The NFL in Toronto - a Political Football?
June 17, 2008 · By Shane Edwards
I love Canadian Football. I really do. NFL makes good TV, but I can’t even conceive of an experience worth $300 per ticket.
However, I don’t doubt that in a city of 4 million people, there may be thousands of people who are willing to pay for that.
The question is, are the people who will buy tickets to an NFL team in Toronto the same people who will buy tickets for a CFL game in Toronto?
The National Post is doing a series on the question of an NFL team in Toronto. Politicians are weighing in on it as those against the move are looking to find support from politicians to protect “Canadian heritage”, or to protect Canada from a “monopoly”. I was sent Bob Ackles’ article in the series (it was dated today, but I didn’t see it online so I won’t reprint it) and he is obviously against the move in the interests of preserving his interest in the BC Lions. He along with many others, believe that if the NFL comes to Toronto it will lead to the death of the CFL.
I think the question I posed at the top is the real one: are the two markets the same?
From a fans standpoint, I don’t think so. I think given ticket prices that were similar, a good number of people may choose to go to an NFL game, simply from the marketing and hype of the NFL. However, the prices are not similar. Toronto Argonauts sell their tickets at between $20 and $80 for single games. The Seattle Seahawks sell theirs for between $37 and $360. There is a different clientele that can afford NFL tickets it seems to me.
From a sponsorship standpoint, there may be problems. Canada’s corporate community isn’t all that big to begin with, since free trade opened up all kinds of big American corporations much freer access to our marketplaces. The few big ones there are want maximum exposure - and will go anywhere to get it. Witness the Royal Bank of Canada buying naming rights to the Carolina Hurricanes’ hockey rink! Why spend a little on CFL sponsorship and get a little exposure when you can buy NFL sponsorship and get exposure in both America and Canada? I can see where this could cause problems, but is being protectionist the solution? I don’t know.
What I wonder is whether or not we can look to other sports to test feasibility. The NHL is the big dog in most of Canada. All the big corporate sponsors go NHL if they want exposure to hockey fans. Yet, in recent years we have seen successful Canadian Junior Hockey franchises begin to crop up in NHL markets: The Calgary Hitmen and the Vancouver Giants are the two closest to home for me. Both of them seem to be thriving, with lower ticket prices making the games more approachable for families and the less wealthy (while NHL ticket prices skyrocket, putting them out of reach of average Joes). They don’t seem to be lacking in corporate sponsorship and they seem to make all kinds of money.
We shouldn’t kid ourselves: the CFL is a minor league. There has not been a time in the last 30 years where CFL and NFL teams could even compare with one another skillwise. Yes, they play different games, but it’s still football, and the best players in the CFL all grew up playing college football at American four-down schools. The CFL will always be a minor league - Canadians are not willing to pay NFL money to attract NFL talent, and CFL owners do not have the deep pockets required to begin to simply hire players away from the NFL. So if the question becomes, will the big league kill the minor league? The answer, as witnessed by AHL, CHL and NHL hockey teams coexisting in many cities, seems to likely no. It doesn’t have to, but we need to look carefully at how teams like the Giants and the Hitmen successfully markets and positions their clubs for profitability in the face of the big league in town.
One problem for the CFL, I think, is that it’s not just about the two leagues, it’s really about the two FRANCHISES in Toronto. Will Toronto support both a CFL and an NFL franchise (WILL, not “can”). There are enough sports fans in Toronto to easily support both a CFL and an NFL franchise, imho, but will those fans come out to see the CFL product once the NFL product is available to them (even if it’s just “available” to them on T.V.). In other markets, Edmonton, Montreal, God knows Saskatchewan, the CFL fans are passionate about CANADIAN football, and their franchise in particular. There’s some of that in Toronto too, of course, but I also feel like some of the Toronto market is too fickle. They’ll go to see the Argos because it’s the best football available, but will they continue to do so once it’s (arguably) not the best game in town? Will the citizens of a city that prides itself on being “major league” still frequent what you call a “minor league” when the “big league” is an option?
I think the answer could be yes for some of the reasons you note (tickets are cheaper, the Argos have a real and positive “community presence”, there is a bit of patriotism and “Yay Canada!” involved…) but I can also see the Argos failing to keep their base, and maybe even collapsing under the new competition. And the problem is, without Toronto the CFL may still exist, but not in a form you’d recognize today. A LOT of that national ad money the CFL gets is because Toronto is a CFL market. A CFL without Toronto would be a radically different entity than what we know today!
As I said, I think it’s entirely possible that you’re right, and that the different experience, different fan base, and different price point will ensure that the Argos can still compete when the NFL comes here permanently (I’m pretty convinced that’ll happen now somehow, eventually). However if I were the CFL I’d be nervous, and DEFINITELY worried about corporate sponsorship.
A friend of mine responds:
“Although I understand where you are coming from, I just want to point out the CFL is not a minor league. Our sponsors pay major league $$$ to have their brands advertised in our programs, in our websites and in our braodcasts, tv and radio alike. Try telling our players that they play in a minor league. Yes, the majority of CFL players grew up playing 4 down ball but many of them like our game and have opted to stick around the great white north because our game won’t put them to sleep. Many of them have also opted to stick around because our game is about heart and passion unlike the NFL, where it’s about the almighty dollar. Please know that I am aware of guys like Brett Farve, Joe Mantana and Shaun Alexander who all have a heart and passion for the game. But there is something different about our game. There is something different about the attitude of our players. Some of these guys have the skill to make it in the NFL but choose to stay in the CFL. Why is that? What makes them decide to stay? I’ll let you figure it out.”
To which I reply:
The CFL gets major league TV coverage here in Canada, but that’s because the NFL isn’t here. Still, the WHL (and OHL and QMJHL) get TV coverage on TSN and stuff too. They are most decidedly minor leagues. In a scenario where the NFL came into Toronto, it would quickly become clear how they are related. The NFL would probably sign a massive agreement with one Canadian network and another Canadian network would sign the CFL to compete, but the ratings would never come close.
Is the CFL a professional league? 100% yes! I have all the respect in the world for CFL players - they are truly excellent at what they do and that’s why they are both entertaining to watch and worth their salaries. However, I don’t know of a single CFL player who wouldn’t drop everything if they had a shot at playing in the NFL. That to me demonstrates the minor league nature of the CFL.