Toronto is not a football town

Fans in Saskatchewan will remember the 1987 and 1997 telethons that helped save the team when it was twice in danger of going out of business.

"Good evening, Rider telethon here, how many seats can we put you down for?"

"Yeah, thanks ... put me down for four and I'd like to challenge everyone in North Battleford to match that ..."

"OK, bud, that's great."

It worked.

CBC Throwback Thursday: Saving the Roughriders

10 years ago

Duration 2:06

In the 1990s, the Saskatchewan Roughriders were in danger of folding.

Somehow this solution doesn't seem workable for Toronto, especially since the results might be embarrassing.

But there is a spark there of what needs to be done to fix the perennially struggling Argonauts, and restore some dignity to the sport around these parts.

It may be simpler than everyone is making out.

• Rocket Men: The far-out (but true) story of the '91 Argos

Perhaps it's time for some of those fans who watch the game in the comfort of their home (and there are a couple hundred thousand of you at least) to get off your bums and get down to watch the games if you care even a cow's lick about football. (This does not include those dedicated football fans who have been making the trip regularly for years. You are true and loyal and deserving of respect.)

This is a new and soul-shaking approach for me, as since 1968 I have never put any fault on the fans through the insanity that often revolves around this city's gridiron. Years ago, I was a season subscriber for almost a decade so I know, Double Blue folk, I know.

Boutique sport

The new paradigm hit me while reading stories about ticketsales for Sunday's Grey Cup, perhaps the last to be held around these parts for a long while. Twitter announced with some excitement on Wednesday afternoon "less than 2,000 tickets" remained for the game at BMO Field.

Wonderful.

Free ducats (remember when they were priced out of the ballpark up until a month ago?) are being handed out to employees of TSN, and rumours of "papering" the house are rampant. This has happened at many previous Cups, especially here and in Vancouver, but it's never been done for a stadium with only 35,000 seats.

• Toronto Grey Cup tickets prices slashed

Here's the dealToronto is not, and has not been for around 25 years, a football town.

Why is complicated, but it includes a stupidly shortsighted local TV blackout rule in the 1970s and 1980s that sent an entire generation of Toronto fans to the NFL, plus endless poor ownership decisions and a growing feeling among locals that our game was second class.

Back in 1976, one season before Major League Baseball came to the shores of Lake Ontario, the Argos drew an average of 47,354 fans, with a high of 50,212. In 1981, the average was 33,175 per, with a high of 38,225. It was downhill from there.

CFL football in Toronto, once second only to the Leafs here, has become a boutique sport, loved by a small, though enthusiastic, group of supporters almost entirely on television.

You're not cool butthat's OK

Young Toronto fans are going to the pro parks and arena in greater numbers these days to see the Blue Jays, Raptors and Toronto FC, and certainly the Argo managers need to find a way to get some whippersnappers of their own.

Football fans can help in a big way by stopping the excuses and getting involved.

There are none that resonate anymore.

You can't complain about the stadium being lousy. Yes, Rogers Centre was terrible for football when it was half full, but BMO Field is an absolute gem. You should see it. Few of you have.

• Argogames more fan-friendly but still lacking

You can't complain it's hard to get to when Toronto FC fans (an average of 26,583 this year) don't see it as a problem. They show up, even when there was construction all around this summer, and the Go Train was delayed because of the heat, and the Bathurst streetcar had turned into hot buses, and parking was a problem.

You can't whine about the team being lousy. Yes, the Argos went 5-13 this year, but they were 10-8 in 2015. They won the Grey Cup in 2012. That's not a long time ago.

Also, week one this year drew 24,812 at BMO Field to see Toronto lose. Three weeks later, only 12,373 came by when the club was 2-1. What, the great new stadium and a winning record were too confusing?

Stop complaining the team isn't "cool". Neither are you. You're a CFL football fan in a town where that's equivalent to being the guy who wears an ugly Christmas sweater in February. The Raptors are cool. Toronto FC is cool. The Blue Jays are cool, but they weren't until the2015 trade deadline. Things change in a hurry.

Don't tell everyone you're waiting for the NFL. The National Football League is not coming. Evah. It's going to London, or St. Louis again, or anywhere but here after the "Bills in Toronto" disaster.

Finally, don't use the excuse there's no atmosphere at the games because "nobody goes." Yeah, like you. How about sucking it up, taking a page from Toronto FC fans, and starting a supporter's club for the south end zone? Make noise. Have fun.

Get away from your TV. Put some effort in.