CFL Argonauts Owners Want To Bring NFL Team To Toronto
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CFL Argonauts Co-Owners Seeking Teams
Like Bills For Possible Relocation To Toronto |
CFL Argonauts co-Owners David Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski have "outlined a strategy that would include actively pursuing any NFL franchise that might be a candidate for relocation to Toronto," according to Brunt & Naylor in a front-page piece in the Toronto GLOBE & MAIL. Cynamon and Sokolowski have had conversations with other CFL governors and league Commissioner Mark Cohon, "as a means of ensuring the survival of the Argonauts and the CFL," a week after CFL Lions President Bob Ackles said that "he believed an NFL franchise in Toronto would kill the CFL and that he had already been working to mobilize political opposition should the threat become real." A league source said, "It's the single biggest issue the CFL is facing." Cohon declined to comment, but did issue a statement that read in part, "At no point have the CFL and NFL discussed the notion of CFL ownership of a Canadian NFL franchise." Brunt & Naylor note that the Bills, Vikings, Jaguars and Saints are among the NFL teams "believed to be potential candidates for relocation," and the Bills are the "most likely to move in the short term." NFL VP/Corporate Communications Brian McCarthy said, "We do not have any expansion plans and no teams have filed the necessary paperwork for relocation." Last fall, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Chair Larry Tanenbaum announced he was teaming with Blue Jays Owner Ted Rogers in an effort to bring an NFL team to Toronto (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 10/11).
QUESTIONS: In a separate piece, Naylor & Brunt note the Parliament would "probably not" interfere with efforts to bring an NFL team to the country, "especially if it's a Conservative government." Meanwhile, Rogers Centre "isn't big enough long term but it could house an NFL team for a short number of years." There is "considerable opposition in Canada to the public financing of professional sports stadiums. But those interested in an NFL team for Toronto are convinced a new state-of-the-art stadium could be financed through the sale of seat licenses and naming rights" (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/11).
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