Tiger-Cats Owner Gets Hosed

Now, I know almost all American football fans could care less about the Canadian Football League, and to be honest if I didn't go to the Toronto Sports Network for hockey stories I wouldn't know much aboot it at all. But currently there is a debate being held in Hamilton about where the Tiger-Cats should build their new stadium. To properly understand the situation, you need to know something about Ti-Cats owner Bob Young. He's a Hamilton native who purchased the team in 2003 in the memory of a late family member who was a devoted fan. While he's a savvy businessman, this wasn't a decision many others would consider smart. He did it because it was important to him to save professional football in his hometown. Throughout the years he has poured millions of his own dollars to turn the team around, which he has done (they finished 2nd in 2009). The Ti-Cats current venue is the 80 year old Ivor Wynne Stadium, and Young is willing to invest 75 million dollars into a new stadium. This is just a feel good story, right? It stops here.

Hamilton City Council and Young have been locked in a debate about where to put the new stadium. The government has selected the West Harbour for the new venue, an area that is apparently in dire need of reconstruction. Young hired a team of international experts to examine all possible locations, and they found (surprise, surprise) that the West Harbour is the worst location for the stadium. Now I don't know the logistics but I know that Bob Young has promised to contribute financially to the area as well as build a city soccer centre if he can build the stadium in a more beneficial spot. Young's reasoning? "We can't continue to lose millions of dollars a year." Reasonable, eh? The City Council has denied his request, and by doing so have basically told him that they do not care if the team stays or goes. Young, who has used money out of his own pocket to help the city for years, is now being shown the door by a government too stubborn to consider other options. It's a grave injustice that will only result in a historic team being forced out of a city desperate for income. I hope Ottawa or Quebec City (most likely the new destinations) enjoy the Ti-Cats more than the Hamilton City Council have.