Much has been said over the years about the Argos, if not the CFL, needing star players from south of the border to sell the game in Toronto. The facts don't support this notion but it's been repeated so often without evidence that it has become apocryphal.
Most recently this has resurfaced in reference to Argos star QB Chad Kelly. It's been suggested by some CFL pundits, perhaps wishfully, that he is a drawing card in Toronto partially because his uncle Jim has star status in nearby Buffalo. There is no evidence of this being true on a measurable scale. Despite a record setting season with Kelly at the helm, the Argos drew average crowds well under 20,000 last season. Let's examine the history of superstar players playing in the six.
The Argos have a long history of signing very high profile players with the hope that they would be saviours on the field and in the stands.
The Argos first American star signed with great fanfare was probably QB Tobin Rote. He arrived in 1960 and brought an aerial attack with him which was unprecedented in Toronto. The Argos failed to make the Grey Cup and Rote returned south a couple of years later.
A decade later, Leo Cahill signed Theismann, McQuay, Stillwagon, Tim Anderson and Gene Mack right out of their record setting days in the NCAA. The Argos were already selling out 33,000 seat CNE stadium before they arrived. This star studded team reached one Grey Cup and lost it. Goodbye Leo.
After several bad years they hired legendary CFL QB Russ Jackson as their coach and brought in USC's Heisman runner up, tailback, Anthony Davis. Davis was a bust and the Argos missed the playoffs, however, they drew 44,000 to an exhibition game and topped 50,000 fans for several home games. The Argos had flirted with signing QB Danny White along with Davis but he signed to back up Roger Staubach in Dallas. White and Davis' teammate at USC, and the WFL's California Sun, QB Pat Haden, could have been transformative for the Argos but the conventional wisdom was that a star running back was the key to success in those days. Davis and Jackson were both gone after the 1976 season.
Enter Leo Cahill part deux. Cahill doubled down on star running backs by signing record setting NFL all purpose tailback Terry Metcalf. Metcalf was no bust but he was no saviour either. The Argos continued to struggle before Metcalf returned to the NFL three years later. By the time that Cahill was fired again in 1978, the Blue Jays had landed and attendance had started to soften.
The Argos had a penchant for recruiting players and coaches out of Sports Illustrated in those days and along came NFL Hall of Famer Forrest Gregg to coach in 1979. They missed the playoffs and Gregg immediately left for the Bengals along with several former Argo players. He took the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 1982, losing to the 49'ers. Gregg's former teammate with the Packers, Willie Wood, also an NFL HOF'er, took over for him in Toronto in 1980, also becoming the first black head coach in professional football. The Argos missed the playoffs again, but never failed to draw less than 34,000. The following year the Argos went 2-14 and Wood was fired.
Of course, the less famous Bob O'Billovich coached them to the Grey Cup the following year. After several solid seasons the Argos were sold to Harry Ornest and the austerity returned. The good news was that Michael Clemons arrived.
It wasn't until 1991 that the Argos made another splashy signing and was it ever a big one. Rocket Ismail arrived to much fanfare signed by his equally high profile owners including Gretzky and John Candy. Despite all the hype, the largest crowd they drew that regular season was the home opener at Skydome, which was 41,000. Not the superstar bump they were hoping for. After a disastrous 1992 season Ismail left ignominiously.
The next superstar to arrive was the incomparable Doug Flutie in 1996, and despite consecutive record setting Grey Cups the Argo attendance was unmoved. They averaged less than 20,000 per game over that two-year span of dominance. It's shocking but true. Flutie left for the Bills where his talents were hugely under appreciated.
Almost a decade later, along came Ricky Williams, the Heisman trophy running back in his prime, suspended by the NFL under some archaic rules. Williams was a good soldier, but did not have much impact and then he got hurt. Their attendance did not increase appreciably from 2005 to 2006, but they went from first to second in the East and lost the East Final.
Do you see a pattern yet?
Six years later, the CFLs most accurate passer, Ricky Ray, arrived to win two Grey Cups, but not put a dent in their attendance. In fact, it began another precipitous decline.
Why is this important? Because there is a myth that superstar players will increase Argos attendance in Toronto. Correlation isn't causation, but the evidence just doesn't support it. There is just no quick fix in the Six. The only way to build the brand back is brick by brick, and that's what the club appears to be doing. Perhaps the best brand the Argos, if not MLSE, are connected to is the personal brand of Michael Clemons. The biggest success factors are stable, continuous ownership, continuity in head coaches, long term investment in relationships and support for amateur football in the GTA, including the two universities playing USPORTS football as well as introducing new immigrants to Canadian football. There are no shortcuts.
There is no question in my mind that substantial growth can be achieved if MLSE invests in the long term, but as history demonstrates, expecting a star player or two to revitalize attendance is not realistic. Tom Brady could come out of retirement to play for the Argonauts and that wouldn't move the needle after his first game.
More recently, stable ownership and outstanding football operations have set the Argos up for success. Keep your sails full Argos, you are making steady progress tacking into the wind, and you will eventually reach your destination.
Just for Kicks
The NFL is considering eliminating kickoffs. I have mixed feelings about this. There are far too many kickoffs going through the end zone in the Land of the Free and serving as nothing but a brief interlude between an avalanche of gambling commercials. While I am very sympathetic to safety concerns, there may be a much better solution than removing kickoffs. Widen and lengthen the field of play!
A decade ago, the NFL began looking at widening the field by 3 yards based on computer modelling that showed that it would reduce the severity of collisions and head injuries. The fact of the matter is that the CFL field is safer for players, for the same reason that the international ice size is proven to be safer than the NHL size rinks. In a word, it's due to physics, and the frequency and severity of collisions. More and bigger objects colliding in a small space produces more destructive collisions. The NFL players have simply outgrown the size of the NFL field. The average professional football player is 20% bigger than they were in the 60s. That's a massive difference. However, the field of play has not changed. Moreover the NFL end zones are laughably small. Replays in the Super Bowl showed Travis Kelce running little concentric circles around DBs trying to get open in the endzone. It reminded me of backyard football as a kid. It might look ok on TV but it's not in the players interest in either the NFL or NHL, and the leagues know it. It's not a criticism of American football, but simply a recognition that its incredible athletes have overtaken its field of play and it's time to make the field proportionally bigger.
The football world needs more Canada.
The CFL should not be making rule changes that impact kickoffs in the Great White North based on NFL data. It's apples and oranges. The CFL field is 13 yards wider than the NFL and 30 yards longer, including end zones. Those are the dimensions of a sustainable football field in this day and age. If the NFL really cared about its players it would swallow its pride and follow our lead, however, only the fear of liability is likely to affect this change anytime soon, if at all. The CFL should be promoting the Canadian game, its field, and rules for what they are - bigger, more wide open and safer. If you don't believe me, compare the data. It's in the public domain. Over to you CFLPA.