OTTAWA — The Mayors of Toronto and Calgary exchanged words about the Grey Cup on Saturday, a day before the Argonauts and Stampeders face each other in the CFL’s championship game.
A reporter tweeted that Jim Watson, the mayor of Ottawa, which is hosting the Grey Cup, would be supporting the Toronto Argonauts with his hometown Ottawa Redblacks being eliminated in the CFL East’s semifinal.
Toronto Mayor John Tory replied to the tweet, welcoming Watson to the Argonauts’ fanbase.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi quoted Tory’s tweet, taking a shot at the Argonauts’ low attendance numbers in Toronto.
Nenshi had also quoted the original reporter’s tweet, trying to bring Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger into the debate.
The Argonauts struggled to fill BMO Field all season, averaging 13,914 fans in the stadium with a 27,000 person capacity. That’s 10,730 less than the average league attendance. Attendance shot up for the CFL East final against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Nov. 19, however, with announced attendance at 24,929.
Tory is no stranger to the CFL, having served as the league’s chairman from 1992-1996 and its commissioner from 1996-2000 before entering politics.
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