Toronto shouldn’t put on NFL games. It’s not that they can’t, they just shouldn’t. Setting aside the fact that the Bills played abysmally, it just isn’t going to be right there, ever. It strikes me as the home for the Canadian version of a Dodger fan, applauding the good play, but leaving in the 6th inning to avoid traffic.
Now, this might be different if it was actually their team playing, but in the mighty quest for dollars, the Bills are effectively playing a neutral site game. They are the home team by virtue of jersey choice and geography only. The Bills haven’t brought a marquee opponent yet, but the building was split in terms of who is rooting for who.
The Sabres sometimes have that problem with Leaf fans at the Arena, but at least there is a stake there (and they are there because they can’t afford the Air Canada Centre). Both regular season games have been about as much fun as photosynthesis to watch. The NFL Network covered the action better than CBS, but it wasn’t real smooth the watch. For a sell-out crowd, I’ve heard more passion at a library. I think Rogers Communications put a few cardboard cuts to fill up the upper tiers of the Skydome.
Right, Rogers Centre. Sorry, it is a marvel, quite possibly the poshest stadium I’ve ever been to. It is surrounded by other buildings, so the staged “official tailgate” seemed a little forced. My Dad and I attended a Blue Jays game a few years ago and when the most riveting part of the contest is when the dome roof was opened, you know you have some excitement issues. And the Blue Jays have come a long way since the days of come see the Jays take on the YANKEES.
After two years as an usher, there are some game days fixations that I know can be eliminated for the greater good, but I seriously question that this is marketing the Bills regionally. They’ve fallen on their faces twice now, and to awaken interest, they need to take a big name up there with them. The sad part that means the folks that really want to see that game probably can’t.
But given the way they’ve played so far on the “home and native land,” that might not be such a bad thing.
Mike's Pub 