CFL 2024

Kyle McMahon

Registered User
May 10, 2006
13,442
4,608
Examples of Purifoy getting torched this year were far from zero...I thought he had a pretty good year, but not shocking at all that he didn't make the all-CFL team. Apparently he thinks otherwise.

Calgary being chosen over Edmonton to host a Grey Cup, however...that is pretty shocking. How do you credibly host your marquee event at that stadium in this day and age with so many better options available? The Stampeders needed to be plainly told that they need a new stadium before they'd be considered again. Pretty sure Hamilton was told 20+ years ago that Ivor Wynne had to be replaced before they'd be considered, not unprecedented.

Ambrosie probably just wanted to shaft the league on his way out the door. Why was this idiot even allowed to make the decision (surely wasn't entirely his to be fair)? The CFL forges on in spite of itself...
 
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Drivesaitl

Finding Hemingway
Oct 8, 2017
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Examples of Purifoy getting torched this year were far from zero...I thought he had a pretty good year, but not shocking at all that he didn't make the all-CFL team. Apparently he thinks otherwise.

Calgary being chosen over Edmonton to host a Grey Cup, however...that is pretty shocking. How do you credibly host your marquee event at that stadium in this day and age with so many better options available? The Stampeders needed to be plainly told that they need a new stadium before they'd be considered again. Pretty sure Hamilton was told 20+ years ago that Ivor Wynne had to be replaced before they'd be considered, not unprecedented.

Ambrosie probably just wanted to shaft the league on his way out the door. Why was this idiot even allowed to make the decision (surely wasn't entirely his to be fair)? The CFL forges on in spite of itself...
Surprised people haven't put two variables together. The Elks braintrust and new ownership had been making the dreaded we need a new Stadium/Arena noises. Its textbook pro sports that once such yearning happens that the league will hold off on marquee events and/or the team won't want them. In some cases even request not to have them.

Now I'm not saying any of that makes sense, and I certainly don't agree with the practice, but if the Elks did host the Grey Cup again in present stadium and it comes off being another spectacular hosting, it removes any ability to be going around saying we need new digs. Get it? Wouldn't surprise me if in backdoor conversations Elks refused to have one presently. It sucks. For clarity I don't want a new stadium either and don't think it necessary. But this is the kind of posturing that goes on in pro sports.
 

Heavy Dee

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May 29, 2005
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Surprised people haven't put two variables together. The Elks braintrust and new ownership had been making the dreaded we need a new Stadium/Arena noises. Its textbook pro sports that once such yearning happens that the league will hold off on marquee events and/or the team won't want them. In some cases even request not to have them.

Now I'm not saying any of that makes sense, and I certainly don't agree with the practice, but if the Elks did host the Grey Cup again in present stadium and it comes off being another spectacular hosting, it removes any ability to be going around saying we need new digs. Get it? Wouldn't surprise me if in backdoor conversations Elks refused to have one presently. It sucks. For clarity I don't want a new stadium either and don't think it necessary. But this is the kind of posturing that goes on in pro sports.
The Elks don't have that leverage. In fact they have no leverage. Their passing up or not getting the grey cup likey has more to do with simple economics. Their team sucks and they can't sell tickets, so it's a financial risk hosting.
 

Drivesaitl

Finding Hemingway
Oct 8, 2017
49,638
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Islands in the stream.
The Elks don't have that leverage. In fact they have no leverage. Their passing up or not getting the grey cup likey has more to do with simple economics. Their team sucks and they can't sell tickets, so it's a financial risk hosting.
I thought about that as well except every GC has sold out here and most of them have not been with an Elks team in it. Most GC tickets are OOT buyers invariably and Edmonton always put on a good celebration. I think the only GC we had trouble with ticket sales was the Calgary Stampeders one, and theres no risk of that happening again. lol

Any member team would have the ability to quietly defer on a GC. I suspect this is just what the Elks have done despite it making zero sense. Wouldn't we be hearing the new owner complaining if they wanted one?
They've been silent on the matter which seems strange.

I'm with the chorus here that GC in Calgary in McMahon makes zero sense. Montreal and Calgary have the league worst facilities.
 
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Kyle McMahon

Registered User
May 10, 2006
13,442
4,608
Surprised people haven't put two variables together. The Elks braintrust and new ownership had been making the dreaded we need a new Stadium/Arena noises. Its textbook pro sports that once such yearning happens that the league will hold off on marquee events and/or the team won't want them. In some cases even request not to have them.

Now I'm not saying any of that makes sense, and I certainly don't agree with the practice, but if the Elks did host the Grey Cup again in present stadium and it comes off being another spectacular hosting, it removes any ability to be going around saying we need new digs. Get it? Wouldn't surprise me if in backdoor conversations Elks refused to have one presently. It sucks. For clarity I don't want a new stadium either and don't think it necessary. But this is the kind of posturing that goes on in pro sports.

I rather doubt this is the case. The new stadium talk seemed to go away during the season, particularly after Thompson took over. I really think that was just nonsense stirred up by Lelacheur to get attention. The idea of the city with the nation's premier outdoor stadium building a shittier one to play their 10 games per year at is absolutely laughable. But even if they theoretically built a new one similar to Winnipeg and Regina's, Grey Cups would still likely be held at Commonwealth. So a new stadium would be zero gain in a Grey Cup bid anyway.

To go off on a semi-related tangent, I don't see the CFL being viable beyond the end of the decade if we're at a point where Edmonton actually downsizes and the league isn't even hosting Grey Cups at Commonwealth. A new stadium would just be a sign that the end is nigh anyway. So then you've got two rarely-used stadiums to maintain.

I'm hopeful that the franchise and league as a whole has bottomed out and will return to prominence under LT, ideally as the Eskimos. The 2020s will perhaps be looked back on like the late 80s to mid 90s period where the league hit a low point and was said to be in danger of folding. If not, the whole thing probably fizzles out. Recent years are demonstrating that the league needs a stable and well-supported franchise in Edmonton. I don't know if that's enough to right the ship entirely, but it's necessary nonetheless.
 

bellagiobob

Registered User
Jul 27, 2006
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The Elks don't have that leverage. In fact they have no leverage. Their passing up or not getting the grey cup likey has more to do with simple economics. Their team sucks and they can't sell tickets, so it's a financial risk hosting.


They didn’t pass up though, they bid on the game, and announced they were disappointed they didn’t get it. Selling tickets to the game wouldn’t have been an issue, many out of town fans come, would have been a major financial win for the new owner to help him offset losses he will likely have the first few years.
 
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Drivesaitl

Finding Hemingway
Oct 8, 2017
49,638
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Islands in the stream.
I rather doubt this is the case. The new stadium talk seemed to go away during the season, particularly after Thompson took over. I really think that was just nonsense stirred up by Lelacheur to get attention. The idea of the city with the nation's premier outdoor stadium building a shittier one to play their 10 games per year at is absolutely laughable. But even if they theoretically built a new one similar to Winnipeg and Regina's, Grey Cups would still likely be held at Commonwealth. So a new stadium would be zero gain in a Grey Cup bid anyway.

To go off on a semi-related tangent, I don't see the CFL being viable beyond the end of the decade if we're at a point where Edmonton actually downsizes and the league isn't even hosting Grey Cups at Commonwealth. A new stadium would just be a sign that the end is nigh anyway. So then you've got two rarely-used stadiums to maintain.

I'm hopeful that the franchise and league as a whole has bottomed out and will return to prominence under LT, ideally as the Eskimos. The 2020s will perhaps be looked back on like the late 80s to mid 90s period where the league hit a low point and was said to be in danger of folding. If not, the whole thing probably fizzles out. Recent years are demonstrating that the league needs a stable and well-supported franchise in Edmonton. I don't know if that's enough to right the ship entirely, but it's necessary nonetheless.
Yeah I stated none of it makes sense. But then try to explain Calgary getting it again instead of us. I don't buy the line that the league for some reason has it in for us. That would be pretty defeating on the whole. There is though the possibility that the CFL deems Edmonton a current ICU team and that we're not presently ready to host and that they feel the Stamps need a push so that they don't have two Alberta clubs in the toilet. Really the league is in serious trouble regardless. The Calgary GC won't help that.

I guess the simplest explanation is CFL just being stupid.
 

Kyle McMahon

Registered User
May 10, 2006
13,442
4,608
Yeah I stated none of it makes sense. But then try to explain Calgary getting it again instead of us. I don't buy the line that the league for some reason has it in for us. That would be pretty defeating on the whole. There is though the possibility that the CFL deems Edmonton a current ICU team and that we're not presently ready to host and that they feel the Stamps need a push so that they don't have two Alberta clubs in the toilet. Really the league is in serious trouble regardless. The Calgary GC won't help that.

I guess the simplest explanation is CFL just being stupid.

You know what they say about the simplest explanation often being the correct one...

The thing is, Calgary is potentially in bigger trouble than Edmonton. They've had terrible attendance for multiple years now despite the franchise being a contender for most of the last 30 years. The stadium sucks, and now the team playing at it does as well. I could absolutely see this as the CFL determining they need a financial push. But it's a stupid way of thinking.
 

brentashton

Registered User
Jan 21, 2018
15,424
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You know what they say about the simplest explanation often being the correct one...

The thing is, Calgary is potentially in bigger trouble than Edmonton. They've had terrible attendance for multiple years now despite the franchise being a contender for most of the last 30 years. The stadium sucks, and now the team playing at it does as well. I could absolutely see this as the CFL determining they need a financial push. But it's a stupid way of thinking.
Let me try this again…

Edmonton is fortunate to have NHL ownership in Darryl Katz even though some people gripe about his past heavy reliance on the 80s players to run the org. He’s passionate and cares about the city and the franchise.

And now the same with Larry Thompson, he has the same qualities in his love for the city and the football franchise. He’s going to turn that org around and back into what the CFL needs it to be.

Murray Edwards in Calgary has to be amongst the worst pro sports owners in NA (Nd that’s hard to do because there are some shitty ownership groups in the big4 leagues). He couldn’t give two hoots about the teams he owns, doesn’t put money into facilities and traditionally has run them at best as middle of the road operations, not leading the leagues in anything in terms of quality of care for fans or players.

Maybe those folks down there in Shelbyville do deserve him. :)
 

Kyle McMahon

Registered User
May 10, 2006
13,442
4,608
I have to say, it worked out but Ryan Dinwiddie deciding to pass instead of just running 20 more seconds off the clock was pretty damn surprising. Not sure about that decision.

Fatty Arbuckle leading a team out of the tunnel for the Grey Cup next Sunday is comical, even by CFL standards. You can't even make this stuff up anymore.
 

bellagiobob

Registered User
Jul 27, 2006
24,573
61,095
I have to say, it worked out but Ryan Dinwiddie deciding to pass instead of just running 20 more seconds off the clock was pretty damn surprising. Not sure about that decision.

Fatty Arbuckle leading a team out of the tunnel for the Grey Cup next Sunday is comical, even by CFL standards. You can't even make this stuff up anymore.

It’s a given that PI will be called in the last minute of a CFL game. Might even be in the rules.
 

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