Quote:
Originally Posted by SevenSquared
I think a lot of the goodwill they had with CFL fans in Moncton was killed off the last time they were here. Charging way over 2x normal CFL ticket prices then blaming Moncton for low ticket sales until prices were slashed, and on top of it sticking taxpayers with the bill for field modifications. Wasn't there one end of the stadium that was pretty much all free tickets given away by one of the radio stations?
IMO the strong turnouts the first couple of games was largely due to Moncton being sold the line that they would likely become the team's permanent home. Once Halifax actually got serious about building a stadium, interest dropped off a cliff.
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I agree with all this.
Touchdown Atlantic #1 was a great success, and #2 went pretty well too. The CFL was invested in the project, and there were a lot of activities surrounding the game including high school games, street parties and a tailgate party giving the whole event a mini Grey Cup atmosphere. This all disappeared by the time Touchdown Atlantic #3 came around. The atmosphere became more like the CFL was just fulfilling an obligation, had no interest in being here, and was just giving us lip service.
In the first game, the CFL was feeding Moncton a line, basically telling us we were in the running to be Atlantic Canada's franchise. This created a lot of hype in the city and bred enthusiasm. By game #3, it was pretty clear that the CFL was only interested in Halifax, and this caused a lot of disillusionment and disinterest locally. A lot of Monctonians felt that the CFL had been stringing Moncton along just to build a rivalry with Halifax and develop interest down there on the basis of hurt civic pride.
I think the CFL shouldn't even think about showing up in Moncton again unless they plan on being more open minded about the Atlantic franchise. If the CFL's attitude is "Halifax or bust", then they should just find a field down there somewhere to host the game, presumably the Wanderer's Grounds..........