JIM LANG ON SPORTS

The CFL and the Argos Dilemma

Just when Mark Cohon thought he had the world by the tail (and the CFLPA), he gets hit with the news on Tuesday that the potential deal for the Toronto Argonauts to share BMO Field with TFC could fall through.

This is bad on so many levels.

The Toronto Blue Jays don’t want the Argos to play football in Rogers Centre after the 2017 season. Paul Beeston is convinced that the Jays can install grass into Rogers Centre for the Jays to play on. Of course this is music to the ears of the Jays players who are forced to play 81 times on synthetic field turf laid over cement.

Someway, somehow the Argos will need to find a new place to call home by the 2018 season.

So this is what Cohon’s to-do list looks like now:
1 – Finalize a new CBA with a grumpy CFLPA who want more of the league’s financial pie.
2 – Find a new owner for the Argos.
3 – Build a new football stadium in Toronto or somewhere in the GTA, without any government money.

This is the cold hard truth in Toronto; you can find a way to get your hands on government financing to build a soccer stadium.

But government money for a football stadium? Forget about it. Not in Toronto. The politicians and the majority of the press would scream bloody murder if the Argos or the CFL ever asked for government funding for a football stadium.

So that means not only does Cohon have to find a new owner for the Argos. He also has to work with that new owner to find the private financing necessary to build a stadium that seats around 25,000.

Finalizing the CBA will be kid stuff compared to finding the money to build the Argos a new stadium.

As you can imagine in a city the size of Toronto the real estate prices are through the roof.

Assuming Cohon and the CFL can gather up the necessary financing to build they will be forced to build the stadium far outside of the downtown core. To build one in the downtown core with the real estate prices the way they are in Toronto is next impossible.

That is why the reports of the BMO Field deal collapse are such a gut punch to Cohon and the CFL.

So whatever financing the CFL and the Argos can raise will not be enough to build a stadium downtown. They will have to look to the suburbs or even outside of the city limits.

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With that in mind here is a look at potential locations for a new Argos stadium:

Mississauga – The Argos have called the University of Toronto campus in Mississauga their home since the late 1990’s when Doug Flutie was their quarterback. This is where the Argos practice, hold meetings and study film between games throughout the season. The structure is a series of construction trailers that have been joined together to make it look like a permanent facility.

Trust me. It is not.

There is good highway access in Mississauga but it would require the majority of fans to do some major commuting to games. For fans that live in the East end of Toronto or in Durham Region getting out to Mississauga for a Friday night game would be a nightmare.

York University – This was once in the works during the ownership tenure of David Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski. For a variety of reasons the deal fell through. But things have changed in the past decade. For one the TTC subway line in the process of being extended with stops right on the campus of York. The subway will not only stop at York, it will also extend north beyond Steeles avenue and onto Highway 7 in Vaughan. So building a stadium at this location would provide the ability for fans to go to games on mass transit as well as driving themselves.

Vaughan – If you throw a football from the campus of York University across Steeles Avenue you would be in Vaughan. Located just north of Toronto Vaughan has seen extensive growth over the past 20 years. Vaughan would also love to have something to put them on the map and a CFL stadium within their City limits would certainly fit that bill.

Markham – One of the most affluent communities in Canada, Markham has become the new “silicon valley” in Ontario. When there was talk of an NHL team possibly setting up shop in Markham the city council gave the idea thumbs up with a big catch. Any arena or stadium in Markham has to be built with all private money. If you can come to the table with the cash, city council would be only too happy to give you the green light on the project. There is good highway access in Markham but, like Mississauga, mass transit would be an issue for fans.

Scarborough – There certainly is enough land in Scarborough to build a stadium. There is also highway access and mass transit. While a stadium in Scarborough would be awesome for anyone who lives in the Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa corridor, it would be a nightmare for anyone in Mississauga or Oakville trying to make their way across the city to go to a game.

Downsview – The Canadian Forces base and supply depot has long been viewed as the potential site for an NFL stadium. There is good highway access and easy access to the TTC subway line. This would be far and away the most expensive option for any new Argos owner and CFL. Since money will likely be an issue for any new Argos owner, this option doesn’t stand a real chance of happening.

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Cohon and the CFL have a lot of work to do if they want a new stadium ready for the 2018 season. Even if they decide on a location they will need to do an environmental survey and then come up with the architectural plans for any new facility. That will also take up time and money.

The bottom line is that Argos could very well be a team without a stadium to call their own in 2018. For a CFL franchise located in the biggest city in Canada to not have a place to play would be a very sad state of affairs.

As I have told my wife and kids many times, if I ever win the lottery someday I am going to buy the Argos.

And if that were to ever happen I would push to build the Argos new stadium on the campus of York University. By placing it there you will be pretty much equal distance to all of the fans that live in the surrounding suburbs of Toronto. By the fall of 2016 York will be a part of the main TTC Yonge/University subway line. That means if you live downtown you could just hop on the subway to see the Argos play at York. You would also have easy access to the 400, 401 and 407 series of highways for fans that would prefer to drive to the game.

I would also push to make this stadium the headquarters for CIS and high school football in Southern Ontario. My goal would be to hold, schedule permitting, major CIS and high school championship playoff games there.

One small problem though, I still have to win the lottery. Until then Mark Cohon and the league’s partners need to find someone with the money and the patience necessary to own the Argos.
And there are some days that the idea of someone with that kind of money stepping up to buy the Argos has about as much chance as I have of winning the lottery.