Wray Morrison: CFL needs to “read and react”

I hate to bring this up on a “Throwback Thursday,” but I am like many who can vividly remember the 1990s when the CFL really struggled.

In 2019, I’m reminded of those times, as some teams confirm declining attendance. In a recent television interview, Eskimos community relations co-ordinator Andrew Jones admitted that there is a pricing issue in the Alberta capital. He also said that crowd size is declining in pro sports across the board.

The Eskimos have come up with a $22 Empire North Pass, where fans can see a game for that price, and there are other summer incentives in place for the months of July and August. All CFL teams should take note.

The Riders (Canada’s team) actually saw their attendance fall by nearly 1,000 fans from their home opener against Toronto to the team’s second home game against the defending Grey Cup-champion Calgary Stampeders. The Canadian Football League has been, is, and always will be a ticket-driven league.

With declining attendance, all CFL teams should be listening to their customers closely.

Let’s not revisit the challenges of a few decades ago.