Toronto is not a stronger sports market then San Diego or Charlotte. There is only one sport in Canada with a hard-core fan base and that is hockey. Other sports are followed by fair weather fans and in many games the seats are half empty. You can easily buy a ticket for a Blue Jay game from a scalper for under $10 and watch baseball in the more than half empty Rogers Centre. For example, in recent weeks Toronto had two victory celebrations in Nathan Phillips Square (which is right near the office of the company I am working at in downtown). First the Argos (CFL) won the Grey Cup ("the Canadian Football League Superbowl") and the victory celebration was sparsely attended -- coming nowhere near to filling the square. Then a week later the Toronto F.C. won the MLS Cup in soccer and once again the victory celebration was sparsely attended. People generally don't care about sports other than hockey in Canada. Now if the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup the entire City of Toronto downtown would be close down. BTW -- the Carolina Hurricanes were just sold in Raleigh for approx $500 Million and will likely be leaving town. It is hard to complete against college sports (Duke, UNC, etc.) in the Raleigh area. The Carolina Panthers in Charlotte will be sold shortly and will likely leave Charlotte in 2020 when their stadium contract expires. I will note that the Panthers are one of the few NFL teams will a full stadium each week and rising revenue because their current owner refuses to allow players to kneel during the national anthem.
the thesis that the NFL has lost a lot of fans does not contradict the idea the NFL could make a come back. Your thoughts on this subject are too binary. Besides...I have not even been arguing about this much lately. Myself and others were predicting in the early weeks that NFL clowns and the clown owners were going to cost themselves fans and viewers. Tony and the lefties were telling us the NFL did not care about us and our opinions and they downplayed the numbers. We were correct. Many fans have rejected the NFL. How long it lasts will depend on what the NFL does going forward. The polls I saw recently show that there are almost twice as many fans who don't think the protest during the national anthem are appropriate. I support their right to protest as well but I think it was dumb. Very early I suggested they had the money and the platform to do something real instead of kneeling for the flag. It was certainly dumb and spineless of the owners to allow those protests to alienate so many fans. Its the owners who were the true morons here. They deserve to lose a ton of money for being spineless. The irony of this situation is that if the XFL succeeds about a decade from now the competition might be good for the players salaries unless the XFL can brand the team over the players.
No,it wasn't.What you and other anti protesters don't seem to understand is there would be fierce backlash from the left,media,civil rights groups,players,minorities etc if the The NFL forced black players to stand for racist Trump and racist republicans.
Papa John felt the same way do and voiced his opinion.Goodell and most NFL owners are smarter than you Papa John. https://www.businessinsider.nl/papa-johns-founder-steps-down-as-ceo-2017-12/?international=true&r=US Papa John’s founder steps down as CEO a month after backlash following his criticism of NFL national anthem protests Kate Taylor Papa John’s founder John Schnatter announced plans to step down on Thursday. The news comes a month after Schnatter sparked controversy by slamming NFL leadership for its handling of players’ protests during the national anthem. The founder has inspired controversy and support in the past by speaking out against Obamacare and donating $1,000 to Trump’s presidential campaign. Papa John’s controversial CEO and founder is stepping down. On Thursday, Papa John’s announced that founder John Schnatter would step down as CEO. Schnatter will be replaced by the company’s current president Steve Ritchie. Schnatter sparked controversy in November when he slammed NFL leadership over the ongoing national anthem protests. “Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership,” CEO John Schnatter said in a call with investors. The CEO’s statements quickly inspired backlash on the left and support on the right. The white supremacist website The Daily Stormer even posted an article asking whether Papa John’s was the “official pizza of the alt right,” forcing the company to say it does not want “hate groups” buying the chain’s pizza. Schnatter owns roughly 25% of Papa John’s, and will stay on as chairman after stepping down as CEO in January. According to a press release from the company, he will “pursue his personal passion for entrepreneurship, leadership development and education.” Prior to backlash for his comments on the NFL, Schnatter has a history of statements that have sparked political controversy. Schnatter came under fire in 2012 for saying that the Affordable Care Act could be “lose-lose” for Papa John’s franchisees and employees. Schnatter argued that Obamacare would cost Papa John’s $5-8 million annually and ultimately drive up the price of pizza. The backlash was swift, with many promising to boycott Papa John’s in response to Schnatter’s comments. Papa John’s shares slumped about 4.2% during the controversy, Forbes reported. http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireSt...izes-criticizing-nfl-anthem-protests-51158913 Papa John's apologizes for criticizing NFL anthem protests By the associated press Nov 15, 2017, 9:14 AM ET Papa John's Pizza apologized Tuesday night for comments made by CEO John Schnatter blaming sluggish pizza sales on NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. The Louisville, Kentucky-based company is a major NFL sponsor and advertiser, and Schnatter said on an earnings call on Nov. 1 that "NFL leadership has hurt Papa John's shareholders" and that the protests "should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago." The company tweeted a statement offering to "work with the players and league to find a positive way forward." "The statements made on our earnings call were describing the factors that impact our business and we sincerely apologize to anyone that thought they were divisive," it said. "That definitely was not our intention. "We believe in the right to protest inequality and support the players' movement to create a new platform for change. We also believe, as Americans, we should honor our anthem. There is a way to do both." The movement was started last year by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled to protest what he said was police mistreatment of blacks. More players began kneeling after President Donald Trump said at an Alabama rally in September that team owners should get rid of players who protest during the anthem. Papa John's added that it is "open to ideas from all. Except neo-Nazis." It previously has tried to distance itself from white supremacists who praised Schnatter's comments, saying it does not want those groups to buy its pizza. The company's stock has fallen by nearly 13 percent since Schnatter's comments.
you see... nine ender... tony still does not understand what happened. he thinks a " fierce backlash" from a bunch of radical leftists who don't watch football can't throw a spiral or even catch one matters more than the base who consume the products of the advertisers. pre - commies do not understand business.
Some owners wanted to force the players to stand,even the most powerful one.After this warning I haven't heard Jerry Jones complaining much. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...r-option-for-taking-cowboys-from-jerry-jones/ Report: Owners discussing unlikely nuclear option for taking Cowboys from Jerry Jones Things have the potential to get really ugly among NFL ownership Nov 13, 2017 • The drama surrounding Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell is getting more and more heated by the day, with new reports about Jones' battle with the contractual situation surrounding the commissioner continuing to simmer. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported on Sunday that owners are starting to turn on the Cowboys owner because of how he's attempted to wield his power in ownership circles. And there might even be a "nuclear" option on the table too, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Sunday night that some owners have begun digging into the CBA to consider the possibility of making Jones forfeit his ownership of the Cowboys. To be very clear, this is a seriously long shot and an unlikely outcome. Just like Goodell, Jones has helped his fellow owners make piles and piles of money. But there is a bylaw the owners could use in this case. According to Florio's report, "multiple owners have already been discussing the possibility" of using Article VIII in the NFL's constitution and bylaws. From Florio: Specifically, Section 8.13 authorizes the commissioner to determine that an owner "has been or is guilty of conduct detrimental to the welfare of the League or professional football." If the commissioner believes the available sanction (a $500,000 fine) is "not adequate or sufficient," the commissioner may refer the issue to the NFL's Executive Committee, which has the power to compel "[c]ancellation or forfeiture of the franchise in the League of any member club involved or implicated," with a directive to sell the team. It's basically kicking Jones out of the club. But it's not as simple as telling Jones he has to sell. There would be lawsuits and lawsuits and more lawsuits, with the two sides battling for years (if not decades). It's probably not going to happen. But it is reportedly at least is being discussed in ownership circles. Apparently, the decision by Jones to back Papa John's owner John Schnatter was "the primary affront" to the other owners -- Florio reports there are owners who believe "Jones instigated Papa John's CEO John Schnatter to disparage the NFL, blaming league leadership for ratings declines and, in turn, a reduction in Papa John's revenues." On that issue, Papa John did blast the NFL for the national anthem protests, claiming it was costing him money and pizza profit. When asked about Papa John's comments, Jones said that Schnatter is a "great American." Jones owns more than 100 Papa John's franchises. Jones has also reportedly threatened to sue the NFL if the league ultimately decides to push through with an extension for Goodell. It is widely believed that Jones is most upset at Goodell over the six-game suspension handed to star running back Ezekiel Elliott. Sunday's results -- the Cowboys were hammered by the Falcons with Zeke and left tackle Tyron Smith on the sideline -- will not do much to help Jones' mood. If the Cowboys keep losing, expect his ire to be drawn.
Because the CEO of Papa Johns broke the first critical rule of big business -- stay out of political controversies. The second rule is -- don't let your employees get involved in political controversies using company time or resources.