This season was "supposed to be a year of optimism" for the CFL Argonauts with their move to BMO Field, a change in ownership and hosting the Grey Cup, but instead the team finished last in the CFL in wins and attendance, and "last in buzz," according to Steve Simmons of the TORONTO SUN. The Argos were "considered obscure" before the move to BMO under previous Owner David Braley, but they "almost seem even more obscure today." Former CFL Commissioner Tom Wright said, "I don’t have the solution. But even if I did, they wouldn’t listen. They didn’t listen to me when I was commissioner. Why would they listen to me now?" Simmons wrote the "sad reality of the first Argos season at BMO Field was how off-the-map Toronto football has gone." The CFL "may be alive and well" in Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Alberta, but it is "not alive and well" in Toronto. The "only encouraging numbers for the Argos are on television, where ratings remain solid." The "challenge for the Argos is enormous now." Argos President & CEO Michael Copeland said, "This is the first year of a rebuild and we put in a very good foundation." Simmons noted season-ticket numbers "almost doubled from 3,700 to 7,000," but were "still the lowest in the league." Copeland: "We had a growth in attendance. We’re confident and optimistic about the future. We’re 11 months in as an organization. I’m confident we will solve the problem." Wright views the "quandary of Argos football as multi-faceted." Wright: "There is core competition in Toronto that doesn’t exist anywhere else in Canada. There is NHL, NBA, baseball, MLS. It’s an incredibly competitive market. There’s no longer a threat of the NFL and still that hasn’t changed anything. Two, we’re a snotty sports city" (TORONTO SUN, 11/22). Former CFL Commissioner John Tory said, "There’s commentary floating around about football in Toronto again. They have great ownership, a fabulous new stadium and a great sports city. They are off to a good start rebuilding this franchise and they’ll be back in this game before too long” (POSTMEDIA NEWS, 11/22).
