I am in no way defending the foul beast known as Mayor Rob Ford, his actions or comments.  I am merely drawing attention to a situation I feel is oddly hypocritical and self destructive on the part of the Argonauts.

First let’s start with the comment in question that caused the Argonauts to sever all ties with Rob Ford:

“And the next thing, I wanna call Mayor [Bratina] in Hamilton and tell him we’re going to spank their little Tiger-Cats.  Oh and the last thing was Olivia Gondek, it says it says that I wanted to eat her pussy. Olivia Gondek, I’ve never said that in my life to her. I would never do that. I’m happily married. I’ve got more than enough to eat at home. Thank you very much.”

Clearly the most offensive thing anyone has said, ever.

Also, Rob Ford’s wearing an Argonauts jersey.  Why?  Because he’s been the Argonauts’ highest profile supporter in decades.  You’d have to go back to the Gretzky, Candy, McNall days to find people of higher profile who actively tried to better the franchise.

The Argonauts are the red headed step child of the Roger’s Center and are only a couple of years away from getting the boot once a grass field is installed for the Blue Jays.  While no one else was giving a public shit, Rob Ford stated that he was “doing everything possible” to get a “made-for-football” stadium in Toronto (link).

So yesterday, in a show of gratitude, the Argonauts lined up behind the rest of the Councillors of the City of Toronto inside the grand Colosseum known as City Hall and plunged a dagger into the back of Fat Caesar.  They had the following to say for themselves:

(1/5) Toronto Argonauts Statement: It's well-known that the Mayor is a big fan and supporter of the game of football.

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 14, 2013

(2/5) The Toronto Argonauts organization is not in a position to comment on the manner of dress of public officials.

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 14, 2013

(3/5) The situation with respect to the Mayor and his leadership is unseemly at best. These latest remarks, while wearing our team's jersey,

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 14, 2013

(4/5) are particularly disappointing given our organization's work in the community to help youth deal with issues of bullying prevention.

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 14, 2013

(5/5) We hope for the benefit of the wonderful citizens of Toronto and this great city that this situation is resolved expeditiously.

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 14, 2013

Um…. what?  So the Argonauts are not in a position to comment on the dress of public officials but then proceed to do exactly that?  Hypocrites.

For reasons completely unknown the Argos have waded into civic politics anarchy when it has exactly zero to do with football.  They also go on further about bullying.  Why?  Because he made reference to a buffet between the legs of his wife?  I don’t get it.  I know the internet-age definition of bullying has evolved to include calling someone a bad name on Facebook but, um, saying ‘pussy’?  Who’s bullying who?

I guess it’s not bullying if you gang up with others and publicly deride an individual with a clear substance abuse problem as long as he or she is a public official.  Hypocrites.

Why do they feel the need to pass public judgement on Rob Ford anyway?  Yes, his behaviour has been absolutely indefensible but it has zero to do with the CFL or the Argonauts.  It must be personal dislike of the mayor by management who would much rather see Olivia Chow running the city and now see this as an opportunity to exercise some ham fisted political clout.

Does anyone think Olivia Chow is going to give one red cent towards building a new football stadium when that money could be spent building bike lanes or affordable housing?

But Blue Bastard, the Argonauts have a moral obligation to denounce the Mayor, they would never hire an admitted drug user or tolerate someone using foul language wearing their jersey.

Oh, like Ricky Williams?

That was just pot and he only got caught four times, it’s ok.

What about the gratuitous use of “fuck”, “shit” or the occasional “pussy” by players wearing full uniforms during game time that’s often picked up by the sideline microphones during TSN broadcasts?

Hey!  They aren’t talking about cunnilingus!  Lines have to be drawn!

Whatever.

By the end of the day Ford had removed his jersey.  I’m sure that made the Argos front office very happy.  No longer would their brand be seen by millions of people around the world, the exact opposite of what they strive for each and every day.

First rule of publicity is that there’s no bad publicity.

Imagine the uproar if someone wearing a Yankees baseball cap made racial slurs and spoke of selling crack cocaine.

Relevant bits start at 1:22.

Unfortunately the RIAA has ensured only the censored version of the music video exists on YouTube but in it Jay-Z’s wearing a Yankees cap.  Here are the offensive words in question in case you couldn’t be bothered to listen to the above uncensored version:

Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game
Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous then a Yankee can
You should know I bleed blue, but I ain’t a Crip though
But I got a gang of niggas walkin’ with my clique though
Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we sellin’ rock

Here Mr. Z says “niggas” and makes a reference to the sale of “rock” which I presume means crack cocaine, making this comparison very appropriate.  What do the Yankees think of the man after that?  Here’s a quote from two days ago:

“I look forward to meeting him,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said on Wednesday. “I’ve never met the man, really. I fully expect him to be part of this process in a significant way.”

Oh yeah, Jay and his company Roc Nation (haha ‘Roc’) represent Robinson Cano in his upcoming contract negotiations.  Jay-Z is frequently seen at baseball games wearing a Yankees cap.  I don’t think he’s ever been told it was inappropriate to wear one.

Clearly the Yankees don’t care.

Why the hell do the Argonauts?  They need all the help they can get in a saturated Toronto entertainment market.  They need to stay out of this mess and focus on themselves, drawing fans, winning and finding a new home, not worry about what people are saying while wearing an Argos jersey.

The Argonauts do not like Rob Ford because he has an obvious drug and alcohol problem (if not because of his politics), few do, but imagine what attendance (never mind revenue) would be like if they declared alcoholics were not welcome to attend games.  Depending on the definition of ‘alcoholic’ used, half of the already small Argos fan base wouldn’t be welcome at the gate.

At least they can look back in a few years and feel good knowing they took the moral high road while playing all their home games at Alumni Stadium in Guelph, or maybe Moncton, NB.

 

More rants can be found here!