Stampeders' Attendance Woes Raise Questions About CFL Viability

Strategic Insights -

The Calgary Stampeders, a top-notch team in the Canadian Football League, are facing a concerning issue: low ticket sales. As of yesterday, only 12,000 tickets had been purchased by the public, leaving an estimated 10,000 to 13,000 seats unfilled. This is a stark contrast to the team's regular-season average attendance of 25,135. The team's owner, Larry Ryckman, has even threatened to move the team to San Antonio after this season, citing the low attendance as a potential excuse.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Calgary Stampeders' playoff game against the B.C. Lions is expected to draw an estimated 22,000 to 25,000 fans, but this is still a relatively low attendance for a team of their caliber.
  • The team's owner, Larry Ryckman, has threatened to move the team to San Antonio after this season, citing the low attendance as a potential reason.
  • The team's kicker, Mark McLoughlin, expressed pessimism about the future of the CFL in Canada, stating that he could foresee no teams remaining in Canada in the near future.
  • The National Hockey League's lockout is believed to have had little impact on CFL attendance, with the team's average attendance still lower than its regular-season average.
  • The team's coach, Wally Buono, acknowledged that the franchise has suffered "years of destruction" during the 1980s and that the team is still working to overcome this decline.
  • Some sports fans surveyed at a downtown Calgary mall cited the cold weather and availability of NFL games on TV as reasons for not attending the game.
  • The team's kicker, Mark McLoughlin, expressed frustration with the lack of ticket sales, stating that people may support the team on TV but need to demonstrate their support by purchasing tickets if they want the team to remain in Calgary.

Statistics:

  • 12,000 tickets have been purchased by the public for the Stampeders' playoff game.
  • 4,000 tickets have been sold to the Safeway grocery chain for resale to customers.
  • The team's estimated attendance for the game against the B.C. Lions is 22,000 to 25,000.
  • The team's regular-season average attendance is 25,135.
  • The CFL playoff game in Winnipeg is expecting a sellout crowd of 32,000.

Sources:

  • " Up in the corner of section A at McMahon Stadium, workers chipped away at the ice and shovelled the snow yesterday morning... ". The Calgary Herald, (undated)
  • " Mark McLoughlin, the team's kicker, expressed pessimism about the future of the CFL in Canada... ". The Calgary Herald, (undated)
  • " The National Hockey League's lockout is believed to have had little impact on CFL attendance... ". The Calgary Herald, (undated)
  • " The team's coach, Wally Buono, acknowledged that the franchise has suffered 'years of destruction' during the 1980s... ". The Calgary Herald, (undated)