands last game. Make no mistake, attendance wasn't great, but c'mon. It had to have been at least double that, IMO. Then he implies that the ST crowd is entirely 60+, neglecting to mention all the kids (12 and under) in the crowd. I've observed a sharp spike in this age group in the last couple of years and a much better blend of ages. Yes, the Lions core is definitely older than the city's other pro teams, but not to the extent they imply.

Remember the Concordes, BC Lions franchise woes, and moving the CFL season up

(starts at 3:30)


DH

David wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 03, 2019 11:56 pm

Interesting podcast discussion with Jim Mullin and another host as they discuss the future of the Leos. Jim seems really pessimistic about the club's future. They talk about the stadium's challenging location, Braley's ownership, and the club's failure to connect with younger fans.

I disagree with him on a couple of fronts. First, he estimates there were only 7,000 people in the stands last game. Make no mistake, attendance wasn't great, but c'mon. It had to have been at least double that, IMO. Then he implies that the ST crowd is entirely 60+, neglecting to mention all the kids (12 and under) in the crowd. I've observed a sharp spike in this age group in the last couple of years and a much better blend of ages. Yes, the Lions core is definitely older than the city's other pro teams, but not to the extent they imply.

Remember the Concordes, BC Lions franchise woes, and moving the CFL season up

(starts at 3:30)


DH

Your comment about the 12 and under kids in the crowd sparked a memory of me going to a Grizzly's basketball game in their first season: I was amazed at all the 11 and 12 y.o. leading a parent by the hand around the concourse. It was obvious that it was the kid that was the big fan who got the parent to take him/her to the game.

If I were marketing the Lions I would make a big effort to get the kids interested in taking a parent to a game.

Interesting idea Dano. Kinda like "Take a Parent To School Day". "Take a Parent to the Game Day". Every kid who buys a ticket can bring a parent for half price. Take advantage of the Week 20 bye and do a bit of a blitz at the schools and set it up for the season finale.

Hambone wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 04, 2019 9:40 am

Interesting idea Dano. Kinda like "Take a Parent To School Day". "Take a Parent to the Game Day". Every kid who buys a ticket can bring a parent for half price. Take advantage of the Week 20 bye and do a bit of a blitz at the schools and set it up for the season finale.

The way I envision it is a player(s) visit a grade school with some sort of be healthy/active message or whatever, and at the end of the visit gives each kid a "Take a Parent to a Game" coupon. Even if the kid never does take a parent, they still end up with a BC Lions souvenir coupon commemorating the Lions player visit to the school, suitable for framing or just sticking on a bedroom wall.