Tyler Richard is such a big Toronto Argonauts fan that his friends make fun of him.

People in their 30s who make the Argos their top local sports priority aren’t exactly common. But after the Argos embarked on the marketing blitz that accompanied their move the BMO Field, Richard says those same friends started buying tickets. And when the team started winning, those friends started believing.

Then the Argos lost 11 of their last 12 games en route to a 5-13 record, playing in front of dwindling home crowds and recording the CFL’s lowest average attendance.

A month into the off-season, 2016’s marketing momentum has turned into 2017’s inertia.

While Richard’s fandom is impervious to poor results, he knows the 2017 Argos are under pressure to string together enough wins to keep themselves relevant in crowded local pro sports market.

Again.

“For me there’s a loyalty that will never waver, but there are dedicated, hardcore fans who seem to be wavering,” says Richard, a Mississauga native who now lives in Calgary. “There’s a distaste about the way they performed.”

On the field the Argos gave up 568 points in 2016, worst in the CFL. And they performed just as poorly at the turnstile, averaging a league-low 16,380 spectators for home games.

Even a successful team might have struggled to gain attention in a booming Toronto pro sports market. But racking up losses while the Raptors, Blue Jays and Toronto FC all advanced deep into the playoffs pushed the Argos further out of the city’s sports spotlight.

CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge says those circumstances obscure some promising numbers. He points out that the Argos doubled their season-ticket base compared with 2015, and that TV ratings increased by 50 per cent over the previous year.

“We’re really optimistic and very confident that the Argos can build on that progress,” Orridge said. “There are more people checking out the Argos than have been previously. Those are all good indicators that we’ve got some good traction.”

While the Argos sell stability, building marketing messages around their status as North America’s oldest pro sports franchise, 2016 confronted the club with change on several fronts.

Besides moving from the cavernous Rogers Centre to the intimate, open-air atmosphere at BMO Field, the club navigated its first full season under new owners Bell Media and Larry Tanenbaum.

On the field they also struggled to balance new faces with tested veterans. Slotback Chad Owens had a dedicated local following and a decorated résumé as a receiver and return man, but when he became a free agent the Argos didn’t re-sign him.

Longtime quarterback Ricky Ray returned from the shoulder surgery that ended his 2015 season, but a new round of injuries hit. The 37-year-old is currently pondering his options.

Winning games and attention in 2017 depends on rebuilding quickly, but with an eye on long-term success.

“The goal of this organization is to win the Grey Cup, and that’s the goal every year,” says Argos president and CEO Michael Copeland. “We want to play dominant, entertaining football. We’re having internal discussions now about how we structure ourselves to be able to do that.”

Last winter, Forum Research surveyed Ontario sports fans on the Star’s behalf and learned that the Argos trailed every other Toronto pro sports team in popularity, particularly among fans under 40. Two per cent of fans listed the Argos as their primary rooting interest, tying Toronto FC well behind the Jays, Leafs and Raptors.

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Back then, the Argos said that by the end of 2016 they’d have pulled ahead of TFC. But while TFC finished 2016 by playing for the MLS Cup at BMO Field in front of 36,000 spectators, the Argos drew just 15,023 fans to their home finale.

Another losing season could widen that gap even further. Richard doesn’t event want to ponder that possibility.

“The Argos aren’t irrelevant where they don’t even get mentioned,” Richard says. “They just get laughed at. . . . If the Argos started showing a good product on the field, they have the potential to bring in fans.”