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Non-Bengals Related: Wanna Own a CFL Team?


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Everybody knows that Green Bay is the only team in the four major North American leagues that is publicly-owned.  The Packers even, from time to time, offer shares for sale when they need to raise cash to do some upgrades to the stadium or other nonesense.  Shares are largely symbolic - you can't trade or sell them, they get you a "vote" for the annual slate of Board of Directors, and I think there's a discount in the Pro Shop.  It's more a vanity thing than having any sort of controlling interest in the team, but that doesn't stop folks from snapping them up.  I even bought one for myself and for my (then) minor child the last time the Packers did that.

 

Did you know, however, that three of the nine CFL teams are also publicly-owned?  The Edmonton Eskimos, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders all, in varying degrees, are owned not by an individual or a family, but by shareholding members of the general public.  Of those three, only Saskatchewan occasionally makes new shares available for purchase...

 

Like right now.

 

For only C$250 (which is ~US$198) you can buy a share of Class A Stock in the Riders.  Like the Packers shares, these shares really only give you a vote for top-level managerial things like the Board, but according to their FAQ, you can nominate anyone (including yourself) to actually be a Board Member.  You also get a Pro Shop discount, priority for tickets, exchange privileges, and a bunch of other stuff you're unlikely to ever get to actually use unless you plan a trip to Regina some time.   But still, the "vanity" aspect of having your name on a share, giving you fractional ownership of a pro football team is still kinda cool.

 

Which is why I just bought one.  With Ticketbastard tacking on a C$2.25 nuisance fee, and then the conversion to 'Murican dollars, the whole thing was $200.36.  I'll get my share certificate, owners ID card, and windows sticker in 6-8 weeks.

 

Linky: https://www.riderville.com/shares/

 

 

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14 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

Our friends north of the border may remember this series “Corner Gas”

 

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0397138/

 

Very funny sitcom. Centered in a fictional Saskatchewan town of “Dog River”. It’s on Netflix. Would heartily recommend. 

Ah.  Makes sense ... off my radar and over my head.

I thought it may have been your family/friends and didn't want to say anything snarky, eh?

You buy me beer, eh?  Hoser.

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1 hour ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

It was a funny show, not as funny as Schitt’s Creek, but funny. 

Different comedic styles, for certain. 
 

Corner Gas was a caricature of Brent’s real-life Saskatchewan home town, but made too silly for anyone to believe it could possibly be real. Even the opening/ending music was a spoof. 
 

(The Roughrider video above was a great example) 
 

 

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1 hour ago, Le Tigre said:

Different comedic styles, for certain. 
 

Corner Gas was a caricature of Brent’s real-life Saskatchewan home town, but made too silly for anyone to believe it could possibly be real. Even the opening/ending music was a spoof. 
 

(The Roughrider video above was a great example) 
 

 

Saw Brent at one of his stand up comedy shows a few years ago- hilarious. Very funny dude. 

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Are you guys done?  Because if so, I just confirmation that I am the newest owner of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.  I spoke with a very kind woman in Regina who confirmed my order, spelling of my name for the stock certificate, and mailing address.  I'll have it in a couple of weeks.

 

And, I guess, this means that as a proto-Canadian I need to start apologizing for everything.  :)

 

As a fan of the XFL's St Louis BattleHawks (KaKaw!) I am very interested in the ongoing talks between the XFL and CFL.  Perhaps we might see the two leagues join forces - a Grey Cup Victory Parade down Market Street would be cool.  But until then - Go Riders! 

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22 hours ago, AmishBengalFan said:

Are you guys done?  Because if so, I just confirmation that I am the newest owner of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.  I spoke with a very kind woman in Regina who confirmed my order, spelling of my name for the stock certificate, and mailing address.  I'll have it in a couple of weeks.

 

And, I guess, this means that as a proto-Canadian I need to start apologizing for everything.  :)

 

As a fan of the XFL's St Louis BattleHawks (KaKaw!) I am very interested in the ongoing talks between the XFL and CFL.  Perhaps we might see the two leagues join forces - a Grey Cup Victory Parade down Market Street would be cool.  But until then - Go Riders! 

Best show ever centered in Regina.  It streams on Hulu and Amazon Prime.

fugget about it - YouTube

 

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On 3/14/2021 at 2:18 PM, I_C_Deadpeople said:

I am a Blue Bomber fan so the Riders are like the Stealers to me. But as a new Rider fan you need to Google the Banjo Bowl

 

Lol - I know all about the Banjo Bowl.   Others should Google that, the backstory is pretty hilarious.

 

And you being a Bomber fan.... that's terrific.  You can go ahead and hate the Riders, that's cool.  We don't return the hate - the Bombers aren't that important to us.  :)

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4 minutes ago, AmishBengalFan said:

 

Lol - I know all about the Banjo Bowl.   Others should Google that, the backstory is pretty hilarious.

 

And you being a Bomber fan.... that's terrific.  You can go ahead and hate the Riders, that's cool.  We don't return the hate - the Bombers aren't that important to us.  :)

It is a great rivalry that is for sure. 

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4 minutes ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

It is a great rivalry that is for sure. 

Naah, just yankin' your chain, man.   SSK-WPG is right up there at the top of CFL rivalries... probably in 2nd behind EGM-CGY.

 

And for the record, I don't know how to play banjo either.  :)

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2 minutes ago, AmishBengalFan said:

Naah, just yankin' your chain, man.   SSK-WPG is right up there at the top of CFL rivalries... probably in 2nd behind EGM-CGY.

 

And for the record, I don't know how to play banjo either.  :)

Was just talking about the CFL with my brother yesterday - besides the 4 teams you mentioned WPG, SK, CGY and EDM the league is dying or dead. 

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Almost two years old valuation, but...

 

The Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club earned a net profit of $1,467,062 up from $781,930 last year. In hosting the 2018 West Semi-Final the club brought in an additional $1.8 million in revenue, netting $800,000 in profit. Total gross revenues were $40.4 million in 2018-19 compared to $37.3 million last year 

 

 

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The issue is that the CFL's bottom line is driven much more so by ticket sales than most other leagues of their stature.  While the Bengals can play to 10K and still turn a profit, teams in the Great White North depend on attendance to boost their bottom line.... and teams in the most expensive markets (Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, Ottawa, Vancouver) have not been doing that well.  Throw in the cancellation of the 2020 season, and their rejected appeal to the government for a $30M bailout/loan/donation....  they're hurting.  They really need the 2021 season to come off without a hitch, but there's already speculation of being forced to play a shortened season - which only rubs salt in the wound.

 

The talks between the CFL and XFL could help both... the XFL needs the historical stability the CFL offers, the CFL needs the financial resources and media access the XFL offers.  Whether this turns into a marketing agreement, player sharing, coordinated schedules and recruiting, or goes all the way to a merger with teams playing each other... it's too soon to say.  Fans tend to be focusing on the latter, which would be extremely challenging from a logistics perspective, and which would have several HUGE hurdles to overcome - sure, there's the fact that no US football stadium can accommodate a CFL-sized field, and three-down vs four-down football, and all of the other "mechanical" aspects to try to bring the rule books into alignment... but the CFL has a "ratio" rule which requires a certain # or % of player on all rosters be Canadian....  the XFL can't adopt that rule (labor laws), and the XFL would be at a huge advantage over CFL teams without it.....   And the XFL teams are all owned by the league (therefore, 100% revenue sharing and standardized player salaries) while CFL teams are not.

 

But there's no question that the CFL is on the rocks financially right now.  As a member of league ownership, I -am- concerned about this and would like to seek a solution, even if it means watching the Roughriders play the BattleHawks in the 2022 Grey Cup.    #SasKAKAWtchewan! 

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