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You are here: Home / Archives for Vancouver

Don’t Rush to Judgement on the Place of the BC Lions

March 27, 2016 By Brian Wawryshyn

Friday night in Vancouver, 54,798 soccer fans packed BC Place stadium for a World Cup qualifying match between Canada and Mexico. A couple of weeks before that, it was the Canada Seven’s Rugby event that brought huge crowds to the stadium.

On cue, shots were fired on social media towards the BC Lions, with some stating that soccer is now more popular than football in the city, and that the Lions should be taking tips from these recent events to fill the stadium for their games. While there may be some validity to that, let’s take a look at this comparison.

First of all, comparing a national team World Cup qualifying match against arguably one of the top 10 soccer sides in the world to a Lions game is ridiculous. Never mind the fact that thousands of Mexican fans were also in attendance.

Vancouver’s population has changed drastically over the last 30 years. It has become a true melting pot of different nationalities and cultures. Soccer is widely acknowledged as the world’s game and the World Cup is by far the biggest sporting event on the planet thanks to that worldwide popularity.

The Vancouver Whitecaps have the advantage of drawing from this pool of fans and have done a great job marketing their product. Still, they tarp off seats in the lower bowl with a maximum capacity of 25,000, which is part of their plan. They create a demand for tickets, and it’s been successful for them to date.

The Lions, and the CFL as a whole don’t have that same international drawing power and North American Football is nowhere near as popular world-wide. The NFL has played games in Mexico and overseas with success, but the NFL machine is a different animal. Even then it is more a novelty in these countries than a passion.

Last season, the Lions took a page from the Whitecaps book and reduced the capacity to the lower bowl only, and a capacity of around 27,000 for their games. And while most would agree the setting was more intimate, the crowds continued to drop as they have been the last few seasons.

In addition to a crappy 2015 schedule, the main contributor to this decline is the play on the field. Vancouver is a bandwagon city and if you don’t believe that take a look at the recent crowds at Vancouver Canucks games. Just a few years ago Canucks tickets were hard to come by. This season with fans staying away, you can pick up a lower bowl ticket for under 50.00 from brokers and season ticket holders trying to recoup what they can versus going to watch a floundering product.

What the CFL does have is a national history that is unmatched in this country. This history was passed on from generation to generation, but somewhere along the line that began to be lost, especially in larger markets like Vancouver and Toronto where he NFL hype machine took hold of a younger generation who soon began to see the CFL as second rate. This is something that can be said of MLS as well, though their fan base doesn’t see it that way.

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The BC Lions must reconnect with a younger generation of fans. Photo: BCLions.com

 

The single biggest issue facing the league today (and anyone who attends Grey Cup every year can clearly see it with their own eyes) is that the fan base is aging, and the league must find a way to make it relevant to a younger demographic.

The Lions must do better on the marketing side to connect with this demographic. They are currently buoyed by a TSN deal that ensures they turn a profit. At some point they are going to have to reconnect with a fan base that is also taking advantage of that same deal and deciding to stay home and watch the games on TV, where the CFL destroys the MLS in national ratings.

A winning, entertaining product on the field will bring many back, because that’s just the way Vancouver is. This is an expensive city to live in, and if you want people to spend their disposable income on your product, you better make sure they are getting bang for their buck. Connecting with that younger generation is also important, but if you give them a reason to follow they will.

In a perfect scenario, the city would support all of its professional teams. Fans and media would stop pitting one team against the other. Every team has its ups and downs, cycles of winning and losing. But in today’s climate you need to win and if the Lions start doing that again, they’ll be just fine, despite what the teams’ detractors want to tell you via social media.

Filed Under: BC Lions Den, CFL/League, Featured Tagged With: BC Lions, CFL, Vancouver, Vancouver Whitecaps

Leos prove to be the best fit for Arceneaux.

May 20, 2013 By Brian Wawryshyn

Emmanuel Arceneaux

Reports Sunday evening are indicating that former BC Lions receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux has a signed a 2 -year free agent deal with his former team. Neither the club or the player has officially confirmed the deal, but several reputable sources are now reporting the contract is done.

Arceneaux spent the last two seasons trying to find a home in the NFL, but spent much of his time on the practice rosters of the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins and most recently the New York Jets, who released him just prior to last week. Over his two season with the Lions, Arceneaux  caught 130 passes for 1,972 yards and 12 touchdowns before trying his luck down south.

The Lions were considered to be the front-runner heading into the process, not because BC was his last CFL club, but because the import receiver had a strong connection and mentor type relationship with general manager Wally Buono. He also has a strong connection to several current BC Lions players, as well as the offence of coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine. The departure of Geroy Simon means that there will be a prime role available in training camp,

Earlier this weekend it was speculated the Lions offer to Arceneaux was low and that the Toronto Argonauts were the front-runners to land him. Silence fell over the weekend and twitter users began to speculate what the outcome would be, with Arceneaux playing along and even admitting to The Province’s Lowell Ullrich, ““I was just messing around. Seriously, I didn’t know what was going on.”

In the end both the team and the player got what they wanted and if it wasn’t already, the battle at receiver during training camp will be one to watch.

More:

  • Talk over, Arceneaux signs tw0-year Lions Deal – Lowell Ullrich (The Province)
  • Lions, WR Arceneaux agree to terms on 2-year, 280K deal. (TSN.ca)

 

Filed Under: CFL/League, Den Talk, Featured, News Tagged With: BC Lions, CFL, Emmanuel Arceneaux, Free Agency, Vancouver

Our Superman: Appreciating Geroy Simon, one of the best we’ve ever seen.

August 31, 2011 By Brian Wawryshyn

Geroy SimonIn my life time, I’ve been fortunate enough to watch some of the truly great athletes of all-time in their prime. Names that come to mind are Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Warren Moon, Doug Flutie and Anthony Calvillo among others.

In Vancouver sports history there have been popular athletes that have endeared themselves to fans and the community. Among them are Trevor Linden, Kirk McLean, Rick Hansen, Bob Lenarduzzi, Jim Young, Al Wilson and Lui Passaglia. But would you classify any of them as “superstars”?

I feel that same good fortune when I realize I have watched the career of Geroy Simon and in particular his 11 years with the BC Lions. As Simon continues his climb to become the CFL’s all-time leader in receiving yards and his journey to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, it’s time to realize how blessed football fans in British Columbia have been to not only watch his accomplishments off the field but also appreciate his all-star performance off it.

A native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Simon had dreams of playing in the NFL. Given a real opportunity it’s quite possible that he may have never landed in the CFL. The NFL’s politics were the CFL’s gain and after starting his career behind a stacked receiving core in Winnipeg, Simon landed with the Lions and never looked back.

Not only has Simon been an all-star on the field, he’s also become a member of the community. He lives in Vancouver year round and lends his name and time to many charity events. Imagine one of the CFL’s greatest receivers of all-time coaching your son’s football team. Yeah, he does that too. He’s an athlete giving back to his community, a quality not uncommon among CFL players. Simon certainly earns more than many CFL players as a star receiver, but it hasn’t stopped him from making a difference.

Angus Reid, who has played with Simon his whole career, agrees that Simon probably deserves to be appreciated more as a sports icon in Vancouver.

Audio: Angus Reid Talks About Geroy Simon

So enjoy him while you can football fans. We have been blessed to watch a great player, a classy individual who has made this city his home and has given back to it in return. The next time you talk about the great athletes in BC sports history, make sure that Geroy Simon is included in the discussion.

He is truly one of the best of all-time. He’s our Superman.

Thanks to Jacqueline Blackwell of the BC Lions for obtaining the audio for this blog on our behalf.

>> Want to see Geroy Simon do his thing in the newly renovated BC Place? We have a great contest in the works that might get you there for opening night!

Filed Under: Den Talk, Featured Tagged With: Angus Reid, BC Lions, CFL, Geroy Simon, Vancouver

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