Introducing the Toronto Colts?!?!?!?

[Bleujayone]

Those crazy Irsays are at it again. This time kicking around the idea of moving the Colts yet again, this time to Toronto. I guess if this happened, the Colts wouldn't be in the AFC South anymore. My guess is Miami and Toronto would switch divisions. Wouldn't it be odd if yet another football team that got its start in Baltimore put down roots in another Canadian city. I wonder if they would keep the whole "Colts" identity. Would they make it a team with a Toronto identity, or would it be more like a "Team Canada" identity? Would the Argos fold or move elsewhere like Halifax? It seems the nautical theme would fit the Atlantic region better.

Also, the article says the city is willing to build an NFL team a new stadium. Would it be the same people that wasted hundreds of millions on SkyDome, only to practically give it away for a cool $25 million? (the land it's built on is worth more than that!) If so, I can think of many taxpayers, football fans or not, who might object to this line of business. I have already heard of land owned by the Air Force in North York as being a prime candidate for such a venue.

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Canadian Colts? NFL team considering move to Toronto

By Dave Forister, THG Sports

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was recently quoted as saying the Colts would consider a move to Toronto in 2007 if the team can’t come to an agreement with the city of Indianapolis on the building of a new stadium by that time.

The Colts, whose revenues are among the worst in the league, feel they need a larger, more modern stadium with luxury skyboxes to be able to compete financially with other teams in the NFL. If the city won’t build them a new stadium, then it is very likely they will move. “The RCA Dome is a very nice facility—by 1984 standards. It is depressing when we go on the road and see all these great new facilities and then have to come back here and play,” said Irsay in a Sunday afternoon interview.

Irsay told The Hoosier Gazette he would like to keep the team in Indianapolis because of the tremendous fan support the team receives, sometimes even selling out a game when a very good opponent comes to town, but in the end the decision will come down to finances. “It is all about the Benjamins,” said Irsay.

Toronto has a metropolitan area of over 5.5 million, five times that of Indianapolis, and is willing to build a new stadium if the NFL wanted to move a franchise into Canada’s largest city.

“We would welcome the NFL to Toronto with open arms,” said the city’s new mayor David Miller, “Except if the Cardinals wanted to move here of course. They suck.”

If the Colts can’t come to terms with Indianapolis and do decide to move, they would play in the Toronto SkyDome (Rogers Centre) until a new football-only stadium was built. The SkyDome seats 53,506 for football and is currently the home of Major League Baseball’s Blue Jays and the Canadian Football League’s Argonauts.

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[DEAD!]

"The Colts, whose revenues are among the worst in the league, feel they need a larger, more modern stadium with luxury skyboxes to be able to compete financially with other teams in the NFL."

What? The Rogers Centre is only more modern by about 7-8 years? I'm sure tags would rather see them move to LA (or even San Antontio) than Toronto

[CC97]

This article is phony -- plus it's been around for almost a year. The local media here would've covered this story big time.

Another board discusses this same article - sept 1 2004

[OMMF]

This article is phony -- plus it's been around for almost a year.  The local media here would've covered this story big time.

Another board discusses this same article - sept 1 2004

Considering that the Colts have agreed to a new stadium, ( http://www2.indystar.com/articles/5/203557-4955-196.html ) would also make this story seem that much more fake.

[Gamingboy]

It is fake.

And even if a team DID move to Toronto, there is no way the Bills and Dolphins will ever not be in the same division. (SQUISH THE FISH!)

[CC97]

It is fake.

And even if a team DID move to Toronto, there is no way the Bills and Dolphins will ever not be in the same division. (SQUISH THE FISH!)

Unless the Bills move to Toronto

[pcgd]

What owner says "its all about the benjamins?"

What mayor says "They Suck?"

[Bleujayone]

Okay, I've been hoodwinked. But- the best fictions come from facts.

http://www.hoosiergazette.com/Sports/sports008.htm

Even if the article is fake, the subject is not. NFL.com, ESPN, LA Times, SI, and the IndyStar, the agreement is only tentitive (much the way the agreement between Hartford, CT and the Patriots was.) Despite the presentation of a new stadium, the Colts have still been considering the possibility of moving elsewhere, most notably Los Angeles. San Antonio, Las Vegas, and yes, Toronto have all come up as other possibilties. Recent articles have said as much. The Saints and the Vikings have also made such intentins public, and other teams such as the Jets, Cardinals, Chargers, Seahawks, and Bills have also kicked around such ideas in the recent past.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/ramblings.php?p=217&cat=9

http://www.laist.com/archives/2004/07/02/n...argers_here.php

http://colts.scout.com/2/66197.html

http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1557240.html

http://www.sports-central.org/community/bo...p?threadid=7237

http://www.billsfanzone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=3033

The stadium is not set in stone-far from it. Apparently despite the stadium being approved in general assembley, it is hitting snags because many politicians suddenly realised where the money would have to come from. The 30-year lease is only upon completion of the stadium and only if it covers certain concesions, AND only if it's properly and completly apporved of within a certain alotted period of time, otherwise all bets are off, and despite all the fanfare, the Colts are free to go as they please.

The entire deal was based on money that doesn't yet exist using revenue that is not yet legal to generate. In addition to the increased taxes on income, hotel, rentals, and meals taxes, they have also been considering slot machine casinos, something that is not yet legal and also not very popular, not because of gambling itself but because it would cut into the riverboat casino business. So while the stadium bill has passed (Dec.20, '04), much of it is moot without both the finances and logistics in place. Many comunities do not aprove of the stadium deal, and without their money, there's a real possibilty of it failing.

http://www.theindychannel.com/sports/4469311/detail.html

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/news/archives/001138.html

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...2/50422024/1008

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/news/archives/001059.html

You can be sure like any owner, they already have several back-up plans in motion. The deal is in real danger of falling through because the current proposal calls for $2.5 billion in total package $625 million for the staium itself. The package includes a convetion center to be made out of the exisiting stadium and a downtown renewal plan. Basically the Colts get a stadium for almost free , get to keep the revnue, and can back out if the deal goes south. Yes the deal says the Colts have to put up $100 million, but only after all the other money has been put into the project, and they can do it over a long period of time. Peyton Manning will cost them more than their stadium, and since they don't have to push it up front, they don't even have a finacial burden to stay put.

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/news/archives/001126.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...1851EST0337.DTL

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/news/archives/001170.html

Until such time of fianicial approval by the government, the deal is not binding and the Colts can still bail out of the current deal they have with the RCA Dome in 2007 at the end of the season. This is the reason why the new stadium would have to be completed in 2008, if its not approved and built for the following 2008 season, the Colts can still leave. For such a large and expensive "deal" there are a lot of loopholes for the team to walk through. Indianapolis could be spending a lot of money on a stadium without a team. The city is indeed a smaller market, and there are much larger and richer markets that might get the financial support easier and faster.

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=3201242&nav=9TaiYaE7

In addition, despite the very pretty stadium presented, the Irsay family wants a bigger venue than is being presented (more seats, more boxes, ect.), and they want garenteed seats sold (if fans don't buy them, the state eats them), which the deal still does not include. And the legeslators want a certain percentage of the tickets to be available at a lower price for people of lower income.

http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/artic...articleid=37731

Many other cities- Toronto included, have made presentations for football, whether it's as generous as the proposed Indianapolis plan is another story altogether. But certainly not an outrageous idea.

http://www.sfo.com/~csuppes/CFL/misc/index...cles/032498.htm

http://www.billsdaily.com/news/archives/2005/feb1.shtml

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/news/archives/000859.html

http://www.canoe.ca/Slam030804/cfl_lon-sun.html

On the following link, scroll down to the stadium deal the Patriots signed with Hartford, only to turn around and walk out of the deal despite threats of lawsuits to do so:

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/news/news1998.html

In sports nothing is concrete and no idea is too crazy to be possible.

[Sabrejeff]

Would the Argos fold or move elsewhere like Halifax? It seems the nautical theme would fit the Atlantic region better.

It's not like the city of Toronto is on a large body of water .

Besides, isn't this going to be the Argos last (and only I guess ) season in Rogers Centre. I thought they were building a new stadium on York University or something.

[Phil]

Besides, isn't this going to be the Argos last (and only I guess ) season in Rogers Centre. I thought they were building a new stadium on York University or something.

No, that deal fell through when Ted Rogers offered the Argos a deal they apparently couldn't refuse.

...and if you were eavesdropping on one of the conversation Braden and me had on the weekend, you'd have half a dozen reasons why that is a very good thing.

[Stampman]

They dropped out of the stadium project... (bad move I say--the new one would have been CFL friendly)

I see the comments above it's a fkae story--but still it certainly be ironic for the COlts to move to Canada--both because they were in BAltimore and the whole CFL Colts injunction thing...

[CC97]

They dropped out of the stadium project... (bad move I say--the new one would have been CFL friendly)

I disagree... the new stadium may have been CFL frendlier, but the fickle Toronto sports fan would not go out to it's location to see an Argos game

[WSU151]

It is fake.

And even if a team DID move to Toronto, there is no way the Bills and Dolphins will ever not be in the same division. (SQUISH THE FISH!)

Unless the Bills move to Toronto

I think the Bills would still be in the East if they moved to Toronto. The East has great rivalries...rivalries that the NFL is too smart to destroy.

[DEAD!]

They dropped out of the stadium project... (bad move I say--the new one would have been CFL friendly)

I disagree... the new stadium may have been CFL frendlier, but the fickle Toronto sports fan would not go out to it's location to see an Argos game

Especially if you consider the traffic around York University, even on a weekend.

[Alphabet Man]

it seems to me that all the NFL owners want a new stadium every two years

[DarthMan]

?We would welcome the NFL to Toronto with open arms,? said the city?s new mayor David Miller, ?Except if the Cardinals wanted to move here of course. They suck.?

That didnt tip you off?

[Grandmaster C]

Besides, isn't this going to be the Argos last (and only I guess ) season in Rogers Centre. I thought they were building a new stadium on York University or something.

No, that deal fell through when Ted Rogers offered the Argos a deal they apparently couldn't refuse.

...and if you were eavesdropping on one of the conversation Braden and me had on the weekend, you'd have half a dozen reasons why that is a very good thing.

Can we eavesdrop now?

[Swiss]

Did anyone read the book "Glory for Sale" of author Jon Morgan?

[FiddySicks]

?We would welcome the NFL to Toronto with open arms,? said the city?s new mayor David Miller, ?Except if the Cardinals wanted to move here of course.  They suck.?

That didnt tip you off?

This was said by the Mayor? They suck? Damn, thats pretty harsh, even for the Cardinals. And pretty classless and unfunny also, if you ask me.

[WSU151]

?We would welcome the NFL to Toronto with open arms,? said the city?s new mayor David Miller, ?Except if the Cardinals wanted to move here of course.  They suck.?

That didnt tip you off?

This was said by the Mayor? They suck? Damn, thats pretty harsh, even for the Cardinals. And pretty classless and unfunny also, if you ask me.

bucfan, it was a fake article...sssshhhh, don't tell anyone