[W. K. Lis]

Montréal Expo 67 resulted in them building their first sections of their Metro. I understand that Montréal's Metro is still being used apparently, and even enlarged since then.

 

[MisterF]

Montréal Expo 67 resulted in them building their first sections of their Metro. I understand that Montréal's Metro is still being used apparently, and even enlarged since then.

And it's longer and busier than Toronto's despite being a younger system in a smaller city.

 

[W. K. Lis]

If Toronto had a World's Fair (now named "Expo") back in the early 1950's, we might have had a Queen Street Subway back then.

 

[animatronic]

So because Council is so dysfunctional, we need to flush $1.9 billion down the toilet to induce them to fund the projects that should be approved anyway. Who exactly is going to benefit from this boondoggle? It certainly isn't Toronto taxpayers.

Don't for a second believe that $1.9b number. Expo Milan clocked in at around US$15B all in.

 

[sixrings]

I'd rather an Olympics which gets us simila infrastructure but possibly a NFL team

 

[MisterF]

I'd rather an Olympics which gets us simila infrastructure but possibly a NFL team

In the unlikely event that an NFL-ready stadium is built for the Olympics, it would be an empty white elephant after the games. The NFL has no interest in a city that ignores the football teams it already has.

 

[sixrings]

Toronto is a city of first class sports. It ignores the cfl because it is a lower tier league. If premier league was in north America we would ignore MLS as well.

 

[animatronic]

Toronto is a city of first class sports. It ignores the cfl because it is a lower tier league. If premier league was in north America we would ignore MLS as well.

If private money wants to build an NFL stadium then more power too them. Not a penny of public money though.

 

[sixrings]

If private money wants to build an NFL stadium then more power too them. Not a penny of public money though.

Just like people can argue the Olympics or expo could bring in tourism dollars so could the NFL. I don't think we should spend our money on either but I don't see how spending 1 billion dollars on a stadium so we could have NFL here for 25+ years any more ridiculous than spending 5-20 billion on a 3 week - 6 month event.

 

[MisterF]

Toronto is a city of first class sports. It ignores the cfl because it is a lower tier league. If premier league was in north America we would ignore MLS as well.

MLS is a lower tier league. They're not even the highest tier soccer league in North America. But you don't see fans in Houston abandoning MLS in favour of the better league across the border. Toronto isn't a city of first class sports, it's a city of whatever American sport is popular at the moment. The only exception is the Leafs, and even the NHL has been American for a long time.

This is why the NFL isn't interested in Toronto. They don't want fans who follow trends and ignore everything else. They want fans who support football at all levels. Baltimore got the Ravens in large part because they supported the Stallions. Fans there showed that they were passionate about football, period. Toronto fans, OTOH, complained that the NFL games played here weren't good enough.

Another reason is that American TV ratings for basketball and baseball are traditionally weak for games with Canadian teams. A Canadian NFL team would be no different, which is bad news for a league that's so TV-oriented. Americans view Canadian teams in their leagues as foreign curiosities.

 

[sixrings]

Ill agree with the TV rating assessment. But they keep playing games in London, so they must have some way to figure out the tv side.

 

[animatronic]

Just like people can argue the Olympics or expo could bring in tourism dollars so could the NFL. I don't think we should spend our money on either but I don't see how spending 1 billion dollars on a stadium so we could have NFL here for 25+ years any more ridiculous than spending 5-20 billion on a 3 week - 6 month event.

You shouldn't do either because stadiums and mega events are very poor investments of public funds.

https://www.google.ca/amp/www.wsj.c...sports-stadium-deals-1452734069?client=safari

 

[narduch]

The NFL won't come to Toronto until it gets a government funded stadium. That's simply how it works. Just look at Las Vegas.

Personally I would be against funding a stadium for an NFL team.

The Bills in Toronto series was a setback for NFL boosters in this city though. But I put the blame on that on the arrogant Ted Rogers and his partners. That was doomed to fail from the opening press conference. I'm proud that Torontonians didn't support that. But the back story didn't matter to NFL leaders. It made it look like we couldn't support a real NFL team.

 

[MisterF]

Ill agree with the TV rating assessment. But they keep playing games in London, so they must have some way to figure out the tv side.

I don't know anything about TV ratings for the London games, but I'm sure it helps that every game gets 80,000+ fans. Much more enthusiastic reception than Toronto. The NFL is apparently planning to bring games back to Mexico City as well, which got similar crowds in the past.

Another reason the NFL doesn't want to expand here is that they don't need to - NFL football is already hugely popular here. They don't want to damage the CFL for the same reason that the big Euro and Latin American soccer leagues want to see a strong MLS: it creates a built in fan base for their product. CFL fans usually watch the NFL too.

 

[old boy]

The one fact is NFL is a huge money making machine, first and last. Unless you can show the owners how they can make even more by including Toronto, then forget it. There just aren't any billionaires around here willing to write a blank cheque to the NFL oligarchs. Toronto definitely can and does support major league teams. Unfortunately, minor league teams like the Argos get lost in the glare.