TAIT: Edmonton Elks face must-win situation Sunday

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A must-win game in the Canadian Football League in the middle of July might seem as strange as -30 C weather with a howling wind. Mind you, some Edmontonians might welcome any cooler temperatures these days.

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The Edmonton Elks find themselves on the hot seat for their 0-4 start. And although there are countless football writers with more knowledge and insight about the game than I will ever have, I submit the following as a lifelong Edmontonian.

I went to my first Edmonton Elks — they were called another name — game in Clarke Stadium in 1965.

I grew up first watching and then, more significantly, falling in love with the Elks and the CFL.

My dad was a staunch Saskatchewan Roughriders fan, and organized a trip for us to take in the 1967 Grey Cup in Ottawa between the two CFL Roughriders: Saskatchewan and Ottawa.

Dad said it was a sales pitch to convert me to a Riders fan. It didn’t work: as I got older, I became a staunch Elks fan.

Those consecutive Grey Cups in the late 1970s and infant ‘80s were beyond special. I doubt very much if it will be repeated by any professional sports team.

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The Elks became the CFL’s flagship franchise and created a culture of success: a perennial playoff partner, adding five more to their league-leading 14 Grey Cups.

Perhaps, then, Elks football fans — and, yes: I have to believe there are lots out there — find themselves in a new, uncomfortable position.

Winning and losing dictates the mood of any fan base.

It also contributes to the financial success of a sports franchise.

The Elks are struggling financially. Over the past three years, reports say the club has lost $15 million.

The nameplate on the door to the CEO and president has changed several times since February of 2019, when Len Rhodes moved on after seven years.

Chris Presson was brought o board in September 2019 and announced the name change of the team from the Eskimos to the Elks in November 2021.

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Then came the Victor Cui era, which began in January 2022 and ended in August of 2023.

We can rest assured Presson and Cui’s departures cost the Elks handsomely. And then some.

Elks GM and head coach Chris Jones told Sports 1440 earlier this week the inner workings of the board of directors and senior executive of the team is far enough from his radar.

But I really don’t buy that. Because if — and the operative word here is if — the Elks lose their fifth game Sunday, someone from the board or senior management has to seriously consider if a coaching change is needed.

As coach and GM, Jones can’t really fire himself, can he?

We keep hearing the club will be sold, switching the civic charm of being community owned to the corporate credence of business.

And that’s why Sunday’s game is, really, a must win for the Elks.

Because you would think a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019 would not be — I don’t know — that marketable.

Would that mean the potential new owner might think twice if the team hasn’t improved from last season’s 4-14 record?

We’ll wait and see Sunday. But to suggest the Elks game isn’t a big one is like saying Edmontonians have been wearing winter jackets.

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