Raise the Hammer

@-Hammer-

I can acknowledge the tough times in Southern Ontario, thankfully for other parts of Canada the effects of the down times have not hit as hard.

My point which continues to get glossed over: It is not incumbent on the Ticats to disprove that they will be successful in the proposed WH stadium. The fact that the business entity itself is completely opposed to moving there should be enough. Are the Ticats shooting themselves in the foot by not committing? Perhaps if their desire is to remain in Hamilton. However, it is not their obligation to disprove that it will be viable. Plain and simple, as a business they are free to enter into contracts and if the CEO of the business feels strongly enough against a business proposal or plan then he should not enter into a contract on it. Are BY and Ticats bad people for not entering into the contract? Of course not, they are simply making their best interest business decisions. It very well could result in the business moving to a more suitable location that fits their plan. However, to say that the Ticats should sign a long term lease that they feel is not in their best interest, or that they are extorting the city by not doing so, is absurd.

The solution? Well from the Ticats, they have stood solid that they don't want to be locked long term into a lease at WH. Whether their concerns are legitimate or fabricated is not relevant to the City or anyone outside the organization. If Hamilton wishes to secure the Ticats as a signature tenant on a new stadium they need to meet their business needs as well, if that is not possible as it seems now, then perhaps the only solution is for the team to leave and find a home elsewhere. I can't think of any CEO that would enter his business into what he believes, perceived or not, to be a money losing venture.

What would producing the numbers prove? Do you not think the second the Ticats opened the books the immediate backlash would be to dispute their numbers and to tell them they're wrong, and that this is actually more realistic?


PS- Regarding Riders, they are the model Hamilton should be pointing to as they too were on verge of bankruptcy before things turned around. There is also a huge difference in circumstances as the Riders are community owned and not privately owned.


@facepalm

My bad, my misunderstanding. I was under the impression the Ticats were going to be tenants in a new stadium, not that Hamilton was going to build a new stadium and hand the keys over to the Ticats.