THERE have been dark days and bleak seasons, dramatic turnarounds and spectacular campaigns over the last eight years. And now, after nearly flat-lining back in 2000, the heart is pumping and the shine is back on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers logo.

In fact, following Tuesday's announcement of a 2008 operating profit of $761,095 -- a figure that helps bloat the surplus to $5,088,578 -- the Bombers are arguably as healthy as they've ever been in their 79-year existence.

And that's light years from the $5.45-million deficit it carried into the 2001 season.

"The brand is strong and people continue to embrace the club, from individuals to corporations," said Bombers president and CEO Lyle Bauer. "There's a belief in the club and the organization, and I think there's some very good things on the horizon."

After posting a loss of $263,000 in 2007, the Bombers enjoyed a $1-million turnaround in '08, even with a team that struggled mightily on the season (it was 2-8 in early September before finishing 8-10), traded star running back Charles Roberts, cut franchise-leading scorer Troy Westwood and suffered through a soap opera-like campaign in which one on-field crisis seemed to bleed into another.

But courtesy of a 20 per cent increase in season-ticket revenue (up $239,925 from 2007), a 15 per cent jump in sponsorship dough (to more than $4 million) and a bump of roughly $500,000 in money from the CFL, the Bombers were able to post their second-biggest profit of the last couple of decades. The only other bottom line that was bigger than 2008 came in 2006, when the Bombers posted a profit of $2,916,882 after playing host to the Grey Cup.

"This is a very good (financial report), considering the season we had, the ups and downs and getting off to a very questionable start last year," Bauer said. "The financial part is very encouraging, very gratifying as far as where the business has gone. But you know very well what needs to be done yet."

And that would be winning a championship, a goal that remains unfulfilled dating back to 1990.

But as the club begins perhaps its last year as a community-owned entity -- David Asper will take over sometime in 2010 -- it is not only in the black, but will dump the $5-million surplus into the contingency fund set up to protect the franchise under the new agreement. And business, despite last year's disappointment and a sour economy, is still good: The Bombers have sold 14,500 season-ticket packages for this year, on pace with last season, and will play host to two concerts (Rock on the Range in June, AC/DC in August) that also figure to help fill their piggy bank.

"We're not looking over our shoulder right now, and haven't been for a little while," Bauer said. "We're not mortgaging the future. There were some practices in the '90s where some future monies were used for operating. We do not spend next year's season-ticket money on previous years' operations. We're well beyond that. We're operating the way you should be operating.

"The credit has to go to the fans and the sponsors. This is Blue Bomber football, this is Blue Bomber country and this community -- private or community (owned) -- loves its football team."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Blue paint it black

A look at the profits and losses, deficits and surpluses posted by the Bombers in the last 12 years:

YEAR Profit (Loss) (Deficit)/Surplus

1997 ($619,082) ($4,157,961)

1998 $160,040 ($3,890,421)

1999 ($,510,387) ($5,314,154)

2000 ($414,441) ($5,456,451)

2001 $452,374 ($2,018,865)

2002 $277,275 ($937,366)

2003 $179,152 ($292,829)

2004 $75,041 ($217,788)

2005 ($480,094) ($697,882)

2006 $2,916,882 $4,002,355*

2007 ($263,877) $4,327,483

2008 $761,095 $5,088,578

*Includes settlement of debt of $1,783,355 in 2006, $589,005 in 2007.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 22, 2009 C3