Even though the Edmonton Elks could quickly fall to 0-3 in their upcoming game against the Calgary Stampeders, there seems to be a big difference in mindset between last season and the new 2022 season. With Head Coach and General Manager Chris Jones and Assistant General Manager Geroy Simon in charge of tweaking the on field roster, Elks fans have to believe they will hit on the right formula to get the ship turned around. And, with Victor Cui leading the revamped front office, there’s a sense that the franchise is in good hands from a marketing and community engagement standpoint.
Rebuilding A Proud Franchise May Take A Bit of Time
The CFL has seen its share of outstanding marketing initiatives from different teams over the years – all in the spirit of boosting attendance. The perfect combination that a team can have is to develop the right connection to the community, engage fans with marketing and most importantly win on the field. So far in the 2022 season there are growing pains…but there are positive signs that things will get turned around. For Elks fans, if the team can continue to improve and be competitive as soon as Labour Day, the team would still have a chance to be successful on the field and in terms of numbers in the stands.
The biggest thing that both Jones and Cui bring to the Edmonton fanbase is hope. As a CFL fan, or sports fan for that matter, that’s all you can ask for. Sure this is the second time around for Jones and he has his critics, but Jones is an outstanding football mind, and he looks committed to help the Elks franchise for the long haul. When it comes to the front office, Cui has been such a breath of fresh air that Elks fans couldn’t ask for anything more. As Cui continues in his role as President, he is focused on making this franchise the flagship of the CFL once again.
Whether you’ve been a fan of the team going back 50 years, or just new to the CFL, you have to know the Elks are on the right track. It may take a bit of time, and even more losses, but things feel different this year and you have to know that positive change will come.
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David Tress
June 23, 2022 at 2:21 pm
Edmonton doesn’t have an experienced quarterback who can get it done. It!s time to bring in Johnny Manziel.
Dale Bochon
June 23, 2022 at 3:12 pm
Hi David, Not sure about Johnny Football. If Arbuckle can’t get it done, I’d be really interested in Tre Ford. Would love to see a Canadian starter for the Elks.
Geoff Ritchie
June 24, 2022 at 12:32 am
Nice to see such a positive article coming out of Edmonton. Last year was rough, and followed years of on and off field blunders that led to last seasons horrendous attendance. I hope Victor Cui sticks around cause he is bringing up the whole league along with the Elks. I hope they don’t rush Tre, but exciting to see him develop.
Dale Bochon
June 24, 2022 at 10:50 am
Thank you for your comment Geoff. It feels different for Edmonton this season. Victor Cui is a breath of fresh air for the market. And, Coach Jones will tinker with the lineup until he finds the winning formula. Such a positive difference. As a fan, having hope that the team will turn things around both on and off the field is all I could ask for. Just a matter of time before they turn the corner.
Andrew
July 23, 2022 at 12:02 am
By dropping the name Eskimos, the team’s board of directors showed an appalling combination of arrogance and cowardice. Expecting the fan base to simply swallow this travesty and show up to buy tickets as if nothing happened is all too common a snobbish attitude among Canadian elites. Even a majority of Inuit had no problem with the name, but virtue-signalling is just so addictive, the wet noodles on the board sided with those who barely support the team versus those who had lived and breathed Eskimos across 70 years. it is completely deserved for the Elks to be playing in front of 10-15,000 fans officially reported as 20-25,000.