I was with great people, had a fantastic dinner at Gusto 101. Try it - Amazing food and service. (oh and my daughter works there too).
Gusto 101
All in all, what a great night. My team won the 100th Grey Cup.....great crowd, fantastic event.
All is good.
Here is the thing. I am absolutely intrigued by how the Toronto sports scene works. It is really quite simple when you think about it.
Why was the Grey Cup so successful? Many reasons. It was Number 100 for one thing. That is big and it was treated differently. It was "The Big One" and all the parties and events were special leading to the big game. The event was sold out before we knew the Argos would be in it.....but when Toronto beat Montreal to make it, the whole atmosphere scaled up. It was the shot in the arm, the booster the Grey Cup people wanted. And then it begins.....the "Band wagon" starts to load up with thousands and thousands of fans.....works every time. Win, and you are in (with the fans).
Let's look at the other sports.
The Toronto Maple Leafs (no comment) - The NHL is dead to me. Next....
The Toronto Blue Jays - toward the end of the 1980's the Blue Jays started to be a force....and of course in the early 1990's they won the World Series......twice!! The house was packed....50,000 fans strong. We couldn't get enough. Since then the team started to lose, alot and people stopped going. Winning is exciting, if you win fans can't get enough. Simple.
The Toronto FC - It was so great when they brought Pro Soccer to Toronto in 2006. It was insane. Fans could not have been happier, the BMO Field was packed for every game and the sky was the limit. Now, 6 years later, TFC has never made the playoffs, not even close and suddenly the honeymoon was over. The fans are tired of losing....the crowds are getting smaller. Something needs to change....it is called wining. Simple.
The Toronto Raptors - Sad really. Tough to watch. This sport is my favorite to watch. I love to play the game, and I love to watch these amazing athletes soar. Like Toronto FC, the Raptors were an instant hit in Toronto. Basketball fans and even non fans flocked to see this new sports team, bringing in players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. We couldn't get enough....but then we did. People stop going, the numbers were down....we were losing...alot. Fans get really tired of losing, no matter how you dress it up...losing sucks! I guarantee you, if the Raptors started to win, and made the playoffs every year....the stands would be packed....Simple.
The Toronto Rock! - This team is a bit of an anomaly. It is the sports team that kind of flys under the radar. The media ignores it on the whole. They never include The Rock when talking about Pro Sports teams in the city....Lacrosse is the Rodney Dangerfield of the city....No respect. And yet, consistent 12,000 fans a game, year after year, good product, good pricing. Winning here helps too, keeps people interested. Simple.
So there it is Toronto. You win, the fans will come. It works...but I guess that is where it gets tough. How do you win?
The Blue Jays have just opened the vault...and there is already a buzz in the city. Superstars.....just add Money!!
The Argo win at the Grey Cup, should translate to more sales next year...but they need to keep winning to keep their numbers up.
***note*** This is a quick beef. I am a CFL fan, I love going to the games....and there are a lot of "core" fans that will go....but not nearly enough. We need new fans....and guess what? I talked to some "new" fans and they are not going back. You know why?? - Those ridiculous horns that a lot of fans blow during Argo games. Maybe I am getting old. But it is time to put those noisemakers away. Yes, it is part of the games history, and yes you can tell me to suck it up, but I am still going. Fans that are inconsiderate of other fans has to end. It takes the fun of the event away. It really does.
Maybe I will start a crusade... "ban the horn".
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