Still wondering why no NFL team in Toronto?
SAMI HAJ-ASSAAD-
With another Buffalo Bills game wrapping up in Toronto, more people are wondering if, and when the NFL will be making the jump
permanently north of the border. With a reported attendance of about 50,000 for the Chicago Bears-Buffalo Bills game, the NFL is proving to be quite popular here. Although the majority of fans cheering at the Rogers Centre were rooting for the away team, the stadium still hasn’t had that many attendees in quite a long time.
Still, some criticize the Canadian atmosphere, for not being up to NFL standards.
Michael a longtime NFL fan, stated that “Its just not as big of a spectacle here.”
“In the states, you have huge marching bands, and concerts, before the game, and at halftime”
While the Bills game on November seventh game featured band Hinder for it’s half-time show, Michael wasn’t impressed. “It just feels fake” he concluded.
What about the tailgate party then? Around the stadium, tons of fans took part in games and contests to get into the NFL mood.
“You don’t see this much going on before a Raptors game, that’s for sure” said Fern Maglaus, who was taking in the band who was playing before the game.
“They show a lot of effort for the fans here!” He added.
Many would argue that the NFL just won’t have a place here. Not next to the CFL. But with the Toronto Argonauts bringing in an average of 30,000 fans per game, maybe football fans in Toronto just can’t get enough.
A few sports fans said that there’s a different feel between CFL and NFL games.
Alex Maye, a student at the university of Guelph felt that the two games are incomparable
“CFL is a bit more faster-paced, theres only 3 downs, so they have to get their plays in. But sometimes it just results in more punts, and that’s just not that exciting”
Asked about the NFL he said “The level of talent is the big difference, those players like Vick and McNabb, are the stars, and they can do some spectacular things”
While Toronto is the only Canadian city in the National Basketball Association, and Major League Baseball, there are still a number of things that players and the NFL are considering before they make plans to bring the NFL Toronto. Taxes are one thing striking a bad chord with many athletes. Shaquille O’Neal, the huge basketball star of the Boston Celtics, recently answered an interview by askmen.com, in which he states that it’s “The double taxes which deter players from going [to Toronto]” Additionally, players would need to have up-to-date passports, and other government paperwork.
Toronto still proves to have the second most profitable venue in North America with the Air Canada Center, so why wouldn’t the success of those sports translate in the NFL?
“Its the fans!” exclaimed humber student Reishma Ali. “The fans were so quiet, and in a stadium that big, with that many people, there shouldn’t be any excuse to get loud, and cheer on their teams”
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