Courtesy Hamilton Spectator:

Welcome to Tigertown. No, it’s not so much a place. It’s an attitude. And the Hamilton Tiger-Cats hope their new multi-season marketing campaign is just the ticket to appease what has become an increasingly restless Tiger-Cat Nation.

Certainly something is needed.

For the first time in the Bob Young-ownership era, the club has hit a crossroads. Yes, Young saved the franchise but he hasn’t restored the winning team. The Tiger-Cats have won just 22 games in five years and missed the playoffs in five of the past six seasons. The need to win now has never been greater. At the same time there are signs of an eroding Cat fan support. The Cats attracted an average home crowd of 23,201 last season, the lowest since Young took over.

Into that volatile mix comes the Tigertown campaign. It launches just as the club conducts its annual State of the Franchise event, a type of shareholders meeting in which Cat fans get to grill Young and the rest of the Cat brass on the local pigskin product. Some 1,000 are expected to turn out to the invitation-only event Monday night at the Hamilton Convention Centre. There, the Cat faithful will review the new cheer team, be introduced to the new Pigskin Pete and meet the club’s first overall draft selection Dylan Barker. The Cats will even air the new CFL promotional video tilted This is Our Game, produced in part to answer concerns about the NFL foray into Toronto this season. And they’ll hear plenty about Tigertown.

Read More…