The Elks finished with the worst record in the CFL last year at 4-14. If they were more competitive perhaps fans would show up. There is no MLB in Edmonton to compete for the summer entertainment dollar.

paterson1 wrote:

For the past few weeks and especially yesterday and today, sports fans in Edmonton aren't exactly focused on football. 

That should change Sunday morning.

paterson1 wrote:

mace wrote:

paterson1 wrote:

For the past few weeks and especially yesterday and today, sports fans in Edmonton aren't exactly focused on football. 

That should change Sunday morning.

Sad but true...

Oilers will most likely win as they’re playing sudden death and will do anything to win a game.    But, part of me thinks Florida will win tonight and hoist the Cup.   Would be nice if they would lose tonight and win at home.

The CFL is very secretive when it comes to attendance.  I try to find numbers of certain games and come up empty.
The league is quick to point out large crowds, but they are few and far between.
It will be interesting to see what happens when CTV is offering the games later in the season.  That means the product will be on OTA television, where you don't need a subscription.

Yes that was quite the game last night, also shows that Florida has weaknesses.  Edmonton has great fans. 

In terms of the CFL, I think the addition of the CTV games will actually help the CFL's attendance in time.  It was too bad that they didn't include a few regular season games as well.  Hopefully this will become a long term schedule on CTV.  OTA coverage will make the league more visible to many more people.  

The CFL being exclusive on a pay sports channel for 16 years actually has hurt attendance since the games aren't as accessable.  Out of site, out of mind. 

This happened with MLB decades ago when all games were moved to cable channels.  Attendance at games soon started to soften (the strike didn't help either) and some teams were in real trouble.  Many feel it was because the games were no longer on OTA television and only pay sports channels. Today MLB is back on FOX stations. 

The Toronto Blue Jays are not hurt being only available on cable since they are Canada's only team in the majors and their fan base is the whole country. When you go to a Jays game and look at the signs around the stadium, it is surprising how many are not from the GTA. 

cash wrote:

The CFL is down to two cities that still care -- Winnipeg and Regina. 

Odd why you fixate so much on the CFL cash.  Toronto isn't getting an NFL team anytime soon and the CFL is no threat to the popularity of the league here.  Why all your paranoia about the CFL is a mystery.  

Winnipeg and Regina are the only teams that people care about?  Yes we have been hearing things like that for the past 45 years.

When I was a kid in Vancouver going to a BC Lions game was a ritual.
You'd sit under an umbrella and a tartan blanket in the rainy  old stadium and watch the home team wallow in the mud with their rivals.
I don't remember anyone caring about attendance.
Also the yearly Grey Cup parade was a big deal.
 

CFL has an age problem when it comes to fans. The churn rate is pretty bad.

It did a lot better when following a favourite NFL team was harder.

With the internet erasing borders, the CFL no longer has its biggest advantage, 

paterson1 wrote:

cash wrote:

Plenty of empty seats at the Argos playoff game 

And the game is showing first in trending shows on Bell Fibe, followed by CNN Newsroom, CP24 Dayside, Mistletoe Connection on W and NHL on Sportsnet with Chicago and LA. 

That illustrates the CFL's demographics problem.