The NFL wouldn't make it in Toronto because it's the Phoenix of Canada. Also Canada already has a slightly successful professional league that's popular in the western provinces. If you were to move a team to Canada it would be to Calgary or some cowboy town like that, but there's plenty of cowboy towns in America that would be ahead in line for an NFL franchise than a city in another country.
Wow!!! Talk about someone speaking from their @ss. Common buddy, don’t just throw out random notions you have no basis of arguing or backing up. Because the CFL has thrived in those cities does not mean the NFL cannot in Toronto. Both Calgary's and Edmonton's geographic location limits sports fans to stay within a buffered area. Moreover, if you look directly below both cities and into the US, no major city with an NFL franchise is remotely close. It is reasons such as these that Calgarians and Edmontons stay loyal to their CFL teams. Furthermore, cities like Vancouver, Toronto, and some parts of Montreal prefer the NFL to the CFL. The former going to Seahawks games, while the latter two are either Bills, Jets, or Patriots fans. Both the Bills and Seahawks hold Canadian tribute day to thank the vast number of fans north of the border for supporting their franchise.
As a Torontonian, I have come in contact with recent media rumours regarding the NFL in Toronto. Although it does not seem farfetched, the likelihood, I believe, is very very slim.
A number of factors, some of which have been touched upon, are reasons why Toronto won’t get a franchise:
-Toronto does have a fan base for the Argos, albeit a very small one. Thus making it hard to run two franchises, unless the Argos folds.
-There are more taxes in Canada. Persuading players to come play in Toronto may be a hard feat to accomplish (see the Raptors and Blue Jays, and then compare them to the Leafs - big difference)
- Radio and television contracts. Someone mentioned they are a big part of the leagues income... all of CBS, FOX and NBC are American owned. Canadian television will want a piece of the pie, but will not be able to pay the incredible fees associated with televising games (unless Ted Rogers buys the team - which has been rumoured).
- Rogers Centre (skydome) isn’t big enough. The NFL requires stadiums to hold at least 60K (the lone exception is the colts, I think). A new stadium would have to be built. There are proposed areas in the periphery of the City (Downsview – access to highway, transit line, huge open green space, the site also held SARS Stock – some 400k attended).
Why is it a good idea to have a team in Toronto? Here are a few:
- Someone mentioned Toronto has the sixth largest population if it were included in the U.S. This is almost accurate. Canada uses a different geographical boundary that measures city population. It is known as the Central Metropolitan Area (CMA). The US uses a much larger spatial measure for their cities (can’t remember the name of it). If Toronto were to incorporate the US spatial standard, it would actually be the fourth largest population, and fifth largest in all of North America (1. Mexico City, NY, LA, CHI, and then Toronto). So market area is there.
- Football, and more specifically, the NFL, is widely watched in Toronto. A large portion of Buffalo Bills fans are from the Greater Toronto Area (as mentioned above - Canada day). If the Bills were to move, Toronto would make the most sense.
- Stakeholders; they got plenty of Toronto based stakeholders willing to purchase an NFL franchise. Of note, Ted Rogers and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment have discussed partnership in the bid to get an NFL franchise.