New Ownership for the Edmonton Elks

[TecnoGenius]

If the new owner is even considering moving backward with the name, the CFL should have vetted him first.  There are many policies he has to be in lock step with before he can become a member even if he personally feels different about them.

We all have to be in "lock step"?  Reminds me of certain things that happened in 1933.

I'm sure no owner is going back to The Name That Shall Not Be Spoken, at least written out in full form.  Serious question: does the league get a say in name changes?  Does the contract say so?  Seems like something that would for sure be in any team/league legal contracts.

And if it's not in writing, let the old guy do what he wants or what his fans want.  If he picks wrong, he'll be punished at the box office.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

We all have to be in "lock step"?  Reminds me of certain things that happened in 1933.

I'm sure no owner is going back to The Name That Shall Not Be Spoken, at least written out in full form.  Serious question: does the league get a say in name changes?  Does the contract say so?  Seems like something that would for sure be in any team/league legal contracts.

And if it's not in writing, let the old guy do what he wants or what his fans want.  If he picks wrong, he'll be punished at the box office.

Doesn't matter if he changes the name or not, the fans that left won't be back as they've moved onto other interests.  Calgary fans have done the same without a name controversy or a really bad team to blame.

[TecnoGenius]

Doesn't matter if he changes the name or not, the fans that left won't be back as they've moved onto other interests.  Calgary fans have done the same without a name controversy or a really bad team to blame.

Maybe, maybe not.  No one can really know.  Depends on how much they loved the team vs how much the change made them angry.

But you are right in that you won't get all of them back, only a certain percentage.  And then you'll lose some of the fans that loved the name change.  Can't please everyone... tough road ahead for the new owner.

[Jesse]

Doesn't matter if he changes the name or not, the fans that left won't be back as they've moved onto other interests.  Calgary fans have done the same without a name controversy or a really bad team to blame.

Of course. The name is a red herring.

Times are tough. Attendance is down in a lot of places. You don't prioritize your budget to go see your team get embarrassed week after week.

[blue_gold_84]

Why does the "larger good" or the "good of society" not include (potentially) you, or (potentially) me?  Our wants and desires and hopes and dreams don't count but some nameless, nebulous "society" does?  Who decides what "society" wants?  The entire concept is fraught with issues.

And again, you say you'd like to accept a name change, but can we really put ourselves in those fans' shoes?  Can we really know how the average 25-year Esks STH really felt?  I didn't think too much of it all of these 3 years, but now media is revealing that they lost a ton of STH over the name and a lot of them never came back.  That's a real world problem, and contributes to EDM's downward team/fan spiral.

Don't get complacent with our team name.  "Bombers" is fraught with potential "I'm offended" issues too.  In fact, when they come for the next team name, I bet it'll be ours, because ours is the "next most offensive" one.  Let's say all of a sudden there's a spate of terror bombings in WPG, and the word "bomber" is all over the news and possibly starts to get racial overtones.  Then we'll be next on the chopping block over something we couldn't even fathom at this moment.  Sure, it's unlikely, but can you say it's not possible?  Who thought in the USA they'd be toppling and defacing statues of Lincoln?

[pdirks67]

Why does the "larger good" or the "good of society" not include (potentially) you, or (potentially) me?  Our wants and desires and hopes and dreams don't count but some nameless, nebulous "society" does?  Who decides what "society" wants?  The entire concept is fraught with issues.

And again, you say you'd like to accept a name change, but can we really put ourselves in those fans' shoes?  Can we really know how the average 25-year Esks STH really felt?  I didn't think too much of it all of these 3 years, but now media is revealing that they lost a ton of STH over the name and a lot of them never came back.  That's a real world problem, and contributes to EDM's downward team/fan spiral.

Don't get complacent with our team name.  "Bombers" is fraught with potential "I'm offended" issues too.  In fact, when they come for the next team name, I bet it'll be ours, because ours is the "next most offensive" one.  Let's say all of a sudden there's a spate of terror bombings in WPG, and the word "bomber" is all over the news and possibly starts to get racial overtones.  Then we'll be next on the chopping block over something we couldn't even fathom at this moment.  Sure, it's unlikely, but can you say it's not possible?  Who thought in the USA they'd be toppling and defacing statues of Lincoln?

I love the team and our name, and have done so for about 50 years. But if there had to be a name change to "Big Blue" or something similar, the chances of me cancelling my season tickets are zero. Zilch. Nada. This is a minor first world annoyance. Whatever we call the team, it's a Winnipeg thing that brings people here together. Anyone who cancels season tickets over something like this doesn't know what a real problem is.