----------------------Coming soon to a BMO Field near youThis time you have to think it's for real. The Toronto Argonauts owners are aggressively petitioning The City of Toronto and the CFL to move the team to BMO Field. When this has been rumoured in the past it was always ignored as hot air from the Argos' camp but this time politicians are weighing in and it's bad news for Toronto FC supporters.
Numerous councillors including Joe Pantalone are already backing the plan if the Argos and the CFL can get their act together. Changes will have to be made to BMO Field to incorporate the long field and eliminate the curved stands currently used for real football leaving BMO as an awful place to watch a TFC match. The worst change will of course be the pitch, completely covered with gridiron lines, Rona and Wendy's ads and huge chunks out of the grass that TFC supporters begged for for three years.
Many TFC supporters will believe that MLSE will ride in and save the day but so far they are playing the victim. They will quietly cry foul that the mean city took away their soccer stadium all the while rubbing their hands with glee at the extra revenue they will receive from another 9 or 10 events. Don't look to MLSE to "protect the soccer experience" if it means getting in the way of a few extra bucks.
MLSE will believe that nothing can destroy the faithful TFC supporters, they are after all "Leafs Fans 2.0" right? Wrong. One season of soccer on gridiron will be all it takes to deliver the death blow to Toronto FC. Football has been successful this time around in Toronto because it looks like football and that's what Torontonian's like. It will look like bush-league NASL re-runs with the Argos influence on BMO Field and Toronto fans will react by not showing up.
This may be more opinion rather than fact-based, but remember where you read it first if and when it does happen. If the Argos move into BMO Field, TFC will become an off the field failure within two seasons and be sold to David Beckham's consortium so that they can be re-located to New York and become the Nu-Cosmos. If this sounds impossible, we will leave you with this quote from Toronto Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone - “We’re prepared to get married, but we need a proper proposal. Absolutely (an Argos move to BMO Field), would be good for Exhibition Place, the city, and the CFL.” Sounds like a touchdown.
WORD FACTOR: 6 / 10
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I think this is way premature. Also, don't discount MLS jumpinging into the fray. MLS has for a while pointed to TFC as the model for expansion franchaises. The League would be very upset with seeing one of its stars threatenend.
ReplyDeleteWell Anonymous, we can hope you are right and yes, maybe it is a little premature. But, let's just use it as a worse case scenario cautionary tale. I will stick to my point that the Argos at BMO will spell doom for TFC.
ReplyDeleteThe ownership will never pay to scrub CFL lines off of the pitch and we will look like Giants Stadium in no time with an attendance much similar. I am in no way hoping for this, but I really do fear it. MLSE's claim of having "no say in the matter" doesn't ring true to me and I will always be suspicious of their quest for extra revenue. As far as Major League Soccer - i'm not sure what power, if any, they could wield. Hope you are right and this goes away but Pinball's smile haunts me!
Well it's time the U Sector and Red patch boys band together and protest city hall about this. If the city wants more cash out of BMO, allow TFC to put in more seats and increase the capacity at BMO for soccer! I can tell you that the Sons Of Ben (SOB) Philadelphia Union number one and biggest supporters group wouldn't sit still if this was to take place in Philadelphia/Chester and I don't think U Sector and Red patch boys should sit for this in the same.
ReplyDeleteMy Tax Dollar paid for BMO, so why should it sit empty 80 percent of the time. The Argos have 9 home games, make it work. If MLSE/TFC want exclusive rights to the building. then chalk up the money and buy it outright instead of leaching off of my tax dollars. the city didnt pay for my house.
ReplyDeleteThat's great Anon 1:13 but your taxpayer dollars also paid for SkyDome/Rogers Centre. Why destroy the integrity of a specific building (BMO) when the other one serves the product well without any added cost necessary?
ReplyDeleteThe 15 Million number being floated by the Argos would only cover the basics of fitting the field. No one has mentioned the dressing rooms, training facilities, fixing the pitch constantly and all this without expanding the number of seats.
The losers in this are the TFC fans who will lose their brand of football and the Argos fans who will lose the integrity of CFL football with a shortened field. The winners are the City and MLSE's bank books - but onlt short term. Once the Argos shine wears off, the CFL will get 15-18K at BMO while TFC will be lucky to break 10K for "soccer" with gridiron lines. BMO will be a sh*thole by it's 10th birthday.
i live in etobicoke, i got an idea. give the Argos BMO field, and move TFC to Centennial Park Stadium , i can watch for free from the top of the hill.
ReplyDeleteWho is going to pay for this?
ReplyDeleteThe CFL wasn't offered federal and/or provincial money for a national stadium to be built. Neither was the Argos.
Cynammon and his cohort (name escapes me) are crying losses from the Argos ever since they bought the team. One of them is a real estate developer and thought that he could lump in a 'pro sports team' with a real estate deal, which didn't pan out *cough*York University*cough*.
Is the city going to stump up $10-million+ to redo an end, compensate TFC for the loss of monies due to the lack of corporate party ends (that is what those buildings are in the north stand) while constructing a FURTHER away endzone/grandstand? The dirt-poor Argos? The CFL?
What leg or leverage do the Argos REALLY have? A politician? That's it?!
For the record, the Argo owners have money. They're about to put in a bid to buy the Phoenix Coyotes. Tell me they can't find $20 million and build a stadium up at Downsview where there is plenty of space, parking and on a subway line? It's going to be a "plan B" concert venue up there, put your turf in, rip it out for big tours...
But that's right... they're crying "unfair". Unless the mayorship of Toronto has some kind of solemn power to screw up everything, this is still a moot point and gives the few Argo fans something to look forward to.
I know this is after the fact, but TFC supporters need look no further than Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton to see a venue that has hosted the Canadian National Side on a prestine natural surface as well as the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos for decades with no drawbacks or conflicts.
ReplyDeleteAs far as intimacy goes, look no further than the Air Canada Centre to see an example of endzone seating that can be changed out seamlessly between basketball and hockey.
The right groundskeeping would keep everyone happy. Do the BlueJays play on the Argo's gridiron today?
The nightmare that was the Red Bulls at Giants stadium was because the landlord didn't see enough of a payback from an MLS club in comparison to NFL gameday revenues to give a shit. This would certainly not be the case at BMO.
So now we know its not happening anyways and everyone is happy. But there's no reason to get your knickers in knots if this was approached in the right way.