Hosting the Grey Cup

[bigchris]

I raise this question in light of the possibility of a new stadium coming sooner than later. When Montreal first built the Big Owe, they hosted the Grey Cup for 5 straight years between 1977 and 1981. Then they hosted again for the last time until the Alouette's rebirth in 1985. When Vancouver built BC Place, they have gotten the big game on average every 2-3 years hosting on back to back occasions in 1986 and 1987. (1987 being the one and only time I ever cheered for Toronto in a Grey Cup.)

Vancouver has since become the place where they hold the Grey Cup whenever nobody else wants it or can afford to hold it that particular year. In turn, attendance at these Grey Cups has been spotty. (Full house when the Lions have been there or for marque matchups and poor attendance on other occasions like 1990 and 1999.) The security of knowing that you are always going to be one of the front runners for any given Grey Cup is probably comforting for the city and for the Lions but it certainly takes excitement away for the game in the city after a while.

If Winnipeg were to build an indoor stadium, (a concept I strongly disagree with BTW,) we would be at the front of the line to host the Grey Cup almost every year. Lyle Bauer discussed the concept of Winnipeg hosting the Grey Cup too often last year in an interview where he said that they had to actually take their names out of the running to avoid getting the game in 2008 or something like that. (I can't remember the exact year but it was pretty close to the 2006 game we are getting.) He said that he didn't want the Grey Cup to be factored into the BOD's debt servicing plans on an annual basis. While I agree with that, I think he could have gone further and also said that if we get the game too often, people will stop caring unless the Bombers actually get there. (Remember the horribly attended 1998 game?)

I think the frequency of Grey Cups we have gotten to host has been perfect. What do you think?

[WPGISNHL]

Montreal had the Grey Cup every second year in the 70's.....alternating with Toronto. Way too much in the same locations......interest erodes.

Despite the weather concerns, each team should get the Grey Cup in rotation....thus once every nine years. A team could pass on their turn mind you, knowing that their next shot would not be for another nine years.

[joelzillmanwpg]

Every 7-8 years....

[sburke]

they should just cycle through all the teams

[USApegger]

Has Hamilton ever hosted the game?

[bigchris]

Hamilton last hosted the Grey Cup in 1996 but by all accounts it was an organizational and financial trainwreck. The Ti-Cats were on the brink of folding and they were giving tickets away hours before kickoff. The last successful Hamilton hosted grey Cup was the last one prior to 1996 and that was the 1972 game. (Angelo Mosca's last game.)

Some cities seem incapable of hosting the big game. (Toronto in 1992 comes very readily to mind with no Miss Grey Cup, no Grey Cup Parade and even the Award Show was a last minute decision. In short, no Grey Cup week except for what the Calgary, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg contingents did at their respective hotels.) Vancouver will get the game every 5 years but Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatchewan should get it about every 7 years each. Montreal should get it as often as BC. Ottawa is a wild card because they have been able to successfully pull it off even while the Rens/Riders had a hard time staying afloat. Hamilton has to prove they can fund and organize the task of hosting the game before I go back there and Toronto is a tough one because the market is a nesessary evil to the CFL but they clearly don't care enough to put on a good show for the Argos OR the Grey Cup.

[USApegger]

What kind of attendance did the game get there?

I guess they must have built up the end zones like they did in Winnipeg?

Also, slightly off topic, if the Bombers stadium goes ahead as planned out by the Downs, I thought it would only be built with 35,000 seats, I don't understand how they could host a Grey Cup there.

[bigchris]

If it's indoors, 35,000 seats would be a death sentince if we ever wanted to host the Grey Cup again. Outdoors, that's another story as portaseats are always possible.

As for Hamilton, I heard accounts that it was anywhere between 22,000 and 40,000 PAID depending one who you ask as even the announcers questioned the announced attendance during the game. The horrible weather didn't help. (Heavy snow if you recall as they were clearing the field almost every offensive series.)

[USApegger]

bigchris said:

If it's indoors, 35,000 seats would be a death sentince if we ever wanted to host the Grey Cup again. Outdoors, that's another story as portaseats are always possible.

As for Hamilton, I heard accounts that it was anywhere between 22,000 and 40,000 PAID depending one who you ask as even the announcers questioned the announced attendance during the game. The horrible weather didn't help. (Heavy snow if you recall as they were clearing the field almost every offensive series.)

The new stadium plan has that cover for the fans, I can't see how port a seats would work there, I would hope they take this into consideration when/if they build it.

As for the Hamilton Grey Cups, I was living in the States for both of those games, never saw them, I didn't realize that they had such heavy snow. Although maybe I saw some highlights, was Flutie in that game?

[bigchris]

Yes it was Argos vs. Eskimos that year. (Flutie with gloves on...) They said it topped the '89 game as the greatest ever at the time. Watching it today, I consider it the greatest "up against the elements" game ever but not THE greatest ever. The highlight you've probably seen is the shoestring catch an Eski reciever caught for a long TD. (The ball was litterally an inch from the splashing snow and how he caught it I will never know.) That is the clip they always show.

The 1972 game was before my time but it featured Ron Lancaster, George Reed, Chuck Ealey, a very young Tony Gabriel and Angelo Mosca. (Riders vs. Ti-Cats) My grandpa, who is from Hamilton was at that one and still raves about it.

I remember CBC interviewing the Baltimore contingent that made the trip to the 1996 game, (a good 200 or so who go to every Grey Cup since 1994,) and their leader "the Big Wheel" talked about the fans in B-More still getting the games on tv and still supporting the game. He also mentioned that they cancelled their party in the hotel for those who didn't have tickets because of all the freebies available. As cool as that interview was for the fact that folks in Baltimore truely embraced our game, it sure made Hamilton look bad as a result. Too bad because I don't think the guy meant any harm when he made that comment.

[USApegger]

That was the highlight I remember seeing.

For some reason Chris Berman at ESPN always seemed to have a soft spot for the CFL and would always show Grey Cup highlights and sometimes even spectacular regular season highlights

I remember when I moved here the 1st time from Chicago back in the 70's and Chuck Ealey was the QB for the Bombers, but everyone was screaming for Ralph at the time (before he became Dieter!)

Baltimore a Grey Cup Champ and Super Bowl Champ, that's something that will never happen again

[bigchris]

Within a 5 year span too. As much as I dispised the US Expansion, (horribly planned and done for all the wrong reasons,) I will always remember Baltimore football fans for embracing our game and their ownership being the only ones who didn't want to change a thing about it. They even had a Grey Cup victory parade upon winning it in 1995 and it drew a pretty big crowd from what I'm told.

If the CFL ever decides to try to expand stateside again, I hope they remember Baltimore and places like that who will actually be good to the CFL.

[simplesimon]

I think the plans call for an approx. 50,000 to 60,000 seat stadium with only 35,000 seats installed. The extra seats would probably be stored and installed and removed when needed.

Don't quote me on that... I am not 100% sure.

[bigchris]

I just pray to God that we don't get stuck with a dome everyone and their dog will regret 3 years later like Toronto, Montreal and BC.