Time for an Argonauts Rebranding?

With the Argos falling in popularity within the city of Toronto and with a constant decline in attendance, is it time for the Argos to rebrand itself?

With Braley and Rudge in the helm, it will never happen but if a rebranding were to take place within the next few years it would have to be under MLSE’s ownership. I ask this question because of the many experiences I have witnessed when wearing my vintage Condredge Holloway jersey. Many people on countless occasions have come up to me on the streets to talk about the Argos, except they always talk of the “good old days” with Greer and Holloway and have sadly admitted they no longer follow the team or go to the games. Why did they stop? I never asked then and now wonder but I think it should be up to the team to find out. It is as if they forgot that the Argos still exist. You could easily compare Ray and Owens with Holloway and Greer so it has nothing to do with the level of football that is played.

Instead of just focusing on bringing in new football fans, I think more has to be done by the organization to win back former fans and ex Season Ticket Holders. One small thing that could create a buzz and is much needed in my opinion, is to revisit the past and go back with everyone’s favourite boat logo. There is even a club (The Argo Lifers) dedicated  to bring this to fruition but the motion was blocked by Chris Rudge at the Town Hall meeting a couple of years ago. Why was Rudge so defensive of our current logo, I do not know. I never understood why in 1989 they chose to “modernize” the logo and how it eventually become an “A” but a team founded by a rowing club should go back to it’s roots. We were always a rowing club and for some reason the team in recent years have changed our identity into more of a Greek warrior look with the inclusion of Jason in the logo, which eventually phased into our current logo, the shield. Yes the Argonauts are heroes in Greek mythology but Argonauts literally means “Argo sailors”. What better why to represent sailors than bringing back this classic logo. The team has done a small part by fixing the mess of jerseys we had in the past which sometimes didn’t even contain both Oxford and Cambridge blue and also brought back the traditional stripes on the sleeves. The only thing that’s missing now is a better logo. No logo is better than the one that’s posted above.

I would also think (& hope) that the change would increase merchandise sales since the majority of Argo fans are in the older demographic, who probably remember the fun they had watching games in the late 70’s to the late 80’s. I truly believe that this may bring out the fans who are hiding in the closet or have gone on a very long vacation. It would make them remember that the Argos didn’t go anywhere. And if not, what’s the worst thing that could happen? There’s really no risk involved, it will no doubt do more good than harm. Just how much good is the question. Now, the team would also have to market the team on all fronts – print, radio, tv. This is why it will never happen with Braley and Rudge. They are both committed to saving the team money instead of trying to get the much needed exposure this team needs.

I remember seeing a bumper sticker with the boat logo on the side reading “Backing a Tradition”. This is where the Argos have failed miserably in the past. Honestly, they need to go back and carry on with backing a tradition. if nobody is willing to preserve the history, then the team will just become nothing in future. That is the biggest fear I have and is why I am all for a rebranding.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment or message me on twitter @doubleblueblog.

The Sad Story of Janzen Jackson

When I first heard the news that Janzen Jackson was charged with murder I was shocked. The former Tennessee Volunteer had a past, and like many CFL clubs, the Argos were willing to give him a chance. What is surprising is that he has been held in jail since September 2013 and the story of Jackson’s arrest was buried in the media for so long until now. The more I look into this story, the more I have realized that his release was rather odd and unusual.

Janzen was listed as the starter on the depth chart for the game on August 19, 2013 but was released on the morning of gameday. He had played in 5 games and showed a lot of promise. In his first game vs BC, he blocked a punt and was featured on Argos TV.

 

At the time of his release, I believe every fan in the know knew that something must have up since a starter just doesn’t get released in a span on 24 hours without incident. The Argos were silent at the time with Barker avoiding to give the real reason. The move was cited as “football reasons” and Barker commented “the first 6-8 weeks of the CFL season is devoted to finding players that fit for us and what we do…you will see players come and go rather often…we are not afraid to make moves once we feel a player is not a fit“. Barker then again refused to comment to another question related to the release of Jackson.

3 weeks after his release, if proven guilty, it seems that Jackson had murdered his mother’s boyfriend. If he hadn’t been released would have this happened at a later date or did the release cause him to act strange? This is where the story begins to get a little murky. When Jackson was released, he moved in with his mother who claimed that he was acting strange and talking to himself. She wanted him to get assessed by mental health workers and this was in August, the same month he was released. Now I have to ask the question – Were the Argos aware of his strange behaviour which prompted his release? Or did the release from Toronto cause a downward spiral? If the Argos were aware (there is no proof that they were) then did they push the issue under the rug by just outright releasing him? Did they seek help from mental health professionals? Or was it really just a football move?

I believe that is not a football decision since he was playing well. If this a “major” sport then the media would be all over this story but because its the Argos, the Toronto media probably aren’t even aware of the information surrounding his release plus the timing of the murder. I would hope if the Argos ever saw a player acting strange, that they would take the necessarily means to help that player out instead of wiping their hands clean but one thing is certain – we will never know unless someone with insider information speaks. Jim Barker never discusses moves in detail and is sometimes annoyed by the questions asked. Lately I have found the Argos be rather secretive so like I said, the fans will never know what transpired in August of 2013.

All Time Argo? It’s about time Tricky Dick Thornton was honoured.

When I first heard the news that Tricky was diagnosed with lung cancer, I felt bad and started reading some great articles and thought how on earth is he not in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame ? Even more mysteriously, how is he not even an All Time Argo?

It’s hard to say that Tricky turned around the Argos from a bunch of losers to actual contenders all alone but if you see the contribution he made over 6 seasons, you may be able to make the case. “Mr Everything” was brought in from Winnipeg by Coach Leo Cahill mostly to play on defence as a defensive back but he also threw some passes, punted, ran and caught the ball. A “real” football player who could do it all on both sides of the ball, something that just no longer exists.

Often described as a “free-spirit”, Thornton was quite the character off the field. He had his own fan club in Winnipeg and provided the media with great sound bites like this: “The best thing about Winnipeg is the road leading out of town.” Tricky even published a book about being a pro football player in the 60’s but was eventually scrapped with the Argos intervening. As a result, the controversial player’s job was on the line and was expected to miss out on a roster spot during the 1971 training camp. Not only did Tricky make the roster, he was named the starter in a new position – receiver. After injuries on the defence, Tricky moved back to defensive back and intercepted 7 times in 7 games. The Argos finished first place and were headed to the Grey Cup.

If the Argos could only pull it off, Tricky Dick Thornton would have been named the Grey Cup MOP. With the Argos down 14-11 in the 4th quarter with 3 minutes remaining, Thornton intercepts the pass on the Toronto 42 yard line and brings it all away to Calgary’s 11.A touchdown would of surely sealed the win but of course 2 plays later, Leon McQuay slips and fumbles.

 

 

After Leo Cahill was fired, a lot of veterans were let go and Tricky Thornton become the Argos writer for the Toronto Sun before coming back as a player in the new WFL. He would eventually work for large corporations like Kroger Foods and Coca Cola and now operates his own consulting firm. Tricky now lives in Makati City, the Philippines with his wife and daughter and is working on his autobiography, which I hope will get released soon. There is never enough CFL books in the market.

At the end of the day, Tricky Thornton deserves to be at least honoured by the Argos. I think he is a CFL HOFer myslef but we should at least start with the Argos before taking him to Hamilton. He was inducted into the Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Fame in 1988 for heaven’s sake! What are the Argos waiting for? What I fear is what happened to Pat Burns on his road to the Hockey HOF, with him passing before he got the chance even though he was on the ballot to be inducted well before his passing.

I don’t think it’s necessary since it’s a no brainer but I have started a petition for the Argos to honour Mr.Thornton as an All Time Great during halftime for the 2014 season. Please sign and share! I will greatly appreciate it.

You can sign the petition here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/919/841/386/honour-tricky-dick-thronton-as-an-all-time-argo/

For all the Argo junkies out there I encourage you to read the following articles and to check out Tricky’s own site – http://www.coachthornton.com/

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/cfl-55-yard-line/cfl-great-dick-thornton-battling-lung-cancer-164607708.html

http://www.cfl.ca/page/his_legends_thornton

http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/argos/2012/07/07/former_argonaut_tricky_dick_thornton_laments_wrong_turn_in_1971_grey_cup_game.html

Hero or Villain? A fan’s analysis of what Braley & Rudge have done for the Argos so far.

 Lame title I know, but what I want to ask Argo fans is….Has Braley & Rudge done enough with the Argos as you had all hoped?

Braley did save the team from extinction, so he can be seen as the “saviour” or “hero” but as an absent owner, bringing little change, has he been a disappointment along with our highly experienced CEO, Chris Rudge? I thank Braley for keeping the team afloat (though, they’re probably still losing money) and it was expected that he would pretty much be invisible so I’m actually putting more of the blame on Rudge for not doing much. This post will be looking at the changes, both good and bad that were made in 2010 up to today, just before the 2014 season and then you can hopefully decide whether Braley, Rudge & co. are heroes or villains.

The Honourable Mr.David Braley took full control of the Boatmen in 2010, from David Cynamon and Howard Sokoloski. It became clear that C&S could no longer pay the bills and were more of the face of ownership than the actual owners with Braley actually helping them out with a loan. With no potential owners, Braley was our only hope. MLSE at the time did not any interest in purchasing a sinking ship and really showed no support for the Argos period! Braley, who was a more of a behind the scenes owner in BC was expected to take the same role with the Argos and has pretty much stayed away from the media.

Chris Rudge who retired as a senior executive with the world’s largest printing firm, Quebecor later became the the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee and overlooked the “Own The Podium” campaign for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. Rudge first got involved with the CFL in 2011 by becoming the chair for the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto and was quickly named the new CEO and President of the Toronto Argonauts, replacing Bob Nicholson on January 30, 2012. Rudge, coming from the best Winter Olympics in Canadian history was coming in with huge exceptions, perhaps Argo fans were expecting too much. I do admit that I personally have not seen much positive changes since Rudge came in and I am quite disappointed based on the expectations I had.

Here the pros of the Braley & Rudge partnership:

1) Stable Ownership & Saving The Franchise

Before Braley, the Argos have had plenty of short-stint owners since the sale from Carling O’Keefe in 1988. Braley actually funded C&S’ purchase of the Argos in 2004 and has also covered their losses. The Argos have never made much of a profit, if any at all in the last few years. Braley did make a hefty profit during the 2012 Grey Cup, earning up to $10 million. One scary thought is that Braley plans to sell one or both of his teams by his 75th birthday in 2016 but the newly run MLSE look to be the front runners with a potential deal being made soon. If true, MLSE will continue being stable owners. Braley did save the team from going bust so we can thank him for that.

2) Successful 2012 Grey Cup Festival

The 100th Grey Cup Festival was named the Canadian Sport Event of the Year for 2012 as voted by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA). A CFL.ca article writes, “The 100th Grey Cup Festival was an Invitation to Our Nation that transcended “beer and football” uniting Canadians from coast-to-coast in Toronto for a nine-day, ten-night festival which encompassed more than 50 events ranging from traditional team parties, galas and player awards to a football film festival and family fun zone at great venues including the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Yonge-Dundas Square and Nathan Phillips Square. Complete with street closures, extensive free-to-the-public entertainment and activities and youth programs, the 100th Grey Cup was a sport and cultural celebration that attracted in excess of 300,000 people.” Braley also cashed in, may be the first and only time he made a profit as owner.

3) New Rogers Centre Lease

This may be seen as bad thing for some but a final deal was made between the old Sky Dome and the Argos. The final license agreement will expire in 2017, with an option to exit earlier but cannot be extended, as the Blue Jays have plans to install grass. At least we’re not homeless!

4) A Winning Football Team

Scott Milanovich turned the Argos down before citing unstable ownership as his reason. Once everything straightened out, Milo become the HC and won a Grey Cup in his first year as an Argo. Barker has also done a fine job recruiting talent but just a note that Barker was apart of the organization before Braley and Rudge.

5) School Day Preseason Game

36,214 attended a pre-season game to watch the Argonauts beat Montreal on a Tuesday afternoon. Mostly school children, the game was a good initiative to promote the CFL to the younger demographic, even offering them and their families a discount if they choose to attend a regular season game. No one is really sure if it was successful in drawing in new fans but I applaud the effort.

6) Return to Varsity Stadium

I consider this a fluke but I did enjoy watching the Argos play outdoors at home for the first time in decades. The team really had no days available at the Rogers Centre so one staff member proposed Varsity and the rest is history. Note: It was 55 years since a CFL game was last played at Varsity. I sure hope the game didn’t disturb any nearby Annex residents.

7) Continued Community Support

Huddle Up Bullying Prevention, Level the Playing Field , & Argo-Cise have all done wonders in the community. I specially like Level the Playing Field, where the Argos support bringing back or creating new football programs to high schools in Toronto. The Argos are no longer involved with a past initiative called Stop the Violence.

8) Argos on Social Media

The Argos twitter page is very informative but still lacks detail. The Toronto media does not the cover the Argos as much as the other cities do to their respected team. Their really is no Argos beat writer so the Argos on social media have done a fine job but I always do expect more from them. More video, more interviews, more behind the scenes stuff is needed for fans like myself. I really enjoy watching Stamps TV and hopefully Argos TV will play a bigger role in 2014. it’s nice to see them cover Argos mini-camp, which was buried in the local news and most are probably not even aware of it taking place.

That’s all I could really think of on the positive side. Not very great is it?

Now for the cons:

1) There Still Is A Lack Of Marketing

Has anyone ever seen any marketing from the Argos from 2010 until now? There are a few ads out there but it’s mostly TSN from what I can see. We did have a controversial “Home is where the heart it is, its also where we hurt people” subway ad featuring Ricky Foley but that came before Rudge and it sure didn’t bring any fans in. Argos merchandise is also rare to find these days, outside of the Jays shop of course. The Argonauts online shop isn’t very exciting either.

2) No New Stadium

Braley will not spend money on a new stadium. While he says he’s looking into various locations in the GTA, as well as funding but as an temporary owner, its quite clear that this will never happen. We could be homeless by 2017 but if the stars align, the Argos will be shared tenants with TFC at BMO. Those in the loop know Braley is just bluffing about a new potential stadium and will not build us one in a million years. He’s just looking to strike a deal soon.

3) No New Practice Facilities

The Argos and their fans have been complaining about UTM for quite awhile. On the outside, it looks very unprofessional to have the oldest pro football team practice next to a bunch of portables for a locker-room with a barley maintained grass field. Then the portables caught fire and Braley and Rudge were discussing a new Training Facility, which never happened. The Argos stayed at UTM and then skedaddled to various nearby high-schools. It seems, the team finally got kicked out of UTM after many years and have announced that  2014 Training Camp will be held at York University, with no word where the team will practice during the season. Once again, if MLSE is involved, expect them to practice at Downsview.

4) Less Fan Activities

Ever since Rudge got involved, whether he’s to blame or not, there have been less opportunities for fans to interact with another. What I mean is, the Argos no longer have “See You On The Field” after home games, which is a favourite for the younger fans (which we desperately need) but the Rogers Centre may be at fault for this one. The Argos no longer have a 50% discount at the stadium store/kiosks on the last home game, also known as Fan Appreciation Night. It also looks as if Rudge & Braley completely removed the fan favourite – locker room sale. Every team in the CFL had one this season except for the Argos. Since 2012 the Argos did not sell any merchandise (specifically game-worn) after the season with the exception of unsold Grey Cup gear in 2012, which doesn’t count in my opinion as a locker room sale. This also may not be entirely the fault of management but there was no Fan Day scheduled in 2013, with UTM maybe playing a role. They did however schedule one in for 2014 at York University.

5) Declining Attendance

Here are the numbers. Despite a better team, a championship winning team, the Argos attendance did not jump as one would have thought for 2013. Horrible home schedules in the past couple seasons ( I blame Rogers) have surely not helped. 2012 saw a little increase after a horrendous 2011 season but then decreased after the GC win. You would think Toronto fans would go crazy to finally watch a championship winning team.

2009 (before Braley) – Avg: 26,374 , Record: 3-15

2010 (beginning of Braley era) – Avg: 22,069 , Record: 9-9

2011 – Avg: 20,017 , Record: 6-12

2012 (Rudge’s 1st season) – Avg: 23,689 , Record: 9-9 & GC Champs

2013 (post GC victory) – Avg: 21,926 , Record: 11-7

6) Failed Ethnic Nights

The GTA is very multicultural, I get it but the ethnic nights haven’t really done much for attendance or spreading the word out to these communities. Perhaps signing the next Normie Kwong or Obby Khan may do the trick. I found these ethnic nights to be very poorly organized and it’s usually a crowd of 10 or so people.

7) Half-Time Shows That No One Cares For

Remember the no name rapper at the Varisty pre-season game with the big costume head? No one will buy tickets to watch the half-time show so you can stop bringing in guys like Karl Wolf, Rock Tenors, Maestro etc. Bring back the dog show! I do respect the fact they try to bring in local artists but it’s not going to draw in any new fans in the seats.

8) Argo Fan Surveys

The team invested in and developed a fan survey to capture the demographics of it’s fans. A lot of fans did not receive or know of the survey. A lot of the questions weren’t very useful in my opinion and they could have done so much more in finding out why fans don’t attend the games in person.

UPDATE: 9) Lack Of Tradition.

Firstly, the Argonauts organization does not use the Argonotes enough. Seriously, does anyone even know the Argo fight song by Dal Richards? Other than honouring the Grey Cup Champs in 1983 and the year before with the 1971 team, there is not enough alumni events. A lot of alumni who I have talked to, have not been to game in years. Why can’t the Argos organize some sort of arrangement to have transported to games and honour them before the game. They don’t need their number retired or their name in the rafters but show some clips of the players who most fans have either forgotten or never knew they even existed. Bring back the boat logo more often, more retro merchandise, more retro jerseys etc. Those were when the Argos had packed stadiums so bring back some nostalgia and those who went as a kid, may come back to a few to games.

There are probably more out there that I can’t remember.

In a nutshell, Braley was never going to be that owner that turns the franchise into something special. He’s just a quick fix, a temporary owner who isn’t willing to go over the top to fund the team. He’s prepared to cover the expenses and loses but will not give the team a penny more. Some say that Braley only took the team over to cash in on the 2012 Grey Cup. I wouldn’t go that far to suggest that, since he’s been into the team for far longer than just one profitable season.

Rudge on the other hand deserves a little more criticism, since he’s a bit of a big talker. I haven’t seen anything done from Rudge yet that is any different from what was done in the past or anything spectacular for that matter. He came in with an impressive resume and is far from impressing me. I’m not here to bash Rudge like some have done on online forums, going on and on but I do know that many fans aren’t very fond of him.

Rudge always says that the fans are old white guys which I find troubling. While the majority probably are, I do not necessary fit in that group as I am a 22 year old, 2nd generation Canadian with a family that was not much into football before, but now is. If you want to target younger fans why not target the younger age group who are already fans and ask them how they became fans and what would they like to see at games instead of doing the same old thing that has been done before.

In my opinion, Chris Rudge has not done enough as the President & CEO and he will have to pull off a miracle before I say he was the right man for the job. I expected much more in terms of the team’s marketing and the cancellation of events like the locker room sale was a huge let down. Honestly, I really can’t think of anything that Rudge has done better than that of the last president, Bob Nicholson.

I am really interested in what other fans think about Braley & Rudge. Please share thoughts by commenting or tweet them to me @doubleblueblog

Calling the Bluff – There was no NFL opportunity for Khalif Mitchell.

Khalif Mitchell is now officially a member of the BC Lions, his second stint after being traded to the Argos after a quite controversial 2012 season. Marked with racist tweets, dirty plays, and throat slashing the opponent, Lions players and fans all probably thought that they wouldn’t see #96 in a Lions jersey again.

After a very strange holdout, where Mitchell publicly refused to play out East, he finally committed the Argos and seemed to have changed his ways. Having made the CFL All-Star team and keeping away from any negative news stories or suspensions, Khalif had a very good season.

Whatever happens in the locker room, usually stays in the locker room but everyone assumed that the new winning culture in Toronto, created by Scott Milanovich and Jim Barker must have helped Mitchell become a team player but this may not be the case. The Lions are convinced that Mitchell is a new player from 2012 and are obviously willing to give him another chance but has Khalif Mitchell burned bridges with the Argos? Was there really an NFL opportunity?

Let’s go back to the Cory Boyd release in 2012. Many fans did not understand the move at the time. It was the Sunday after the bye week, when Boyd’s release was announced. Many fans were not happy that the leading rusher was unexpectedly released and I bet Barker heard it from fans on a daily basis. Perhaps Barker wanted to silence fans by making up the NFL opportunity as a realistic excuse for a release, which is a quite common move for Barker to make with Dontrelle Inman, Neiko Thorpe and most recently with Marcus Ball,  all being released and then signing with an NFL club.

At first, I thought why would Mitchell want to leave a good locker room environment, which he thrived in, for one where he was always in the news for all the wrong reasons. It was clear that his Lions teammates were happy when he left with Andrew Harris tweeting “good riddance”. I would also think that when a club releases you to go to the NFL, that you would give your respected club an opportunity to re-sign you if it didn’t work out. But as more info becomes available, it’s becoming more clear that the NFL opportunity never materialized.

It was originally thought that perhaps Barker promised Mitchell his release if he reported to camp in time, which he did. But as one CFL insider revealed “the NFL narrative by the Argos was done out of courtesy for a player who was being released despite named to the CFL all-star team last season.”

Mitchell then contacted the Lions days after being released, making it crystal clear that the NFL opportunity wasn’t there and that Mitchell was just simply released.I’m calling the bluff and I know Barker does not like to discuss the moves he makes so in the end we will never know what really happened but I do believe that the “NFL” was used to hide the truth, whatever that truth is.

UPDATE: After hearing multiple stories on what transpired with the Mitchell deal, I have come up with the ultimate theory by combining all the theories into one. Mitchell and Barker agreed to a release after the season, Barker covered up the release with an “NFL opportunity” used as an excuse. Mitchell’s agent then gave the NFL one more shot and as nothing materialized he then contacted the Lions. Barker wanted to let Mitchell know that he is serious in trying to retain his services and offered him a respectable contract but in the end Mitchell just went where is heart is, which is in BC.

Who really knows what happened?

The Next Gene Mack? Chad Owens Stars in Gum Ad

Former NFLer Underwood taking shot with Argos | Argonauts | Sports | Toronto Sun

Former NFLer Underwood taking shot with Argos | Argonauts | Sports | Toronto Sun.