FOR SALE: Financially unstable, debt-ridden, mediocre, bottom-feeder football club with a possible lack of helmets for all players. Any takers?
The fiasco that is the Ottawa Renegades ownership has returned to the forefront of Ottawa’s sports sections after majority owner, Bernie Glieberman, announced he was unwilling to fully fund the team’s losses — thus rendering the ‘Gades ownerless.
It was supposed to be different this time. When Glieberman purchased the team last May, he promised he was in it for the long run and that he was willing to lose money. Less than a year later, Ottawa stands to lose another football team.
Since the announcement was made a little over a month ago, the search for a new owner — or saviour — has been underway. First, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk was thought to be in the running, but he quickly let us know his priority was bringing the Stanley Cup to Ottawa.
Names such as Jeff Hunt, owner of the Ottawa 67s, and media mogul David Asper were thrown into the pot, thus raising ‘Gades fans’ hopes — only to have them come crashing down when both men said they weren’t interested.
Throughout all this frenzy, no one has stopped and said “let’s just get rid of them.”
Ottawa Citizen sports columnist, Wayne Scanlan, recently wrote a column in which he listed the top 10 reasons why the Renegades should be saved. While there may be some valid reasons to keep the team around, in reality, they should fold — and they should do it now.While the league has announced the Renegades won’t be playing this season here are five reasons we should bury the Renegades forever and move on.
1. Ottawa is a one-team city. As big as the city is getting, it is unable and unwilling to support more than one professional team — and that team is the Senators. Although Ottawa’s other teams have managed to draw fans at first, the Senators are the only team with a large enough fan base that keeps coming back year after year. Ottawa residents seem to pick one team and stick to it. Others such as the Renegades and Lynx scramble for fans.
2. Renegade management has been disorganized since Day 1 and there doesn’t seem to be a knight in shinning armour ready to save the franchise the way Melnyk saved the Senators. Football fans have already suffered the pains of losing the Rough Riders. They should not sit around and wait for someone to hopefully get it right.
3. If people don’t have the Renegades on which to spend their hard earned dollars, they will spend more on hockey or a family outing to the movies just like they did for the five years the city was without football. A CFL team doesn’t make or break Ottawa’s economy. While supporters are crying that the loss of the team will have devastating economic consequences for the city, the fact is that most Renegades fans aren’t die-hards and will find new and interesting ways to pump money into the city.
4. The Renegades are the laughing-stock of Canadian football. A game against them is like an NHL game versus Pittsburgh: more or less a guaranteed win. They have proven over the last few years that they are unwilling to build a contender. The product is terrible and it won’t get better anytime soon.
5. And the final reason why the Renegades should fold: anyone who lets the Gliebermans’ back into the CFL deserves everything it gets. It’s as simple as that. RIP Renegades. May you join the Rough Riders in football heaven.