CFL Taking Ownership of the Montreal Alouettes

[ColinM]

Was just going to say the same thing.

The Argos are a distant 5th in terms of local fan interest here, behind the Leafs, Raps, Jays, and Toronto FC.

It's the closest we have to an NFL team though, so there's always going to be SOME small pocket of diehards who keep the team afloat. But they aren't the hot ticket they once were.

True, so I guess its possible each city could provide it's own answer. The Argos might have been an after thought even without the MLS. For most of 1977 to 2007, when the Blue Jays were present and TFC was not the Argos were still Toronto's after thought. The attendance relationship between the Impact and the Als fits a lot more neatly from the point the Impact joined MLS but who knows how much the Alouette's performance fits into the equation too. I'm not sure what I think of the Vancouver's case.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Jealous as a Sens fan tbh.

 

[Burke the Legend]

I've often wondered what the impact of MLS coming to Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver for the Argos, Als, and Lions. MLS and CFL seasons take place at roughly the same time and as such each league is competing for the same dollar. In Montreal's case the decline of the Alouettes attendance started after 2010 which was when the Impact joined MLS. Co-incidence perhaps?

MLS attendance in Montreal isn't so hot either.

Around 2010 Wettenhal started jacking up ticket prices to pay for stadium reno which is what also likely blew out their balance sheet especially since probably the attendance decline has wrecked their initial math on making the costs work. I find overall tickets are expensive for a minor league. Double blow was that not long after the onfield product started to collapse with the inability to find a QB. CFL football becomes pretty unwatchable without a capable QB (Als entering their 7th season now without a solution after the Manziel experiment was a costly failure).

The last 5 years have really been a total shitshow that makes the Ottawa Senators look like a successful club in comparison. I don't think it's hopeless there seems to be a good core of fans, but definitely a new owner would need to come in and correct a lot of things such as basically rebuilding the whole front office both the business side of things and the club management.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Obviously on the revenue, I was talking about the basic expenses to operate a CFL franchise.



I don't think so. The CFL is quite strong on the prairies, Hamilton and Ottawa. TV ratings in the GTA, lower mainland and Quebec are great. The issue is trying to exist in the central city of the 3 largest (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal). If they had a stadium in Mississauga or Vaughan they'd be fine. Just a basic stadium like Hamilton's, $200 million. Same goes for Montreal. Football is insanely popular in Quebec, the location of the stadium is horrendous.

As a league the CFL really needs to start a capital fund to assist their franchises in building/upgrading facilities. Start by diverting a certain percentage of league revenues (TV, league sponsorships etc.)

Honestly the CFL is dying. There's more interest in the NFL, younger people don't pay attention to the league at all. I don't think the CFL will even exist in 20 years

Literally the EXACT same thing that was said 10 years ago...and 20 years ago...and 30 years ago.

Its plain untrue and ridiculous. 10 years ago the CFL owned 2 teams at the same time and had to sell one to someone who already owned another team in the league. 20 years ago even the strongly supported teams like Saskatchewan had to have pledge drives to keep team afloat. 30 years ago the league took a cash injection from NFL to stay afloat.

The CFL is in the strongest financial position it's been in in years. And will continue to be a strong league. It's never going to be the NFL or the NHL or hell wont even get to money like MLS but it's going to be fine.

CFL has a demographics problem. It is an older person league. Compare that to the NFL and NBA. Also, most CFL games have almost zero minorities in the stands, even Vancouver. What gives? CFL is not dying, but it's not evolving.

 

[ColinM]

CFL has a demographics problem. It is an older person league. Compare that to the NFL and NBA. Also, most CFL games have almost zero minorities in the stands, even Vancouver. What gives? CFL is not dying, but it's not evolving.

True but could the same thing be said about Major League Baseball or the PGA? Both of those organizations tend to have old white guys as their core customer. Seemingly only MLS and the NBA have solved this problem and that ties into the international nature of those sports. I suspect the CFL will have to MLB and the PGA to learn from their experience.

 

[ColinM]

MLS attendance in Montreal isn't so hot either.

Around 2010 Wettenhal started jacking up ticket prices to pay for stadium reno which is what also likely blew out their balance sheet especially since probably the attendance decline has wrecked their initial math on making the costs work. I find overall tickets are expensive for a minor league. Double blow was that not long after the onfield product started to collapse with the inability to find a QB. CFL football becomes pretty unwatchable without a capable QB (Als entering their 7th season now without a solution after the Manziel experiment was a costly failure).

The last 5 years have really been a total ****show that makes the Ottawa Senators look like a successful club in comparison. I don't think it's hopeless there seems to be a good core of fans, but definitely a new owner would need to come in and correct a lot of things such as basically rebuilding the whole front office both the business side of things and the club management.

Picking up on the Ottawa Senators comparison, I've often thought the surge in CFL interest in Ottawa has hurt the Senators attendance. If I was in Ottawa in October I'd definitely rather go see a RedBlacks game than a Senators game even though I'm a bigger hockey fan. Likewise if I was to visit Montreal in August I'd rather go to the Rogers Cup than see the Alouettes thanks to the way Tennis has spiked in Canada. I'm speaking for myself here but it's as though most Canadians cities capacity to manage A Level Sports Teams / Events if full.

 

[PCSPounder]

Literally the EXACT same thing that was said 10 years ago...and 20 years ago...and 30 years ago.

Its plain untrue and ridiculous. 10 years ago the CFL owned 2 teams at the same time and had to sell one to someone who already owned another team in the league. 20 years ago even the strongly supported teams like Saskatchewan had to have pledge drives to keep team afloat. 30 years ago the league took a cash injection from NFL to stay afloat.

The CFL is in the strongest financial position it's been in in years. And will continue to be a strong league. It's never going to be the NFL or the NHL or hell wont even get to money like MLS but it's going to be fine.

This is a very fair argument, and fairly accurate from a perspective of the past.

As it pertains to the CTE present, I'm not so sure the league dies, but there will be a downscaling.

 

[qwerty]

CFL has a product problem in my opinion. I use to be a CFL fan, but when you compare the 2 pro football leagues, it’s not even close. The NFL feels like a must see, big ticket event whereas the CFL has the feel of a local high school football game. The production quality on air and the live in house product just aren’t good enough.

I went to the Stamps game over the weekend and I couldn’t even convince my friends to stay until half time. After just 1 quarter they were done.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

I've often wondered what the impact of MLS coming to Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver for the Argos, Als, and Lions. MLS and CFL seasons take place at roughly the same time and as such each league is competing for the same dollar. In Montreal's case the decline of the Alouettes attendance started after 2010 which was when the Impact joined MLS. Co-incidence perhaps?

One thing that is often overlooked is that the CFL eliminated TV blackouts a while back, I want to say around 2007-ish. Before this, the majority of home games were not available on TV in the local market. If you wanted to watch your team play at home, you had to buy a ticket. Teams were only mandated to lift two blackouts per season, and could (and sometimes did) lift more at their own discretion.

This of course coincided with HD TV becoming mainstream, and at this point it is now pretty much standard. 50 inch flatscreens occupy most living rooms in the country. In another few years, 4K TV will become the new standard. This is a reality that all sports leagues, not just the CFL, are contending with. It's more comfortable to watch the game in your living room than go through the hassle of getting to the stadium, figuring out transportation/parking, and potentially sitting in rain or cold weather while paying $15 for a beer and a hotdog.

On that last point, I think that Atlanta Falcons owner is ahead of the curve with dirt-cheap food and drink prices. If you start offering people food and beverage at one-third of what people are used to getting charged, you will attract more people to the stadium. The Eskimos have had pre-game beer gardens set up outside the stadium the last couple years. There's contests, and games, and live music, stuff like that...but I've never heard anyone say they went because of those things...but people will go because of the $2 hotdogs and $4 beers. It's the reason I go. Walking into the stadium half-cut with a full belly for $20 is appealing to younger demographics. It has long been said around Edmonton that simply making Commonwealth Stadium the cheapest place in town to drink on a Friday night would increase attendance.

 

[ColinM]

One thing that is often overlooked is that the CFL eliminated TV blackouts a while back, I want to say around 2007-ish. Before this, the majority of home games were not available on TV in the local market. If you wanted to watch your team play at home, you had to buy a ticket. Teams were only mandated to lift two blackouts per season, and could (and sometimes did) lift more at their own discretion.

This of course coincided with HD TV becoming mainstream, and at this point it is now pretty much standard. 50 inch flatscreens occupy most living rooms in the country. In another few years, 4K TV will become the new standard. This is a reality that all sports leagues, not just the CFL, are contending with. It's more comfortable to watch the game in your living room than go through the hassle of getting to the stadium, figuring out transportation/parking, and potentially sitting in rain or cold weather while paying $15 for a beer and a hotdog.

True, and this still represented an opportunity for the CFL. Like most other sports broadcast rights fees have gone up exponentially over the 20 years and that's likely to continue to be the case in order for cable companies to combat cord cutting. It's probably worth Bell's while to sink a couple million a year into the Argos in order to keep one of their flag ship broadcast properties afloat.

On that tangent though, I also think this is a reason we won't see the Montreal Expos return. If Rogers has the Blue Jays and Bell has the CFL who needs another flagship property for the summer and parts of the fall? Quebecor might but most would agree they have their eyes on an NHL property rather than an MLB one.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

I've often wondered what the impact of MLS coming to Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver for the Argos, Als, and Lions. MLS and CFL seasons take place at roughly the same time and as such each league is competing for the same dollar. In Montreal's case the decline of the Alouettes attendance started after 2010 which was when the Impact joined MLS. Co-incidence perhaps?

MLS crowds in Montreal and Vancouver are noticeably down this year. If the BC Lions are decent this year, they will probably outdraw the WhiteCaps.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

Was just going to say the same thing.

The Argos are a distant 5th in terms of local fan interest here, behind the Leafs, Raps, Jays, and Toronto FC.

It's the closest we have to an NFL team though, so there's always going to be SOME small pocket of diehards who keep the team afloat. But they aren't the hot ticket they once were.

If the Argos are 5th why do they draw more tv viewers in southern Ontario then TFC. The Argos fan base is larger but TFC 's fanbase is more fervent and more likely to attend live matches.

 

[Jeffrey Pedler]

The problem is that they never groomed a QB to succeed Cavillo. Quebec is a football crazy province, with a new owner and a QB, they will be putting fans back in the stands.

 

[jetsv2]

Which makes me wonder what will happen to all those relatively new stadiums in Hamilton, Ottawa, Regina, and Winnipeg. Not to mention the older ones in Edmonton and Calgary.

Nothing, because the CFL is strong in all of the markets you just mentioned. It isn't going to die.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

The problem is that they never groomed a QB to succeed Cavillo. Quebec is a football crazy province, with a new owner and a QB, they will be putting fans back in the stands.

Montreal appears to be a very fickle market. Win and your golden. Lose and you get nothing. Luckily the CFL is a very easy league to win in (unless your Winnipeg for some reason) and it won't take long for Alouettes to get back on their feet. 6 of 9 make playoffs, it relatively easy to get competitive. A 4 year playoffless drought (likely going to 5 this year) is very rare. It won't be long before Montreal is back on their feet though particularly in the weak east division. Once that happens I think it'll be very easy for them to become well supported again. The problem in Montreal is nothing compared to Toronto or Vancouver. Both of which are on going issues.

But again the CFL has literally never been on more stable ground in the past 40 years than right now. The passion in the prairies is amazing (Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Calgary, Edmonton) with a rejuvenated fanbase in all those locations, despite what detractors will say about all fans being 80, it's not true. Ottawa and Hamilton are on solid footing as well. Halifax is very close to securing their team, hopefully they can draw from the entire Maritimes and become successful there. Really it's just about poor BC and MTL teams as both those markets only support when team is winning. The big question mark is Toronto of course. Can the CFL survive without Toronto? I think so. They will not want to try that. As many have stated they draw real well on TV, it's just getting people to actually attend that they struggle with.

Normally I would NEVER recommend anything that the Bombers do, but in the past 5 years or so on the business side Toronto should certainly try to emulate. The Bombers have rebranded over the past 5-8 years not just as a sporting event and the game. They've made it so it's a party to come out to games. What I mean by this is they've embraced the NFL/NCAA model of making gameday a whole party. In their parking lots you can grill up food, drink, play loud music, party. More and more people are doing this. It's not just a football game, it's a party all night. If it's a Friday night game at 730, my group gets there at 430ish and we are by no means the first there. It's how football should be a whole day party. Embrace the fact that some will come just to drink at the bars in stadium, even the older folk that want no part of the party scene LOVE the antics of the Rum Hut section. It makes for a great gameday experience.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Montreal appears to be a very fickle market. Win and your golden. Lose and you get nothing. Luckily the CFL is a very easy league to win in (unless your Winnipeg for some reason) and it won't take long for Alouettes to get back on their feet. 6 of 9 make playoffs, it relatively easy to get competitive. A 4 year playoffless drought (likely going to 5 this year) is very rare. It won't be long before Montreal is back on their feet though particularly in the weak east division. Once that happens I think it'll be very easy for them to become well supported again. The problem in Montreal is nothing compared to Toronto or Vancouver. Both of which are on going issues.

But again the CFL has literally never been on more stable ground in the past 40 years than right now. The passion in the prairies is amazing (Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Calgary, Edmonton) with a rejuvenated fanbase in all those locations, despite what detractors will say about all fans being 80, it's not true. Ottawa and Hamilton are on solid footing as well. Halifax is very close to securing their team, hopefully they can draw from the entire Maritimes and become successful there. Really it's just about poor BC and MTL teams as both those markets only support when team is winning. The big question mark is Toronto of course. Can the CFL survive without Toronto? I think so. They will not want to try that. As many have stated they draw real well on TV, it's just getting people to actually attend that they struggle with.

Normally I would NEVER recommend anything that the Bombers do, but in the past 5 years or so on the business side Toronto should certainly try to emulate. The Bombers have rebranded over the past 5-8 years not just as a sporting event and the game. They've made it so it's a party to come out to games. What I mean by this is they've embraced the NFL/NCAA model of making gameday a whole party. In their parking lots you can grill up food, drink, play loud music, party. More and more people are doing this. It's not just a football game, it's a party all night. If it's a Friday night game at 730, my group gets there at 430ish and we are by no means the first there. It's how football should be a whole day party. Embrace the fact that some will come just to drink at the bars in stadium, even the older folk that want no part of the party scene LOVE the antics of the Rum Hut section. It makes for a great gameday experience.

It's clear the CFL has a demographics and Eastern Canada problem. Montreal has actually been a bigger problem then Toronto for decades. They still can't land the Atlantic franchise and zero interest from Quebec City. People use to just blame Toronto but some of the worse comments have been about the CFL have been out in places like Halifax and Saint John NB.

If the Argos are 5th why do they draw more tv viewers in southern Ontario then TFC. The Argos fan base is larger but TFC 's fanbase is more fervent and more likely to attend live matches.

Again, demographics. Take a look at an Argos crowd and take a look at a TFC crowd. And the CFL is gate driven so more people need to go to the game.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

It's clear the CFL has a demographics and Eastern Canada problem. Montreal has actually been a bigger problem then Toronto for decades. They still can't land the Atlantic franchise and zero interest from Quebec City. People use to just blame Toronto but some of the worse comments have been about the CFL have been out in places like Halifax and Saint John NB.
Again, demographics. Take a look at an Argos crowd and take a look at a TFC crowd. And the CFL is gate driven so more people need to go to the game.

Um what?

What demographics problem does the CFL have? I don't see one. The crowd's in Winnipeg are from every age, race, sex, etc.

Eastern Canada? What problem truly? Montreal hasn't had a team for decades, so explain that to me. Montreal was a full sellout market for years and years until 2014ish. Hamilton and Ottawa are strong markets. Halifax has never been closer to a team than right now. Everything looks great out there.

Argos crowds don't look great but they are massive draw on TV. CFL has a GREAT TV deal which brings in alot of money. Argos certainly need a solution to figure out the stands, if I knew how to do it I would employed by them. But one market with bad attendance but great TV hardly considers a crisis. The CFL is landing TV deals in Mexico and Europe as well. It was literally the biggest sticking point on the latest CBA deal.

CFL is far less gate driven than many are led to believe. They have a very lucrative deal with TSN. TSN primary source of ratings is CFL, it draws really well. Sure they are not even remotely close to NFL, but again why would they need to be? They are not, and will never again compete with NFL. That's completely fine. The SHL, SM-Liiga, KHL, DEL, etc, don't compete with NHL. But that's that the goal at all.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Um what?

What demographics problem does the CFL have? I don't see one. The crowd's in Winnipeg are from every age, race, sex, etc.

Eastern Canada? What problem truly? Montreal hasn't had a team for decades, so explain that to me. Montreal was a full sellout market for years and years until 2014ish. Hamilton and Ottawa are strong markets. Halifax has never been closer to a team than right now. Everything looks great out there.

Argos crowds don't look great but they are massive draw on TV. CFL has a GREAT TV deal which brings in alot of money. Argos certainly need a solution to figure out the stands, if I knew how to do it I would employed by them. But one market with bad attendance but great TV hardly considers a crisis. The CFL is landing TV deals in Mexico and Europe as well. It was literally the biggest sticking point on the latest CBA deal.

CFL is far less gate driven than many are led to believe. They have a very lucrative deal with TSN. TSN primary source of ratings is CFL, it draws really well. Sure they are not even remotely close to NFL, but again why would they need to be? They are not, and will never again compete with NFL. That's completely fine. The SHL, SM-Liiga, KHL, DEL, etc, don't compete with NHL. But that's that the goal at all.

Take a look at an argos crowd or even an Tiger Cats or Als. Now look at the Raptors. Most CFL fans are older white guys. The CFL is still gate driven from their own mouths. It's more in a standstill position. Halifax has been close multiple times. Montreal sold out when they moved to smaller stadium and that was for a few years. Plus Montreal lost their team twice, and now ownership troubles again. I would say the league is doing way better in Western Canada. Which means it's in a stand still.

 

[shmglsky]

Um what?
The CFL is landing TV deals in Mexico and Europe as well.

What TV deal has the CFL landed in Mexico or Europe yet? I know Burris claimed the Mexican TV deal would be worth $5 million, but right now it's a believe it when you see it kind of a deal.

 

[DowntownBooster]

Take a look at an argos crowd or even an Tiger Cats or Als. Now look at the Raptors. Most CFL fans are older white guys. The CFL is still gate driven from their own mouths. It's more in a standstill position. Halifax has been close multiple times. Montreal sold out when they moved to smaller stadium and that was for a few years. Plus Montreal lost their team twice, and now ownership troubles again. I would say the league is doing way better in Western Canada. Which means it's in a stand still.

I don't know what games you're watching but here in Winnipeg there are all ages and races of fans. Of course there's going to be some older white guys as they are a segment of the population.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Take a look at an argos crowd or even an Tiger Cats or Als. Now look at the Raptors. Most CFL fans are older white guys. The CFL is still gate driven from their own mouths. It's more in a standstill position. Halifax has been close multiple times. Montreal sold out when they moved to smaller stadium and that was for a few years. Plus Montreal lost their team twice, and now ownership troubles again. I would say the league is doing way better in Western Canada. Which means it's in a stand still.

You can say the same damn thing about Leafs versus Raptors if you wanted. Are the Leafs' struggling? And beside I've already said set aside Argos since they are one franchise that struggles in attendance. To be fair they have amazing TV numbers.

In most places (yes including Hamilton and Montreal) the CFL cuts right through age, sex, and race categories.

Lol comparing any previous attempts to expand in Maritimes to this. Halifax is a done deal. They will begin play. Just accept it, CFL is much healthier than those in southern Ontario wants to believe.

Montreal supports winners and nothing else. Look at MLS impact now. Nothing. Why, they suck. Montreal has always been a Miami-esce market. Only support when winning. And Alouettes are on a historic terrible streak. The are boom or bust market that will be fine when they find their feet. And Quebec City who draws 11K to damn USports football is always there if neccessary.

CFL is fine overall. Progressive organizations like Bombers, Riders, Eskimos have done amazing things with regards to minorities and younger people. And it's showing. Argo's need to take note. Again though the CFL cares little for Toronto. I know it's REALLY hard for people from GTA to understand, but they are small market meh in terms of CFL. They are Coyotes/Predators/Ducks/Panthers of the CFL. Sure there is a big market there, but it doesn't seem to care so they are at the bottom of totem pole, the league as whole doesn't really care.

What TV deal has the CFL landed in Mexico or Europe yet? I know Burris claimed the Mexican TV deal would be worth $5 million, but right now it's a believe it when you see it kind of a deal.

Nothing yet, but the fact is that those potential TV deals was a MAJOR sticking point in CBA negotiations. Therefore there is ALOT of people that think there is money there to be had. Based on how CFL has operated it's a matter of time before TV deals are landed in Mexico and Europe. It's not going to be some unreal lucrative deal that will redefine the league, but CFL is making in roads in many different places. They are going to secure extra revenue sources. And are opening other opportunities down the road. It's impossible to take these risks without a solid financial base behind it.

 

[Jeffrey Pedler]

It's clear the CFL has a demographics and Eastern Canada problem. Montreal has actually been a bigger problem then Toronto for decades. They still can't land the Atlantic franchise and zero interest from Quebec City. People use to just blame Toronto but some of the worse comments have been about the CFL have been out in places like Halifax and Saint John NB.
Again, demographics. Take a look at an Argos crowd and take a look at a TFC crowd. And the CFL is gate driven so more people need to go to the game.

Their really is no demographics problem. I see fans from the Silent Gen, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z and Gen Alpha at all Ti-Cats games.

 

[Mightygoose]

It appears Mr. Guzzo doesn't have too many nice words for the league in this sale process.



The latest rumour circulating is the league is in talks with a group where Eric Lapointe will be part of it in some manner though 'his group' is out of the running.

Too bad, I would have liked too see what Guzzo would have done with the team but backroom deals are where deals are made, not through the media.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

It appears Mr. Guzzo doesn't have too many nice words for the league in this sale process.



The latest rumour circulating is the league is in talks with a group where Eric Lapointe will be part of it in some manner though 'his group' is out of the running.

Too bad, I would have liked too see what Guzzo would have done with the team but backroom deals are where deals are made, not through the media.

I wouldn't be surprised if his terms and conditions for taking over the team were unreasonable for the BOG and the commish like some of the ridiculous offers we see from the dragons on the show.

 

[Burke the Legend]

Montreal appears to be a very fickle market. Win and your golden. Lose and you get nothing. Luckily the CFL is a very easy league to win in (unless your Winnipeg for some reason) and it won't take long for Alouettes to get back on their feet. 6 of 9 make playoffs, it relatively easy to get competitive. A 4 year playoffless drought (likely going to 5 this year) is very rare. It won't be long before Montreal is back on their feet though particularly in the weak east division. Once that happens I think it'll be very easy for them to become well supported again. The problem in Montreal is nothing compared to Toronto or Vancouver. Both of which are on going issues.

But again the CFL has literally never been on more stable ground in the past 40 years than right now. The passion in the prairies is amazing (Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Calgary, Edmonton) with a rejuvenated fanbase in all those locations, despite what detractors will say about all fans being 80, it's not true. Ottawa and Hamilton are on solid footing as well. Halifax is very close to securing their team, hopefully they can draw from the entire Maritimes and become successful there. Really it's just about poor BC and MTL teams as both those markets only support when team is winning. The big question mark is Toronto of course. Can the CFL survive without Toronto? I think so. They will not want to try that. As many have stated they draw real well on TV, it's just getting people to actually attend that they struggle with.

Normally I would NEVER recommend anything that the Bombers do, but in the past 5 years or so on the business side Toronto should certainly try to emulate. The Bombers have rebranded over the past 5-8 years not just as a sporting event and the game. They've made it so it's a party to come out to games. What I mean by this is they've embraced the NFL/NCAA model of making gameday a whole party. In their parking lots you can grill up food, drink, play loud music, party. More and more people are doing this. It's not just a football game, it's a party all night. If it's a Friday night game at 730, my group gets there at 430ish and we are by no means the first there. It's how football should be a whole day party. Embrace the fact that some will come just to drink at the bars in stadium, even the older folk that want no part of the party scene LOVE the antics of the Rum Hut section. It makes for a great gameday experience.

Good point about fan experience, new tailgating rules in Ontario could be really good for the Argos, cheaper beer too. I gotta imagine the Gardiner expressway is some kind of slow motion hellscape these days so making gameday a 6-8 hour party instead of just a 3 hour presentation could go a long way towards making the trip from various corners of the GTA more appealing.