The Difference Between Calgary & Winnipeg (Media Coverage)

[iso_55]

Very little Stampeder news during the off season. Once the season ends, the two local newspapers have virtually no coverage. This season has been a bit different with the redblacks coming into the league with free agency & dispersal draft but other than that we can go weeks in the off season without a single CFL or Stamps story in the media. Take the recent Bomber free agent camp that is taking place in Florida. The Bombers had a couple of media people from Winnipeg as well as Bob Irving down there to cover it for Bomber fans. Plenty of stories & interviews during that time for fanC to take in. Here in calgary, the Stamps 3 day free agent camp is taking place this weekend & not a single media person from Calgary is down there covering it. The event is invisible.The  one thing I can say is when the day comes that the Stampeders have a bad team & don't make the playoffs anymore, the media in this town will totally check out on the CFL. You may have Paul Wiecek & Gary Lawless covering the Bombers & they create controversy but it's better than apathy from the media which is what we get in this town. The Stampeders don't even have a dedicated beat writer covering them from the Herald. They use different reporters during the season. And none of them have any connections in the CFL so there's never any analysis or breakdowns during the season. 

[Fatty Liver]

The apathy in Calgary shows in the stands even with a winning team and a bigger base population in Southern Alberta the Bombers still outdraw them.  I think Calgary has caught a bit of the T.O. disease thinking the CFL is a rinky dink league not worthy of their attention.  Another factor is that there are so many new people in Calgary drawn by the economic opportunities that they have no historical connection to the city or the Stampeders.  The old time Stampeder fans are a loyal bunch but they are old and dwindling.

[Tracker]

Double down on the last statement!

[iso_55]

The apathy in Calgary shows in the stands even with a winning team and a bigger base population in Southern Alberta the Bombers still outdraw them.  I think Calgary has caught a bit of the T.O. disease thinking the CFL is a rinky dink league not worthy of their attention.  Another factor is that there are so many new people in Calgary drawn by the economic opportunities that they have no historical connection to the city or the Stampeders.  The old time Stampeder fans are a loyal bunch but they are old and dwindling.

I think you're on to something there with all the out of towners coming in. The fans that follow the Stampeders are diehards but it's 28,000 on average now The media in this town love the Flames because they see them as overachievers. Even though they missed the playoffs it's a good news story because  (a) the Flames finished about 3 places better in the standing & 25 points higher than anyone thought they'd be & they were better than the Oilers in the standings. So the local media gushes all over them. All the sports pages & local sportscasts on CBC, CTV, Global, etc are devoted to the NHL & the Flames. There's no local coverage for any other sport anymore here. Even the Alberta Junior Hockey League who used to get some attention gets virtually nothing now. The Dinos, nothing. SAIT & Mount Royal University also nothing. Junior football gets minimal coverage & now that the Colts suck again, I expect them to be ignored next season like they were for years. There's no coverage for high school sports & the scores aren't even published the next day. The papers especially think people only care about the Flames & nothing else. To me, the apathy for the Stamps is driven by the ******* media in Calgary. 

[Nasty Nate]

I think the Bombers and the Stamps will have virtually the same attendance this year. Both should average around 28,000 to 29,000 - bombers buoyed by their 33,500 sell out for Troy Westwood Day (Banjo Bowl) but prolly a solid 22,000 season ticket base with walk-ups ranging from 4,500 to 7,000. 

 

Bombers could exceed 29,000 if they're still in the playoff hunt with 2 home games left. If they're dogs down the stretch then its gonna be a push to make 28,000 average.

 

As per usual the Bombers are very reluctant to release season ticket figures as they strongly believe such information will negatively impact sales. 

[road griller]

The Bombers will also sell out the Rider home game in August, The griller Bowl. Probably come close on the home opener so there is three 33.5's right there. Throw in some important home games down the stretch for a playoff birth and we will hit 5, 6 sell outs.

The Bombers are the real deal now, trying to run like a real CFL team, the fans will see it and respond. The results will be seen on the field as well.

[pigseye]

imo, it all starts with the ownership of the Stamps for being the forgotten ones, remember the old saying 'there is no such thing as bad press'. If you want to get noticed today, you have to get out there and make the news.

[Fatty Liver]

Eventually the CFL has to catch on to the fact that they should be generating press year round and not running their business like a summer ice cream stand.  At least I hope they will.

[iso_55]

I've always called the CFL a Mom & Pop business because that's how it's run. When the season ends the teams shut things down & that's it. Other than the CFL Congress in February, free agency on Feb 15th, the CFL Combine in March followed by the CFL Draft, that's it. And the media in this country so caught up with the NHL are more than happy to ignore it. At least in Winnipeg, the local media does seem to care about the Bombers. You do have some knowledgeable media people following the team. In Calgary, it's not like that at all. The people that did provide us with insight are gone. Just a few inexperienced beat writers now. 

[17to85]

I think Calgary has caught a bit of the T.O. disease thinking the CFL is a rinky dink league not worthy of their attention.  

There is no question about it in my mind. Lots of anecdotal evidence for people not giving a **** about the CFL. I play in a rec flag football league, you figure you'll get lots of football fans there right? They all care about the NFL or the Riders if they happen to be from the gap but very few people seem to give a thought to the stampeders. It's really sad.

[iso_55]

Calgary is 12 hours by car to Seattle. About an hour & a bit by air. So, now that the Hawks are SB champions, people from here have season tickets or on on the waiting list.

[Fatty Liver]

That's insane.  Another thing I find insane is Canadians purchasing Budweiser beer when the quality and selection of Canadian beer produced by micro-breweries is fantastic and often cheaper than that over hyped after wash.  Brainwashing en masse is alive and well.

[Goalie]

i agree with the 2nd post of the thread but i do have to say... that i wonder why that isnt used as an excuse here?

 

winnipeg is a very diverse city too, as a matter of fact, we have won awards for being one of the most diverse cities in canada. We got people from all over.

 

I go to bomber games, i see people from all over there, its not just people born in manitoba, there are phillipinos and asians and all sorts of different varities of people.

 

Minneapolis is as close to us (closer) then seattle is to calgary, they got an nfl team, heck so is green bay and chicago for that matter.

 

I dont know what the deal is with calgary but.... id suspect a lot of it has to do with the lack of marketing.

 

The flames suck, the seahawks arent close enough imo for it to be a major factor in calgarys attendance, its also at different times of year so i dont think i buy into that theory too much.

 

I guess, that leaves... people just dont care as much in calgary about the CFL as they used too. Maybe its cuz calgary is always so good in the regular season but choke in the playoffs? i dunno. Id suspect if the stamps won the grey cup that next seasons attendance would be much higher. I dunno tho. Ive been to calgary to see a bomber game and honestly, in my humble opinion, i thought there were more bomber fans in attendance. You never see that here, ive never been to a game here where the visiting fans out numbered the local fans.

[Fatty Liver]

I'm afraid the good old CFL has been relegated to 3rd page news in most cities now and  the only places it's still front and center is Wpg., Sask. and Edmonton and I'm not all that sure about Edmonton anymore.  It would be great if the CFL could put a team in the Maritimes as that population still seems to cherish their Canadian identities.

[iso_55]

It's the media that drives everything in this country. You see it everyday. Rogers pimps  the Blue Jays on SportsNet when the rest of the country doesn't care about the Blue Jay or Raptors.

Sportsnet now has NHL hockey tied up for the next decade. MLSE own everything but the Argos in TO so they stumble & fumble on page 5 of the sportspages there. It's the ******* national media in this country & I hate it.

As far as Calgary goes, you're right. The Flames do little, if anything to market the team. We see stories all the time here in Calgary on their website about the team being in the community but you never hear about it in the media & I believe it's the Stampeders fault. Like I've always said, the CFL is run  like a Mom & Pop general store. The Stampeders shut its doors end of November & then virtually it is closed until the end of May.

 The Stamps never get involved in free agency so there's little excitement in the off season for fans to talk about. They have a shitty stadium that no one likes anymore except the absolute diehard fan who'll sit thru a blizzard at 50 below to watch a home game & can't understand what the fuss is about a new building. All they do is win in the regular season & yep, choke in the playoffs. That does hurt season ticket sales. Winning 12-14 games a season doesn't mean much if you choke every year.

I also think losing so much in the playoffs yearly & always at home (it seems) just has turned a lot of fans off over the years. Especially last year in the Western Final when they had SEVEN turnovers. I know Bomber fans would love to have a 14-4 team but quite honestly, the Stamps breeze thru the regular season every year & then seem to lack the character to win in the playoffs. What difference does it make if the Stamps finish 9-9 make the playoffs & lose on the road in the WSF or go 14-4, absolutely crap on the field in front of the home crowd which they do regularily in the WDF? It's not good either way.

Going back to 1990, the Stamps should have four, maybe 5 more championships then they have. In Calgary, the  organization has a reputation for choking. They can't win their last game of the season. Fans are losing patience.

[17to85]

I dont know what the deal is with calgary but.... id suspect a lot of it has to do with the lack of marketing.

You know what it is in my mind? There's a lot of money in this city and a lot of people making more money than they come from (not that they're rich but you can be dumb as a stump and make a very good living in the oil field) and with a jump up in station a lot of people like to try and pretend they're not trailer trash and part of that is latching on to the biggest and best everything which includes the NFL over the CFL. It's hard to explain but if you've spent any time in Calgary you can see where a lot of the newer citizens of the city display that kind of attitude. 

[SPuDS]

It's the media that drives everything in this country. You see it everyday. Rogers pimps the Blue Jays on SportsNet when the rest of the country doesn't care about the Blue Jay or Raptors.

Sportsnet now has NHL hockey tied up for the next decade. MLSE own everything but the Argos in TO so they stumble & fumble on page 5 of the sportspages there. It's the ******* national media in this country & I hate it.

As far as Calgary goes, you're right. The Flames do little, if anything to market the team. We see stories all the time here in Calgary on their website about the team being in the community but you never hear about it in the media & I believe it's the Stampeders fault. Like I've always said, the CFL is run like a Mom & Pop general store. The Stampeders shut its doors end of November & then virtually it is closed until the end of May.

The Stamps never get involved in free agency so there's little excitement in the off season for fans to talk about. They have a shitty stadium that no one likes anymore except the absolute diehard fan who'll sit thru a blizzard at 50 below to watch a home game & can't understand what the fuss is about a new building. All they do is win in the regular season & yep, choke in the playoffs. That does hurt season ticket sales. Winning 12-14 games a season doesn't mean much if you choke every year.

I also think losing so much in the playoffs yearly & always at home (it seems) just has turned a lot of fans off over the years. Especially last year in the Western Final when they had SEVEN turnovers. I know Bomber fans would love to have a 14-4 team but quite honestly, the Stamps breeze thru the regular season every year & then seem to lack the character to win in the playoffs. What difference does it make if the Stamps finish 9-9 make the playoffs & lose on the road in the WSF or go 14-4, absolutely crap on the field in front of the home crowd which they do regularily in the WDF? It's not good either way.

Going back to 1990, the Stamps should have four, maybe 5 more championships then they have. In Calgary, the organization has a reputation for choking. They can't win their last game of the season. Fans are losing patience.

Uh the raps and the Jays both have a huge following Canada wide.. Just because you don't follow em doesn't mean they don't exist..

Also, just curious if anyone else is kinda tired of everything Winnipeg and bombers being constantly compared to Calgary and the stamps? It's wearing thin..

[Jacquie]

Uh the raps and the Jays both have a huge following Canada wide.. Just because you don't follow em doesn't mean they don't exist..

 

I wouldn't call it huge. The TV ratings for Raptors games outside of Toronto haven't exactly been great. The Jays have lost a lot of ground since their World Series days.

[iso_55]

 

Uh the raps and the Jays both have a huge following Canada wide.. Just because you don't follow em doesn't mean they don't exist..

 

I wouldn't call it huge. The TV ratings for Raptors games outside of Toronto haven't exactly been great. The Jays have lost a lot of ground since their World Series days.

 

Who follows the Raptors? I don't even see kids wearing their gear. Most people I know who like baseball aren't Jays fans. They like the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles or the Giants. If Montreal ever gets the Expos back, a lot of Canadians will follow them not the Jays.

[Goalie]

the last raptors playoff game was the 2nd highest rated basketball game in tsn history.

 

So people care but... maybe not that much. The ratings are good but compared to hockey and even the CFL, its a fraction.

 

Calgary tho? i dunno. Has to be a combo of things, new people not caring, old people getting tired of the same old same old, regular season champs playoff chokers stuff.

 

Doesnt make sense tho, however i was watching a flames game later in the year and noticed lots of empty seats too.

 

Maybe Calgary just isnt that big of a sports town.

[iso_55]

 

It's the media that drives everything in this country. You see it everyday. Rogers pimps the Blue Jays on SportsNet when the rest of the country doesn't care about the Blue Jay or Raptors.

Sportsnet now has NHL hockey tied up for the next decade. MLSE own everything but the Argos in TO so they stumble & fumble on page 5 of the sportspages there. It's the ******* national media in this country & I hate it.

As far as Calgary goes, you're right. The Flames do little, if anything to market the team. We see stories all the time here in Calgary on their website about the team being in the community but you never hear about it in the media & I believe it's the Stampeders fault. Like I've always said, the CFL is run like a Mom & Pop general store. The Stampeders shut its doors end of November & then virtually it is closed until the end of May.

The Stamps never get involved in free agency so there's little excitement in the off season for fans to talk about. They have a shitty stadium that no one likes anymore except the absolute diehard fan who'll sit thru a blizzard at 50 below to watch a home game & can't understand what the fuss is about a new building. All they do is win in the regular season & yep, choke in the playoffs. That does hurt season ticket sales. Winning 12-14 games a season doesn't mean much if you choke every year.

I also think losing so much in the playoffs yearly & always at home (it seems) just has turned a lot of fans off over the years. Especially last year in the Western Final when they had SEVEN turnovers. I know Bomber fans would love to have a 14-4 team but quite honestly, the Stamps breeze thru the regular season every year & then seem to lack the character to win in the playoffs. What difference does it make if the Stamps finish 9-9 make the playoffs & lose on the road in the WSF or go 14-4, absolutely crap on the field in front of the home crowd which they do regularily in the WDF? It's not good either way.

Going back to 1990, the Stamps should have four, maybe 5 more championships then they have. In Calgary, the organization has a reputation for choking. They can't win their last game of the season. Fans are losing patience.

Uh the raps and the Jays both have a huge following Canada wide.. Just because you don't follow em doesn't mean they don't exist..

Also, just curious if anyone else is kinda tired of everything Winnipeg and bombers being constantly compared to Calgary and the stamps? It's wearing thin..

 

SPuDs. 17 & myself live in Calgary. Noeller in Olds, AB so it's easy to compare the two cities as far as the CFL & NHL goes. No one else seems to be bothered by  it as they shouldn't. 

[iso_55]

the last raptors playoff game was the 2nd highest rated basketball game in tsn history.

 

So people care but... maybe not that much. The ratings are good but compared to hockey and even the CFL, its a fraction.

 

Calgary tho? i dunno. Has to be a combo of things, new people not caring, old people getting tired of the same old same old, regular season champs playoff chokers stuff.

 

Doesnt make sense tho, however i was watching a flames game later in the year and noticed lots of empty seats too.

 

Maybe Calgary just isnt that big of a sports town.

I agree. I think Winnipeg has more passion for the Bombers than Calgary does for the Stamps. People love the Flames but I don't sense that burning desire that Jets fans have here. I was at the Jets game here 2 weeks ago & they had 18,000 at the game. Easily a quarter of the crowd was cheering for the Jets.

[Goalie]

 

the last raptors playoff game was the 2nd highest rated basketball game in tsn history.

 

So people care but... maybe not that much. The ratings are good but compared to hockey and even the CFL, its a fraction.

 

Calgary tho? i dunno. Has to be a combo of things, new people not caring, old people getting tired of the same old same old, regular season champs playoff chokers stuff.

 

Doesnt make sense tho, however i was watching a flames game later in the year and noticed lots of empty seats too.

 

Maybe Calgary just isnt that big of a sports town.

I agree. I think Winnipeg has more passion for the Bombers than Calgary does for the Stamps. People love the Flames but I don't sense that burning desire that Jets fans have here. I was at the Jets game here 2 weeks ago & they had 18,000 at the game. Easily a quarter of the crowd was cheering for the Jets.

 

watched the game on tv and i thought it was more then half the crowd cheering for the jets, everywhere i looked on tv, jets jersey after jets jersey. It was quite the sight.

[iso_55]

 

 

the last raptors playoff game was the 2nd highest rated basketball game in tsn history.

 

So people care but... maybe not that much. The ratings are good but compared to hockey and even the CFL, its a fraction.

 

Calgary tho? i dunno. Has to be a combo of things, new people not caring, old people getting tired of the same old same old, regular season champs playoff chokers stuff.

 

Doesnt make sense tho, however i was watching a flames game later in the year and noticed lots of empty seats too.

 

Maybe Calgary just isnt that big of a sports town.

I agree. I think Winnipeg has more passion for the Bombers than Calgary does for the Stamps. People love the Flames but I don't sense that burning desire that Jets fans have here. I was at the Jets game here 2 weeks ago & they had 18,000 at the game. Easily a quarter of the crowd was cheering for the Jets.

 

watched the game on tv and i thought it was more then half the crowd cheering for the jets, everywhere i looked on tv, jets jersey after jets jersey. It was quite the sight.

 

It was beautiful. I was high up.Both fanbases treated each other well & with respect where I was sitting. No fights. Just everyone having a good time. Flames & Jets fans. We all knew our teams were out  of the playoffs so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. If these were Rider fans, there's be a lot of jackoff @$$***** looking for trouble. 

[Goalie]

 

 

 

the last raptors playoff game was the 2nd highest rated basketball game in tsn history.

 

So people care but... maybe not that much. The ratings are good but compared to hockey and even the CFL, its a fraction.

 

Calgary tho? i dunno. Has to be a combo of things, new people not caring, old people getting tired of the same old same old, regular season champs playoff chokers stuff.

 

Doesnt make sense tho, however i was watching a flames game later in the year and noticed lots of empty seats too.

 

Maybe Calgary just isnt that big of a sports town.

I agree. I think Winnipeg has more passion for the Bombers than Calgary does for the Stamps. People love the Flames but I don't sense that burning desire that Jets fans have here. I was at the Jets game here 2 weeks ago & they had 18,000 at the game. Easily a quarter of the crowd was cheering for the Jets.

 

watched the game on tv and i thought it was more then half the crowd cheering for the jets, everywhere i looked on tv, jets jersey after jets jersey. It was quite the sight.

 

It was beautiful. I was high up.Both fanbases treated each other well & with respect where I was sitting. No fights. Just everyone having a good time. Flames & Jets fans. We all knew our teams were out  of the playoffs so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. If these were Rider fans, there's be a lot of jackoff @$$***** looking for trouble. 

 

actually thought there was a fight in the lowerbowl, at one point it looked like it actually. everyones heads were turned. was told 2 drunk jets fans got into a brawl with eachother tho. I dunno, maybe that was earlier in the season tho.