Toronto Argonauts: Can They Capture The Millennial Fan Base?

Will the Toronto Argonauts move to BMO Field translate into a younger fan base? Or will millennials continue to be disinterested in the Argos and the CFL?

The Toronto Argonauts are set to begin their first season in their new home at BMO Field on June 23 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. There is a certain amount of optimism and curiosity surrounding the franchise this summer that is vastly different from any season over the past decade.

The last time this many eyes were on the Argos was in 2006 when Ricky Williams suited up for the blue and white for all of 11 games before he rolled up his bags and took his talents back to South Beach. However, this time the media attention is not surrounding the players on the team or a big name signing, but rather a move to a new stadium and the new experience the franchise has to offer.

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The club has made much ado about the ability for fans to actually tail gate for the first time outside of a football game in Toronto, allowing the Argos and the city of Toronto to catch up with the rest of the free world’s sporting experience 30 years later.

The big question is, can the Toronto Argonauts connect with the millennial fan base of the Greater Toronto area in the same way the Toronto Raptors and Blue Jays have, in turn filling the inside of the stadium on a regular basis and not just the parking lot outside of BMO.

From the Wayne Gretzky, John Candy, Bruce McNall and Rocket Ismail era to the Doug Flutie era to the Ricky Williams era, the Argos ownership has been attempting to connect with the younger fan base of the Toronto area unsuccessfully for many years now.

The setting of BMO Field is a great first step in changing the culture of the franchise in hopes of following the path of success laid out by their brethren down the street in the Toronto Raptors and Blue Jays.

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The Raptors have captured the millennial fan base so much so that if they can’t get a ticket to the game they are willing to stand outside of their building (in often frozen temperatures) just to watch their product on a big screen TV. The Raptors (and most of the NBA) have their fan base so engaged in their product via Twitter that many millennials will spend their entire evening watching the game while live tweeting every moment of action and offering their own in game analysis.

I think we’re still a few years away from seeing our Twitter (and of course Snapchat) timelines filled with tweets from the millennials in awe of a Ricky Ray 30-yard TD pass on a dime to Tori Gurley in the back of the end zone the same way a Bismack Biyombo finger wag, or a Jose Bautista bat flip, would.

The CFL as a whole has often lacked a solid understanding of how to sell the sizzle. Look no further than last years (head scratching) Grey Cup half-time show that featured a live performance from Fall Out Boy (a band that achieved its peak of fame somewhere around 2006). The booking of Fall Out Boy was so out of place (and so 2000 and late) that I would even settle for the CFL to simply adopt the (equally as out of touch) modus operandi of the JUNO Awards and their bi-annual rotation of booking K.D Lang, Blue Rodeo and Sarah McClachlan to perform.

While the Argos and the CFL have struggled to sell the sizzle to the younger fan base in Toronto, the steak itself (in the on-field product) has been as good as it’s been in a very long time. The league wide quarterback shortage of the Damon Allen, Matt Dunigan, Tracy Ham era of yesteryear has been replaced by an abundance of QB talent league wide which should eventually allow the Argo’s to focus their marketing dollars towards the selling of the on-field product as opposed to selling the parking lot party.

If the team is going to achieve its goal of connecting with that younger audience it is going to have to figure out a way to have them focus their (lack of) attention span towards the idea that an October 10 match up featuring Ricky Ray going throw for throw with Bo-Levi Mitchell can be as equally as entertaining as four dollar beers in a red cup and an over-cooked hamburger while standing on Princes Boulevard.

Next: Argonauts Ready to Usher in New Era at BMO Field

For the first time in many years, the Argo’s ownership has made an interesting step in the right direction towards capturing that forever coveted younger demographic. The Argos have definitely succeeded so far in at least getting the attention of millennials through an impressive online marketing campaign over the past few weeks, but only time will tell if it translates to ticket sales when the season starts next week.

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