The Great Canadian Sports Attendance, Marketing and TV Ratings Thread

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by DDP

If it turns out to be true, pro sports will be in for a massive fight. Young people will likely never have cable, and probably not want to spent $100 bucks to watch a game on a regular basis.

I want to say this will be the biggest issue facing pro sports. Even the CFL has become far too expensive for a lot of people I know. You can't make your product too expensive for young people to participate in and then sit there and wonder why no young people are fans.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I've often derided obsessive Canadian NFL or March Madness fandom as akin to gloating about your neighbour's hot car.

In the case of the Raptors (and to some degree the Blue Jays too) it's not quite as bad as you actually do have a team based in Canada, even if I find the "Canadian pride" angle associated with them a bit overwrought. (Hope that is the right word in English.)

But when you consider how difficult it is for Canadian clubs to win championships in these leagues (and we could say this about the NHL too perhaps), it's still kinda like gloating about your neighbour's hot car as being "yours", and once in a blue moon he might let you take it our for a spin.

Uh, the Raptors are Toronto’s team. You’re terrible at analogies (and old and out of touch).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by theman23

Uh, the Raptors are Toronto’s team. You’re terrible at analogies (and old and out of touch).

First time I've been subjected to ageism and not even 50 yet !

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Streaming's been around for a while now. Don't you find it fishy that this type of data is almost never available from broadcasters? I mean, any number of Joe Schmos in my office can provide me with a bunch of data indicators about our web and social media at the drop of a hat. I can't believe for a minute the big guys aren't totally in tune with what is going on.

BTW this is not a criticism of any specific league.

Of course people know those numbers, and they're not being released because they are likely not too flattering. And aside from that, I ran across an article on smart phone use, Millenials and GenXers are very close in their cell phone use, baby boomers aren't that far off them. Senior use was farther off but still a sizeable number. Older people that I know in their 70s use smart phones and are able to engage whatever kind of content they want even if someone has to show them how. When I configured my sister's PC to get Bell Online TV all I had to do was go to the website and it configured automatically. She could have done that herself.

Originally Posted by DDP

I read a report that teen interest in pro sports in falling fast, mostly because of how many options teens have. So they will never follow sports like the generations did before them.

If it turns out to be true, pro sports will be in for a massive fight. Young people will likely never have cable, and probably not want to spent $100 bucks to watch a game on a regular basis.

I believe that, although I don't think it's an option thing. I think it's a brainwashed, wrap in bubble wrap, helicopter parent, protection thing.

I don't know how I survived being outside in the hot sun for 10 hours, no sunblock, no water bottle, no overprotective gear and no supervision, how did we survive?

I'm just watching an interview with Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson and they are talking about things that relate to that. The idiocy of things like not keeping score in kid games and the like, and how that is not constructive in forming character. Regardless, we have to be competitive in one way or another and it seems that those who haven't developed those skills are more likely to have socialist leanings.

Originally Posted by Acajack

First time I've been subjected to ageism and not even 50 yet !

Ageism, I thought it was jerkism, that shot was unnecessary.

Originally Posted by Acajack

I have no idea who that is. I am Canadian and watch Sports 30 on RDS or TVA Sports more days that I don't. Maybe they do talk about him and his team but it must be towards the tail end of the broadcast when I've tuned out.

Unless you're a basketball fan or watch SportCentre every night nobody knows who the hell he is.

It's like me saying a guy in GTA knows who Bo Levi Mitchell is or I really used to laugh when some idiots used to say that it would be the greatest thing for soccer in Canada that Owen Hargreaves played for England. Well for one it didn't do anything except turn off a generation of players to playing for Canada and two, Joe Canadian Sixpack had no idea who the hell he was.

I've met Kyle Lowery and Marcus Stroman and because I marginally still follow sports I knew who they were but most of the people I worked with didn't have a clue.

It's just funny, because I don't know if it's getting older or the times (30 years before) but where I work now nobody talks about sports (and there's lots of young guys) and thirty years ago that's all we talked about.

Originally Posted by Acajack

I've often derided obsessive Canadian NFL or March Madness fandom as akin to gloating about your neighbour's hot car.

Yeah, I had to laugh at John Shannon on PTS (and he's one of the more sensible ones) talking about "my Wolverines". Since when did Ryerson become the Wolverines

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by elly63

Because you're shit disturbing and everyone knows it. And when someone posts a negative post against MLS in retaliation, is when you bring out the delete club which you have no business in having and modding a CFL thread at the same time. You should do the honourable thing and step down if you're going to troll post.

The Kawhi effect? Are you serious? Maybe in the GTA or big time sports fans.

You have no idea about that, the CFL survived for years without TSN.

It's antiquated to you because the teams you support are doing so poorly and you have to rationalize it. And it's also insulting because you assume that the CFL's audience are incapable of streaming

And until they figure out a way to monetize social media and the like it's the only system we have.

We get it, we know you want the CFL dead, your posts (and using the delete club) tell us that on a constant basis, I'd just like to know why. Do you really think that if the CFL is gone people will suddenly start to watch soccer?

I saw your insulting post about golf and Nascar and their demise (to you). As people mature they gravitate to golf and some also come back to the CFL. A 50 year old man playing a wannabe hoolie with the millennials at a TFC game is a friggin embarrassment, almost like an old guy trolling the bars.

I sure do take a lot of flak for having an opinion.

Originally Posted by Acajack

Thank goodness for the CFL then that their overall operating costs are nowhere near as high as they are for those other leagues: especially salaries.

I mean, I'm also a fan of a number of the really big leagues, but one thing that's refreshing about the CFL is a healthier balance between being in it for the game as opposed to be having so much titled towards business and money.

We'll have to see how the CBA negotiations go over the offseason. The players are looking for a pay increase and some sort of job security in negotiations. I'm curious how they feel about the CFL reaching out to Mexico for players. Interesting timing to say the least.

Originally Posted by Acajack

I have no idea who that is. I am Canadian and watch Sports 30 on RDS or TVA Sports more days that I don't. Maybe they do talk about him and his team but it must be towards the tail end of the broadcast when I've tuned out.

Kawhi Leonard. Two-time defensive player of the year, three-time first team all-star. Was exchanged for Derozan.

If you're watching RDS or TVA then it makes sense you're not being exposed. NBA/Raptors have very little visibility in Quebec, but they're covered extensively on TSN.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by JHikka

I sure do take a lot of flak for having an opinion

Then why do you delete posts when someone has an opinion counter to yours? And why do you have an agenda to constantly portray our only true national league in a bad light? We don't go to your MLS thread and do that. Ninety percent of the time there are negative MLS posts, it is in response to your trolling shots.

And why are you screwing with my posts, did that save a lot of space? If so, you might want to edit when people reply to the same giant photo post five times on a page.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by Acajack

First time I've been subjected to ageism and not even 50 yet !

As self absorbed as comments like that are, in 10 years he'll have some child say the same thing to him.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by elly63

Then why do you delete posts when someone has an opinion counter to yours? And why do you have an agenda to constantly portray our only true national league in a bad light? We don't go to your MLS thread and do that. Ninety percent of the time there are negative MLS posts, it is in response to your trolling shots.

I delete posts when they're targeted at other users specifically and derail the thread (off-topic). I am not the sole moderator that does this.

If you have an issue with my posts or what I post specifically you can send me a pm or put me on your ignore list. Public shaming other users is usually best avoided.

Originally Posted by elly63

And why are you screwing with my posts, did that save a lot of space? If so, you might want to edit when people reply to the same giant photo post five times on a page.

I merged your posts because quadruple and quintuple posting is akin to flooding/spamming threads. It tidies up threads a bit.

Anything further on this can be directed to me or other moderators via pm if you have any issues, for the sake of the on-topicness of this thread.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Anything further on this can be directed to me or other moderators via pm if you have any issues, for the sake of the on-topicness of this thread.

I like to keep things open and not behind closed doors

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by elly63

I like to keep things open and not behind closed doors

This isn't the elly and JHikka thread.

Moving on.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by isaidso

As self absorbed as comments like that are, in 10 years he'll have some child say the same thing to him.

As far as me and my age, it's not really a factor. Wannabe Americanism got on my nerves when I was in my teens (1980s) and 20s (1990s) even more so than it does today. I've mellowed out a lot since then!

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Acajack

As far as me and my age, it's not really a factor. Wannabe Americanism got on my nerves when I was in my teens (1980s) and 20s (1990s) even more so than it does today. I've mellowed out a lot since then!

You'd think people would grow out of that but part of that is a total immersion into the myth of the American Superman.

Do you hear much about how well we do in the Winter Olympics when the Olympics aren't on? Or how we can have Canadian college athletes go straight to the NFL, which was totally unheard of years ago.

As Canadian colleges train athletes in a more "professional" manner and take that approach, the results have been evident.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by elly63

Do you hear much about how well we do in the Winter Olympics when the Olympics aren't on? .

Do you mean by this, coverage of individual winter sports that are at the Olympics, outside of Olympic years?

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Do you mean by this, coverage of individual winter sports that are at the Olympics, outside of Olympic years?

No, I'm talking about the fact that we have some really great athletes, which I think has gotten much better than when we were kids. We don't need to take a back seat to the Americans like we used to.

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

I want to say this will be the biggest issue facing pro sports. Even the CFL has become far too expensive for a lot of people I know. You can't make your product too expensive for young people to participate in and then sit there and wonder why no young people are fans.

This is where I question this, in many CFL markets you can get in the door for $30-35, which is very reasonable, the BC Lions introduced a $20 GA ticket this year too
Then most of the same people slam the CFL for not having better players or paying them more.
Especially in the age of paying $6 for a Starbucks Latte or $8-10 for a drink at a bar or club

[Acajack]

I went to the CFL Eastern Final in Ottawa and my ticket was 49 bucks. I thought that was a pretty good price for a playoff game, all things considered. With that I had free trips on transit two hours before and two hours after the game.

[esquire]

"Get in" prices are fairly cheap for CFL games, but it gets pricy in a hurry if you want to sit in between the goal lines...

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

"Get in" prices are fairly cheap for CFL games, but it gets pricy in a hurry if you want to sit in between the goal lines...

In Ottawa, pretty much all the seats are between the goal lines!

[blueandgoldguy]

Well, I checked and esports revenue was $655 million in 2017 and expected to grow to $900 million by the end of this year.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatsp.../#734467896a36

Here is a breakdown of the revenues. Sponsorships have displayed some explosive growth.

http://dashboards.trefis.com/no-logi...s-grow-in-2018

Not sure what Canada's overall revenues are in that league, but I suspect at this point it might only be in the tens of millions at this point. The Aquilini Group (owner of the Canucks) owns an e-sports team. This could be the future for Canadian sports - thousands of people watching kids playing video games in an arena.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

This could be the future for Canadian sports - thousands of people watching kids playing video games in an arena.

Obviously the stereotypes exist but a lot of professional gamers aren't that much younger than star pro athletes these days. If you're watching a high level eSports event the competitors are probably in their early to mid twenties for the most part. Depends on the game, how long it's been released, etc.