Toronto NFL Team Relocation from Cincinnati

Toronto NFL Team Relocation from Cincinnati:

The NFL is one of the biggest and most viewed sports leagues in the world. Fans in the United States passionately cheer on and represent their team's colours daily. Fantasy Football, tailgates and many other events are common festivities which NFL fans create and participate in to show their support. With the recent championship of the Toronto Raptors, there were approximately 7.7 Million Canadians watching game 6, millions of Torontonians downtown celebrating the Raptors victory and between 1 to 2 million people at the Toronto Raptors Championship Parade. Toronto has an estimated population of 2.9 million and nearly 6 million people in the greater Toronto area. Raptors and Leafs games are nearly sold out all year long, especially in the playoffs. Although we have the Toronto Argonauts, the CFL attendance has gone down close to 6.5% since 2018. Cincinnati, Ohio, has a population of around 300,000 people. The closest NFL teams to Cincinnati are Pittsburgh which is 288 miles away, Nashville/Tennessee which is 274 miles away, Detroit which is 263 miles away, Cleveland which is 248 miles away and Indianapolis which is only 112 miles away. These statistics prove that with only a 300,000 population, it is unlikely that Cincinnati will acquire many fans who don't live in the Cincinnati area, considering there are so many other teams nearby. The closest NFL teams to Toronto are Buffalo which is 100 miles away, Detroit which is 231 miles away, Cleveland which is 293 miles away and Pittsburgh which is 318 miles away. Other than those teams there is not another team under 520 miles away from Toronto, not to mention a country with 38 million people looking for an NFL team to support. The Cincinnati Bengals are currently 0-8 on October 29th, 2019. According to ESPN, Cincinnati has currently played 3 home games with a total of 139,462 people attending their games. They have an average of 46,487 people attending every game and the lowest percentage of fans in the NFL attending each game at only 71%, 13% lower than the next highest team. The Paul Brown Stadium is the home of the Cincinnati Bengals which holds 65,515 people. That means that on average only 46,515 people attend every Bengals game. Scotiabank Arena holds 21,000 people, with 60 jurassic parks across Canada with thousands of fans outside watching the playoffs together. The Toronto Argonauts (as well as Toronto FC) currently play at BMO field which can hold a max capacity of 30,000 people. The Rogers Center (where the Blue Jays play) holds up to 53,500 people. Alike the Raiders, it is possible that you would be able to transform the dome into a football stadium, especially because the season rarely overlaps. Though in a large city like Toronto, I guarantee you a stadium can be built which can hold up to and sell out 70,000 people every game. With 1,700,000 more people who live in Toronto than Cincinnati and 5,700,000 more people in the GTA than Cincinnati, I have no doubt that Torontonians will be passionate and supportive of an NFL team in Toronto. I have no doubt that 38 million people will be passionate and supportive of an NFL team in Canada. We already go crazy for the Leafs, Raptors and Blue Jays, and the Canadians, Canucks and Flames are other representations of passionate fan bases around Canada. With a small city and dead fan base in Cincinnati, a relocation to Toronto with a new and unique team name, stadium and fan base could bring this team a championship. To the owners of the Bengals: You saw our support for the Raptors, and you saw us Canadians push them to a championship. To this day we will always and forever stand by our sports teams. Your fan base is dying and your team is playing poorly. I as well as the rest of Toronto and Canada promise and guarantee you that if you were to relocate your team to Toronto, no matter what we will always be supportive of our team. Whether we win or lose, Toronto lives and dies behind our sports teams and we treat in like no other. This is your chance to turn this franchise around. Here's to NFL Superbowl Champs 2023, The Toronto Mounties.

The People of Toronto    Contact the author of the petition