Toronto Argonauts' 150th anniversary a noteworthy milestone but time is now to think about future

Going into this season, the Toronto Argonauts were hoping to capitalize off the momentum of their Grey Cup victory in such an important year for the franchise as they celebrate their 150th anniversary.

On the field, this is one of the better teams the Argos have had as they sit first in the CFL with a 12-2 record. This is their best record since 1996 and 1997 when they went 15-3 in both of those years and won back-to-back championships.

Off the field, the Argonauts have been looking for a spark to drive attendance up to the mid-2000’s when they were averaging over 30,000 at Rogers Centre. This season, there has been an improvement but in comparison to other CFL markets, Toronto is still struggling to gain a footnote in a city where the sports landscape has a clear pecking order.

This story isn’t about the Argos attendance struggles, however, but a look at how the team is trying to reconnect to a fanbase while also trying to rebuild it at the same time. It’s certainly not easy to do when all the talk around the team is about the number of fans in the seats.

For all the grief and jokes this franchise gets for the struggles they’ve had, the Argos should be able to hold their heads up high for surviving when others didn’t think they would.

At every home game this season, the Argonauts have invited a former player to the game and they have been greeted by a warm reception from the crowd.

This week, the team is bringing the nostalgia factor to the next level with Ricky Ray, Condredge Holloway, Damon Allen, Terry Greer, Raghib ‘Rocket’ Ismail and Derrell ‘Mookie’ Mitchell all in attendance.

Toronto is also bringing back Chad Owens to sign a one-day contract to retire with the Argos after spending six seasons with the club. The former CFL All-Star was one of the more electrifying players the team had at that time as he set the record for most all-purpose yards in a regular season with 3,863 and won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award in 2012.

It’s another no-brainer move for the organization to continue celebrating players who contributed to the team’s success in a big way. At the same time, some of the fans who weren’t around for those years will get a chance to connect with those players.

In past years, when some players were asked about the attendance in Toronto, they didn’t want to bring attention to it and brushed it off.

The front office made an effort to bring in players who grew up in this community and would be invested in seeing the team succeed and be ambassadors on and off the field. The Argos have made it a point to be present in the community.

Now the challenge is bringing in a new generation of fans. This might have to come with a more aggressive approach or just a new way of thinking.

What worked to bring in fans 10 to 20 years ago isn't necessarily going to work now. The team also has the power of MLSE behind them and should be getting the support of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors behind them too.

If players from those teams were to attend a game or two, it would certainly go a long way in trying to change the perception around the team. Even going in the similar route as the Raptors went with bringing Drake into the fold could have similar benefits.

Now is the time to be thinking about the next 150 years of the franchise.