Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Keith Pelley is encouraging CFL traditionalists to loosen the grip on their pearls and embrace the organization’s controversial new partnership with the Buffalo Bills.
In an interview with TSN 1050‘s popular OverDrive radio program ahead of Friday night’s loss to the Montreal Alouettes, the CEO of the Toronto Argonauts’ ownership group pushed back against critics of the deal and delivered a blunt message to hardcore fans of the team.
“I would say you need to develop more hardcore Argo fans. We’re gonna have under 15,000 here tonight — that’s not good enough,” Pelley told host Bryan Hayes. “That is not a franchise that is growing to where we want it to be. We have to look at doing things differently, and if you’re not prepared to modify, and you’re not prepared to change, you’re going to fall behind.”
The partnership, which was dubbed the first of its kind, was announced in a joint press conference on September 9. The arrangement will see the Bills and Argonauts work together on youth football camps in the Greater Toronto Area, while also producing a new line of joint merchandise. MLSE, which also owns the NHL’s Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Raptors, will cross-promote the NFL franchise across their sports portfolio, beginning with a Bills-themed Argos game on October 4 that will feature appearances from Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and Doug Flutie.
Pelley touted the announcement as a massive success for the Argos and stated it received more media coverage than any other MLSE event, except for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. However, vocal skeptics have framed the partnership as an infringement on CFL sovereignty and a potential canary in the coal mine for MLSE’s desire to see an NFL team in Toronto.
Even more even-keeled fans have expressed discomfort with the nature of the arrangement, worried about the optics of embracing a little brother dynamic with the four-down juggernaut. Pelley feels the opposite, believing any association with the NFL brand gives the Argonauts increased clout and credibility.
“What harm can it do? It can only grow it,” he said. “We’ve already sold more tickets on October 4 for the Bills-Argo game than any other game this year.”
“Honestly, I just think that’s the wrong way to look at it. I think you have to look at it, saying if you love football and the Toronto Argonauts can be on a jersey with the Buffalo Bills, that can only enhance the Argonaut brand. It can only help the younger generation get familiar with football, more familiar with the Argos through the Buffalo Bills. The Buffalo Bills want to promote the Argos because they want to promote football here, and I see absolutely no downside whatsoever. If you’re an Argo fan, I only see upside. Anybody that doesn’t, I’m perplexed by it.”
MLSE hasn’t built much goodwill amongst CFL fans and has sometimes been accused of treating the Argonauts as an afterthought. However, Pelley has an established reputation as an advocate for the league, first as an executive at TSN and later as president of the Argonauts from 2004 until 2007. Since taking over MLSE in April of 2024, he’s been disheartened by what little has been done to change the narrative in Canada’s largest market.
“I’ve come back 20 years later and I go, ‘Hmm, nothing’s changed.’ We need to make changes. We need to grow. TSN does a phenomenal job of promoting the CFL, and the fact that you guys are here is greatly appreciated, but we need to do more,” Pelley told the OverDrive crew. “You need to take chances, you need to make changes, and you need to take bets. I’m sitting there saying the National Football League is the biggest football league in the world. How many Gen Z NFL fans are there compared to how many Argo Gen Z fans there are?”
Despite being the reigning Grey Cup champions and boasting two titles in the past three years, the Argos continue to lag behind the rest of the CFL in terms of attendance. Just 13,848 fans filled the seats at BMO Field on Friday, and the team is averaging a paltry 14,517 through eight home games this season — a drop of 4.1 percent from 2024.
Pelley imagines a future in which this partnership could feature specialty sections for Argos season-ticket holders at games in Buffalo, with premium access to the NFL becoming a selling feature for prospective new fans. He’s under no illusions that the Bills need MLSE’s help to sell out their new stadium, but the same cannot be said about the CFL franchise.
“We need everybody’s help selling tickets, including the die-hards,” Pelley said. “There are only three types of fans. There are the die-hards, and there’s less and less die-hard Argo fans right now. Then there are the bandwagon jumpers; when you’re winning, they get involved. And then there’s the second bucket, which is the biggest bucket, and those are fans that come because it’s fashionable, it’s cool to be at. That involves corporate and consumers, and that’s the bucket that we need to grow.”
“If that can be enhanced by an association with the Buffalo Bills and if we can create clinics with the Buffalo Bills that promote and build the game of football, that, I believe, will help us sell more Argo tickets.”
Despite the fears of CFL loyalists, there is much left to be determined about what direction this cross-border partnership takes and just how impactful it can be. Pelley’s advocacy for the deal boils down to one simple question for his fanbase.
“If you really love football, why wouldn’t you want to be associated with the NFL and the Buffalo Bills?”
One way or another, people in Toronto will provide him with an answer.
J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league's Global initiative.
