Ways for the CFL to get more income and cause and effect for growth

CFL Talk
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WAYS FOR THE CFL TO GET MORE INCOME AND CAUSE AND EFFECT FOR GROWTH

TV DEAL:

Looking at the most recent TSN TV Deal for the CFL that was extended in November of 2019, was advertised as follows:

37 million USD with an increase to 50 million USD incentive based on ratings.

The minimum if you factor in $0.35 on the dollar, it becomes 49.95 million CAD per year. Teams get approximately 5.55 million CAD. That covers your salary cap. If it was a max at 50 million, it becomes 67.5 million CAD. Teams get 7.5 million CAD per year. This covers the salary cap with extras to put towards whatever (I.E., player development, advertising, new training equipment etc.).

During the CFL 2.0, it was advertised that Commissioner Ambrosie had a TV Deal also with the Liga de Futbol Americano (LFA). I’m not sure how much was offered to the CFL.

What I’d like to see is a max of 10 Million CAD as a salary cap for each team. This will make more players stay, and not head to let’s say the XFL where you can make about $50,000 USD to $125,000 USD per year.

Increase the positional player minimum to let’s say $75,000 - $80,000 for starting lineup players. So even if you’re a 3rd stringer, make the range respectable like $55, 000 - $60,000. It’s nothing crazy, but it will be more that it was prior.

CFL Draft on Territorial Picks:

If you are lucky enough, and or are drafting a territorial player; make the rookie contact of minimum of 3 – 4 year range with the club. Similar to eventually being an Unrestricted Free Agent in Hockey. These picks, and or salary, will not be used against the Salary Cap. This will be better for player development.

ESPN TV DEAL:

I know ESPN does show its games mainly on ESPN 3, and the Grey Cup on ESPN Deportes. I like that they show it on both platforms. However, last time I was in Chicago let’s say, I checked the listings, and it is only 1 game a week. I was not able to see the Thursday Night or Friday Night game, as it was only scheduled for mainly the Saturday games. They eventually show all the playoffs and Grey Cup. I’d like to see them show every game on those 2 platforms. You get to hit more of the American Market and Latino Market.

If we can get them to show every game, let’s see if we can get an additional $40 million USD per season per say for the ESPN Deal. It does not hurt to try.

MERCHANDISE:

In continuing with ESPN, if the deal hypothetically speaking is done; advertise links and or CFL Merchandise on the ESPN, Fanatics Websites.

GRASS ROOTS PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:

I’m going more with the CJFL on this one. Have all 9 teams have an affiliate with a CJFL Team. Vancouver Island Raiders (BC Lions), Saskatoon Hilltops (Saskatchewan Roughriders), Calgary Colts (Calgary Stampeders), Hamilton Hurricanes (Hamilton Tiger – Cats) etc. Some teams will not have one. I.E. Toronto Argonauts, Montreal Alouettes (The St. Leonard Cougars folded), and Ottawa Redblacks.

When I was a kid, and if you had a Leaf ticket for the Hockey Nigh in Canada game on Saturday, you can go to Maple Leaf Gardens at 3pm to watch the Toronto Marlboroughs game prior to the 7pm Leafs game. Why not have every CFL Team to do the same. It would eventually be part of Grey Cup Week.

OTHER TOPICS:

Should the league consider Revenue Sharing? Do we have maybe a “Designated Player Status” like they do in MLS Soccer that does not count against the Salary Cap?

Feel free to have your say.

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i think the league would be more likely to entice players to come up and to stay if our minimum were raised as well. for a player who isnt being payed USD and loses alot of the 65k(which is not a bad figure, by any means) minimum to taxes it doesnt seem economically feasible. alot of them come up for the chance to be discovered and play down south. alot of them do make names for themselves north of the border and do enjoy nice paycheques, giving them a better reason to come up is how we attract more, and keep the ones we want. IMO

the tv deal was for MTS Comunicaciones to broadcast a game a week, there werent any terms disclosed, but likewise, we should try going to Televisa or TV Azteca for mexican broadcast. maybe court them with a trial run and hook them in with the ratings i think we’d get. im surprised that given the popularity in parts of europe, that nothing was ever announced to broadcast CFL games on a european network. could it be that streaming services are king? putting the games on youtube isnt going to do anything without actual marketing… and i think thats only the Grey Cup(?)

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I would see if there was interest with DAZN ; was very impressed with them this past year . Much easier platform to navigate and accurate than TSN .

Like to see them also given the rights to stream here and everywhere . The CTV /TSN commercials are still in the broadcast game day stream for the NFL games . I take it this can be done everywhere for anything .

Not sure what added revenue they would compensate the CFL in monetary terms but if they add the CFL and hopefully a U sports football game they have a customer in me from May onward instead of Sept onward to Feb .

They already have MLB , NFL , MLS , Premier league , Rugby Union etc ... . 200 countries .

If They ever get the NBA and NHL here it's really lights out .

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Don't you think the CFL marketing/business department and the Commish has already thought through these ideas?? Ambrosie is collecting close to $1MILLION a year to deal with the business side of the CFL.
They can't go back to TSN and demand more money, they signed a contract. TSN holds all CFL broadcast rights.
It's all about what advertisers are willing to pay TSN for air time. It's been talked about forever, the CFL needs a younger demographic to attract advertisers.

The CFL can not increase the salary cap if there is zero revenue coming in and with the uncertain future. No guarantees that the season will start in June as usual and the teams can't sell tickets if they don't know when the season will start. This is the time of year when teams are selling and marketing season tickets, some are purchased as Christmas presents. Teams aren't selling now and fans are buying.
How many fans like "social distancing" and will never return to sit in a packed stadium. Too many uncertainties right now.

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Hello atlanticfan.

Sorry I wrote in it the sense of non - COVID time of the future. Ways to get income and increase player salary. I should have specified that along with the future TV deal. I do like TSN. They do one hell of a job hosting CFL Games.

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Can they sell naming rights for the divisions? Grey Cup and Labour Day weekend already have title sponsors.

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Sorry, hate this. As I read the article, I was hoping it was a spoof. If you’re going to names, go back to honouring some of the founders and stars. Richard, Orr, Harvey, Plante, etc, etc. Honda? Scotia? Hate it.

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They do that for bowls games.

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Palmer,

I’m all for having the traditional names / historical figures. Still to this day I hate the fact that in the NHL, we have the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. I liked it better when it was the Campbell Conference and the Princess of Wales Conference. Same with the Divisions. Smyth, Patrick, Norris and Adams. You look at the NHL Eastern Division, is now a combination of the Norris and Adams combined.

For the CFL, I think it would be cool if we name the East and West divisions after historical figures. In the West, you can call it the Jackie Parker Division, George Reed Division, or the Bud Grant Division just to name a few. For the East, Frank Clair would be a good one.

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Talk about going back to minor peewee /bantam when you had the sponsor of your team on your hockey jersey .

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Yeah, I recognize that I’ve become a dinosaur, just not “with it” any longer. I even pre-date the official boomer definition, but the “Okay Boomer” still applies, more and more frequently it seems.:smirk:

We had an older friend who would often say after reading, or hearing, something about progress, “You know, sometimes I’m glad I’m on my way out, and not my way in”. I understand the sentiment.

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The NHL with their billion dollar+ contract doesn’t really need the money. But if the CFL could get name sponsors then why not. There are rich people donating money to hospitals and getting the hospital named after them, donating money to universities and getting buildings named after them.
Or if that doesn’t work then CFL builders like Braley. He certainly kept the CFL alive, could name the East division the Braley division.
Don’t know about the West division

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ILF. I like your enthusiasm and some of your ideas. I am not sure how you would attain some of them such as “getting” ESPN to show more CFL games, especially in prime time.

I am all for the players getting paid a good salary but the money has to come from somewhere.

I do not agree with partnering up with individual CJFL teams though. Putting some money into the league generally would be a great start and go a long ways. Affiliating with individual teams would kill the other teams though. All of the better junior players would want to play for an affiliated team rather than an unaffiliated team with less training and coaching resources. Who does Edmonton affiliate with, there are two CJFL teams in that city. BC Lions are a provincially named team. There are 6 BC CJFL teams with at least two in Vancouver alone. Having the Riders go with the Hilltops, what happens to the Regina Thunder. There are other problems with this. What would that do to University football? While the CJFL has produced some great CFL players (Andrew Harris for example), many more have come from the ranks of the Universities. Generally if a player has professional ambitions, they go to university (either State-side or here at home). The CFL needs to affiliate itself with the University level starting with a pairing of the Vanier Cup to the Grey Cup.

Some of your other ideas have been tried such as a designated player outside of the salary cap. That almost killed the Riders as they could not afford a million dollar contract for The Rocket (The Argos paid NFL money to get him here and that only lasted one year) or Doug Flutie. As a result they had poorer quality players. They missed the playoffs for 11 years in a row and it was difficult to get anyone to go to games here. Besides where do the teams get the extra money to pay for one of these types of players. You still are not going to get the cream of the NFL crop. You will not get any different players than you already have as you will never pay even close to NFL money.

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Slap some advertising decals on helmets like what the NHL is going to do.

I know this a redundant topic, but expansion is another way to generate income. There is talk that the NBA is going to expand to generate income since fans haven't been able to attend games for the next two years. The NBA is looking to get back to Seattle. They should never have left to begin with. The NBA is going back to Seattle because the NHL has planted their flag there. It's the Las Vegas Golden Knights scenario all over again once the NFL relocated the Raiders there.

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sell CFL shares and give partial ownership to the fans.

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I don’t want to see Johnny Manziel back in Canada EVER again

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The Riders, Bombers and Edmonton FC already do that.

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Were they actual shares of ownership or non-valued shares like what the Green Bay Packers sold to their fans?

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They are community owned which means you buy shares, the Riders shares are $300 each. Most shareholders are season ticket holders. When you buy a share and ticket you are financing the team. Not sure what you mean by “non-valued” shares. The shareholders (fans) are owners and the value is in supporting your team.
Riders fans are all over the country and can buy a share, when they say “community owned” it means the “Riders football community”

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Fans can still buy season tickets and have cardboard cut outs. Of themselves put in their seats, they can even put their names on their foreheads , lol. That way they are still supporting the teams and league. They could also rotate 1/3 fans to go to games from season ticket holders. That way everyone still gets paid, football continues ,and most will just have to watch at home. For those who can afford to do that I might add. It is a gate driven league so . This seems like one idea, since there doesn’t seem to be any other solutions, Maybe someone can chew on that and see if there’s something there. I know there are lots of people with enough money to help, but whether there’s enough or not I don;t know. If they really want to help the cfl survive. This may help. ?