Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan G
Not surprised about the leafs. Richest NHL team but year after year a laughing stock. The fans are the problem they will continue to support a bunch of losers. In what city in the world would you get away with charging $300 a ticket for a losing team?
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As a diehard leafs fan (I actually remember watching them win the cup in 1967 with my dad on our old B&W TV -- I was 3 yrs old), I am actually not that surprised that they fare poorly on the list.
There's a a rather dominant corporate presence with the Leafs such that it's become a very divisive atmosphere. I'd guess 75% of the seats sold at the ACC are to corporations. I know when I lived in Toronto, a lot of corps bought season's tickets to give their sales managers who would then give them to the various warehouse managers and such who ordered products from them.
Then there are the fairweather fans and the fans who can't see past the Leafs for the mismanagement, the outward arrogance displayed on forums, and then Bell and Rogers owning the largest shares of them, and you are bound to have a ridiculous atmosphere.
And if that isn't enough, you have the media circus that is akin to Fleet Street Paparazzi and I can't imagine why any big name free agent would even want to consider playing for the Leafs.
If all of that wasn't enough, throw in the mouth breathers, a la Don Cherry's ilk, who like to run their mouth and, in the process, run the players out of town with the help of the media (ewwww, he's European, he's French, he's not an Ontario boy, eww eww eww). Sometimes I am embarrassed to be a Leafs fan... NOT because of the Leafs, but because of being lumped into the same group as the vocal mouth breathers claiming to be fans. But I digress.
For the avg family, they simply cannot afford to go. For lower bowl/rinkside seats, you're going to pay $1200 for a family of four to go see a Leafs game, and that's only IF you can get them without going through a scalper.. otherwise you can double that price).. two adults, two kids... some food and drinks, parking, etc. It's too much.
What the Leafs could benefit from, as well as the League itself, is to have a second team in Southern Ontario as well as put a franchise back in Quebec City. I think a team in Hamilton, Scarborough or even Kingston would create a nice rivalry of teams between Ontario and Quebec, as well as renew interest in Buffalo rivalries.
But yes, I can understand why the Leafs rate poorly among fan lists. They are experts at marketing themselves as being caterers to corporate interests versus fan interest.
Wow, that might be the longest post I have ever added to GFY.