The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off an NFL pre-season game in Toronto Thursday, cementing the start of endless speculation about a NFL franchise coming to Canada permanently.
It's the first of eight NFL Bills games to be played in Toronto over the next five years.
At a tailgate party held near the Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto, most fans were adamant in their hopes that Rogers Communications come through in bringing a team to Canada.
However, a small number of protesters crashed the party, saying that an NFL team in Toronto, would hurt the Canadian Football League.
The protest, which was planned to begin at 5:30 p.m., was to stop at key spots downtown, including Blue Jays Way beside the Rogers Centre and the Budweiser tailgate party on Front Street.
"We don't need the NFL in Toronto," one protester told CTV News. "We got the CFL, we got the Argos, we're happy the way it is."
Rogers Communications, which owns the Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre, is paying the Bills about $10 million a game to play in Toronto.
That's about double what the Bills make in a regular home game in Buffalo.
"I think it will demonstrate that Toronto is an NFL town," Rogers vice-chairman Phil Lind said. "It may be a CFL town but it will also be an NFL town."
The Canadian cable giant has made no qualms about its hopes of attracting an NFL franchise - their best shot being the Bills -- to Toronto.
But the CFL feels the rush of sponsors to the NFL --arguably the biggest league in the world -- could kill the Toronto Argonauts.
"We'd like the NFL to stay south of the 49th parallel," CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said.
Reports from the Rogers Centre say the game was close, if not a total sell-out. However, tickets were discounted and there were plenty of corporate freebies. But tickets averaged $180 and it was only an exhibition game, suggesting there's a big market for the NFL in Toronto.
The attendance was about 20,000 more than the Toronto Argonauts average in a regular-season game.
Howard Bloom of Sportbusinessnews.com told CTV Newsnet Thursday that an NFL team in Toronto is "inevitable."
He said that anyone who thinks an NFL team will hurt the CFl has "no confidence in the Canadian Football League."
"The Canadian Football League and the National Football league can survive in this country together," Bloom said.
Gene Mack, who used to be a linebacker with the Argos, said he believes the market is big enough for both CFL and NFL action.
"If you get 35,000 people in the stands in the CFL, you're making a profit," he said in an interview with CTV Newsnet. "I'm sure Toronto can handle that and two or three games from the NFL."
"I think it will be great entertainment for the Toronto community and I think everyone wants to see the NFL play because we all watch the games on Sunday," he continued. "I think it will be great for the city here."
He said the world's biggest sports leagues have been showing a trend of expanding their franchise into the global market. He pointed out the NBA's drive to recruit Europeans and soccer legend David Beckham's move to the Los Angeles Galaxy team.
"I think football, especially the NFL wants to become a North American market. I think they'd love to have teams in Mexico and Canada and I think they can (do that,)" he said. "It won't be overnight, it will take five or six years, but that would be a godsend, it would be nice to see the most competitive league and most prosperous league competing in our city."
With a report from CTV's Roger Smith and CTV Toronto's Galit Solomon
