Léger, the largest Canadian-owned market research and data analytics company, has unveiled their list of the top ten most reputable professional sports franchises in Canada and a trio of CFL teams have made the cut.
Leading the way among three-down league teams was the Montreal Alouettes, who finished fourth in the nation with a reputation score of 51 among consumers in their market. Only the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays and NHL’s Winnipeg Jets were able to edge out the Larks in the court of public opinion.
No other Montreal franchise made the list, with the iconic Montreal Canadiens finishing outside the top ten.
Finishing just behind the Alouettes were the Calgary Stampeders, who were fifth with a score of 50 and edged out the seventh place Calgary Flames. The back-to-back Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers came in tenth with a reputation score of 45.
The complete top ten:
1. Toronto Raptors (reputation score: 59)
2. Toronto Blue Jays (reputation score: 57)
3. Winnipeg Jets (reputation score: 55)
4. Montreal Alouettes (reputation score: 51)
5. Calgary Stampeders (reputation score: 50)
6. Toronto Maple Leafs (reputation score: 48)
7. Calgary Flames (reputation score: 47)
8. Edmonton Oilers (reputation score: 46)
9. Vancouver Canucks (reputation score: 46)
10. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (reputation score: 45)
*Note: Canadians were surveyed about the sports teams in each team’s respective market.
Teams’ reputations are impacted by many factors, including awareness, team performance, players, behaviour on and off the field or ice and more.
The results were part of the company’s annual reputation study, now entering its 25th year of publication. More than 38,000 Canadians were polled for their perspective on more than 285 companies in 30 different sectors, with 2022 marking the first time professional sports was included in the reporting.
In the report, Léger noted that teams with the highest awareness did not necessarily have the highest reputation scores. While most of the sports teams included in the survey had fairly high awareness among Canadians, bad opinion scores were also high.
