8 week season East vs East

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1

I know it's been awhile since I posted
But with the Coronavirus killing all sports temporarily
Here's an idea which I think could work
I was listening to Bubba O'Neil and a bunch of other well-known Hamilton sportscasters on a podcast

They suggested an eight-game season
East plays East and the West only plays the West
No crossover at all top 3 Teams make it in..

I've come up with a little bit of a schedule I placed below
With the season kicking off Labor Day in Hamilton

Wk 1
Sept 7th WK
1PM Toronto @ Hamilton
4:30 Ottawa @ Montreal

Wk 2
Sept 12th
Hamilton @ Ottawa
Montreal @ Toronto

Wk 3
SAT Sept 19 (16)
Ottawa @ Toronto
Montreal @ Hamilton

WK (4) Sept 25-26
BYE WEEK
No Games

WK(5)
Mon oct 2-3
Ottawa @ Toronto
Hamilton @ Montreal

WK 6 oct 9 -12
Hamilton @ Toronto
Montreal @ Ottawa

WK7 oct 16 -17
Ottawa @ Montreal
Toronto @ Hamilton

WK 8 OC 23-24
Hamilton @ Toronto
ottawa @ Montreal

oct 30
Playoffs
EAST Semi

Nov 8
West Semi

ESt Final Nov 15
Wst Final Nov 15

Grey cup nov 22

2 Likes
2

I like the idea and hope something like this will still be possible.

The only thing I might change is to add another week of regular season and remove one week of playoffs, so only the top 2 of each division moves on.

2 Likes
3

With Doug Fords reopen schedule announced yesterday, the CFL should just cancel the season. Nobody expects sports to resume in 2020. The league should be spending their efforts on how to survive. Teams need to figure out how to treat season tickets holders with respect to the money already paid to the teams.
Ticats need to stop taking any more money from us now. We’ve already paid for 2020 and some on the 3 yr plan are about to start paying towards 2021.

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4

The league has to assume there will be no fans allowed until 2021.
The owners and players and TSN need to decide if a 8-9 game season with empty stands is even possible or worth it. If not, cancel the 2020 season .
It's really that simple .
All this talk of social distancing within the stadium "every second seat" type talk is really silly.The Canadian government will not allow large crowds until at least 2021.
So I truly believe the options are no fans, or cancel the season.
If they cancel the season, what will it mean for the league going forward?

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5

I fully agree Lenny. This football season will not happen but I have a feeling the CFL will wait until the last possible moment to admit that the season will be cancelled. Fans can hope and dream all they want. I just want to know what is going to happen with the money I’ve spent so far on season’s tickets.

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6

I can’t guarantee it but Bob is a standup guy and likely will refund the money, or, apply it to your 2021 renewal. I just hope we have a league left when this is all over. Although personal finances are very important, the survival of our team and our league is also right up there. :wink: :football: :trophy: :mask:

7

I just read in a news story that if restrictions are lifted in the next few months, only 21% of respondents to a poll stated they would be willing to attend a major concert or sporting event. I realize that season ticket holders might skew that number upwards, but wonder if there really is a demand right now for attendance.

8

The 8 game season might work for TSN but not with a bye . Televised games help pay the bills so 4 games a week is a way to go . The all east Ti-Cat schedule in 1950 featured 12 games and 2 playoff games from Sept 2 to Nov 15 . * I , too , fear that the season may be lost . :frowning_face:

Pat Lynch (we live in strange times)

9

The reason it has to be all East games is to keep the travel costs down
Keeping it to 8 games keeps the cost down
You still have to give these players a blow
8 straight weeks would be still tough
So you make it a 9 week season
This gives each division a bye week

East gets a bye week 4
West gets it bye WK 5
It’s not a perfect approach but it’s one the CFL has to look at
Tsn needs the programming so they have to go along with it
They can’t afford no CFL at all

1 Like
10

None of this is happening IMO, but for the record the West would have to have a bye team every week. That’s what happens when there is an odd number of teams – one doesn’t play. Just as is the case in a nine-team league with an interlocking schedule – one team off every week.

11

Interlocking schedule east and West Team will not happen this year
East versus East-West versus West interlocking
You won’t see Calgary at Hamilton this year
The travel cost are just too much when you haven’t got the full season Revenue

12

As I said, none of this is happening. Since it apparently was not clear, I'll be more explicit -- IMO there will be no season, period.

I was simply trying to point out a flaw in the notion that the entire west would have its bye at once under this improbable scenario.

13

I can’t see refunds happening. The team will do everything in its power to defer money to future seasons. And I say this knowing that many STH have started paying into their 2021 season tickets on the 3y plan.

14

Perhaps telling STH if they don’t apply their payment for 2020 to future seasons they lose their seats?

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15

That just doesn’t seem like a way to win fan favour for 2021 if the season is cancelled

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16

I imagine they will transfer 2020 payments to 2021 or encourage that option. Maybe for people in the three year plan they could offer additional money paid out towards Grey Cup tickets. Recall years we missed out on
playoffs the ticket money was never refunded, always put toward the following year.

17

I think the bigger issue is that they’re still taking payments.

1 Like
19

What about pay per view?

I know it would mean reworking tv deals etc. , but a lot of people would go for it in these times I think.

Maybe a subscription like centre ice for all games. How much would it take?

2 Likes
21

You’re right, they should suspend or should have already suspended payments. But they seem to be taking full advantage of the uncertainty of the situation and building a war chest - it wouldn’t surprise me if this is one reason the league hasn’t announced any further postponements to the start of the season, even though several cities have cancelled public events now for the entire summer.

Considering Ambrosie has gone to the federal gov’t, it seems like they are finally embracing the inevitable. The prospect of refunds versus deferred payment to 2021 might hinge on some type of bailout.