Toronto Argonauts-CFL Grey Cup Champions 2012...

[Long Island Mike]

Everyone: ESPN's Chris Berman reported about this year's 2012 Grey Cup game at the Rogers Skydome...

Talk about good luck-Toronto ended up hosting what ended up to be a Argonauts home game and there is no
doubt that the home field advantage helped their cause against the Calgary Stampeders...a 35-22 Argos win...

After the Argos win how did fans react to their winning this year's Grey Cup? I recall that their were celebrations
after past Argos GC wins and I was surprised after nothing was mentioned concerning this here at UT...

We all know that fans celebrate after major championship wins and I will compare this to the NFL Super Bowl
in which a competing team has never played in their home stadium...

The closest that a team has come is the San Francisco 49ers on 1/20/85 in which they played at Stanford Stadium
in Palo Alto,CA which is about 25 miles from the 49ers home of Candlestick Park...Super Bowl XIX was won by the
49ers over the Miami Dolphins 38-16...

I feel that things are getting interesting for Toronto sports fans despite the fact that there may not be an NHL
season this year and with the Blue Jays major changes next year's baseball season will be something to look
forward to...Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100th_Grey_Cup

LI MIKE

 

[EVCco]

EVCco: Good pictures of the Argonauts Grey Cup celebration...Any idea about how many fans turned out for this event?

I posted a topic about the Argonauts Grey Cup victory in the Toronto Issues area and I was surprised that nothing was mentioned
about the Grey Cup game being played at the Rogers Skydome and that it was literally a "home" game for the Argos...and no one
posted anything to add to that topic...Does that show an idea about the interest in the CFL and the Argos here at UT?

Since you are a Hamilton Tiger-Cats fan how intense is that regional rivalry today? Was there more past fan interest?
The Toronto-Hamilton sports team rivalry I will compare to Baltimore-Washington in that both cities are almost exactly
the same distance apart-40 miles...The NFL Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins would probably compare - same
sport but different NFL conferences so they do not play each other often and to a less extent MLB's Baltimore Orioles
and Washington Nationals - different leagues...Those cities have one NBA basketball and NHL hockey team in that region...

I do feel that Hamilton would support a NHL team to rival the Maple Leafs but with the NHL lockout dragging on and the
current NHL season very much in jeopardy this is perhaps not the time to mention this...

LI MIKE

I think I heard on the news later on that around 50,000 people attended the parade/rally. Seems about right from what I saw. It was enough, at any rate, to fill up about half of Nathan Phillips Square. Still a far cry from the 250,000-300,000 fans who attended the Blue Jays world series parades back in the day.

I'd say the Ti-Cats/Argos rivalry isn't quite what it used to be, as interest in the CFL isn't what it used to be (at least in Ontario). Still stronger in Hamilton though, with none of those perpetual expectations of an NFL team arriving any minute like here. There is also the theory, however, that the Blue Jays did more to kill the CFL in Toronto than interest in the NFL, being "major league" sports with a large overlap in the playing season. Also, wasn't there something about Argos games, for the longest time, being the only place in town where you could buy/drink alcohol during the day? Then when that changed popularity fell.

Anyhow, it's a shame, since another difference between the Ravens/Redskins Orioles/Nationals comparison is that this rivalry goes back nearly 140 years. I often hear TV ratings, though, are usually stong and actually rising in recent years.

As for the NHL in Hamilton, I fear they missed the boat on that one. I think it could, under the right circumstances, actually do better than another Toronto-specific team though. I think the jury's still out on whether Toronto truly is a "hockey town" or just a "Leafs town"...in terms of spectating, anyhow. Then again, I could also see the GTA supporting 3 teams...under the right circumstances.

 

[BurlOak]

As for the NHL in Hamilton, I fear they missed the boat on that one. I think it could, under the right circumstances, actually do better than another Toronto-specific team though. I think the jury's still out on whether Toronto truly is a "hockey town" or just a "Leafs town"...in terms of spectating, anyhow. Then again, I could also see the GTA supporting 3 teams...under the right circumstances.

I agree that Hamilton would do better than Markham. The best chance Hamilton has of getting an NHL team is to have any owner just pick up an existing team and move it to Hamilton - and then dare the NHL or the Leafs to take them to court. The fear of loosing and the effect that may have on many of the other NHL rules may be enough to stop a lawsuit. As I understand it, that is was the Oakland Raiders did when they moved to Los Angeles beside the Rams.

 

[willg]

The Ticats/Argos rivalry is one-sided I think in the sense that Ticat fans can "get up" for a game against the Argos meaning that the animosity of the Steeltowners towards the Hogtowners is still there, but I don't think there is a vice versa feeling. For myself who is a die-hard Argo fan it exists, but I don't think it exists in general for Torontonians. That's simply a product of the perception of the CFL in this market.