I think 2021 is definitely at risk even if the virus eases. I think
Obvious first question is " who is still on board?" Which teams have survived the losses incurred in 2020. Will Montreal still be here. Or BC for that matter.
Then proper discussions with the PA over free agency as a result of a cancelled 2020.
How can we build up a proper league wide bankroll? How can the public help?
Are there lessons about bubble locations have we learned. The NHL has been very "successful"
There was a poll out and about half the people wouldn't get Vaccinated immediately
*Survey results released on Tuesday from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute found half of Canadians say they have no reservations and are ready to get a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as it's available. *
So how is the Government going to allow Stadiums full when half the people won't vaccinate But 32 per cent — roughly a third of respondents — say they'd likely wait a while. Another 14 per cent don't want to get a vaccine at all.
So how is the Government going to allow Stadiums full when half the people won't vaccinate?
You don't need full on vaccinations, if one will ever exist. You just need a certain % of the population so that the spread slows due to built up immunity.
People will get sick and die as they do with the flu. The goal is to reduce a rapid spread of the virus.
If there is a vaccine (and that is a huge if) the league should resume at full capacity . If not, the league should negotiate a reduced seating capacity as they've done with the churches, movie theaters, and so on.
Right now vaccines are being developed. Russia and China are leading the pack. Not exactly comforting.
Masks are being pushed as mandatory in many cities.
Make them mandatory at all stadiums, have lots of sanitizer on hand, temperature guns and possible reduced seating. Start at 60% capacity and each month look at increasing it.
For players, figure out a balance for safety and security.
Not so much a matter of comforting as whether or not to believe what they claim … even if the Russian vaccine is worthless I am certain that the official numbers will reflect a huge success.
I think the solution to playing next year lies in the NFL’s season this year. Let’s face it, 32 billionaires are going to make damn sure their team plays. Whether it’s the CFL or NFL it’s not simply about social distancing in the stands and taking temperatures of fans coming in, it’s the tailgating on the way in, taking a leak in the washrooms, stadium food and drink vendors, getting out of the building at the end of the game and getting transit home. All of this is NOT COVID friendly… What happens in the NFL this fall will tell us a lot about our ability to safely kick start 2021 in the CFL.
This is an absolutely must read by Steve Simmons.
The CFL must and will survive this, as it has many times before!
This stoppage is another fork in the road for the CFL, whose roads never seem to stop twisting, a league forever in some kind of traffic snafu. I have covered bankruptcies in Toronto, Hamilton, Calgary, Regina and Ottawa over the years. I have covered the folding of the Alouettes in Montreal and the Rough Riders in Ottawa. The CFL has survived failed American expansion and the Gliebermans and Donald Crump as commissioner and David Braley owning too many teams and Johnny Manziel trying to play quarterback. Part of its attraction and historical strength has been its own ability to come back from life support.
All those chaotic experiences couldn’t bring the league down the way a pandemic has now. For this season, anyhow.
But as someone who has been around the league as both fan and journalist for 55 years, and has been fortunate to travel to every CFL city, year after year, visiting new stadium after new stadium, the league is alive and rarely well, but we can’t honestly say the CFL doesn’t matter anymore.
My eyes and experiences and conversations tell a story of a game and a league and a history we need to preserve and prosper with.
We can’t lose the CFL. It belongs to us. It belongs to Canada.
I would safe guard it financially by co branding with a large corporate sponsor . Stop relying on bums in the seats and bring down the capacity even further until the sweet spot happens with profitability in at least three of the cities in the CFL . Tarp the living crap out of them with tech screens you can see in the stadium that pays for advertising . Have a separate screen on TV's version you sell . You see it with todays games with no fans .
Then build back up from there to a sustainable size which allows smaller cities in Canada to join the league .
The time is now to reinvent the wheel . Speed up the CFL game to see if you can get it in two hours time .
See how you can speed the game up with pre play calling or on the run play calling that makes the game even more unique from it's NFL counterpart . Take the time to realign the U Sport playoff with the CFL and create a weekend celebration of football games played that is tied into the Grey Cup celebration .
I would not relaunch without making steps to create a New CFL .
Thanks Grover for posting that article from Steve Simmons. And interesting thoughts Hank I'll admit but you're dead on about a large corporate sponsor and tech screens and not relying on bums in the seats. I think about a possibility of a free seat but you have to purchase a food/drink voucher to attend games with the seat attached to the voucher and the cost related to the location quality of the seat. Maybe not for all the seats available but a proportion. So then you're basically going to a restaurant sort of thing.
I would look at models of profit sharing based on the philosophy that a very profitable franchise like Saskatchewan is not going to thrive or survive without it’s partner teams.
Not sure what it would look like. Perhaps its something like after $500,000
net profit the remaining profits are 50% to team and 50% to partner teams.
Or maybe its revenue sharing…everything over 28,000 revenue then 50-50 after that.
I’m not sure but common sense tells us that the more of a partnership is beneficial.
I agree with greater revenue sharing but want to add the caveat that we need to get spending under control first. I mean it’d be hard to justify divvying up Saskatchewan’s profits if other teams are spending twice as much as Saskatchewan does on operations staff.
I suspect the operations cap brought in last year might have been a precursor to greater revenue sharing with the idea of leveling the playing field first.
Another thought is to make the injured list you must be injured and to stop the IR as a spot to hide players and salaries off the cap. Perhaps the player must receive clearance from a neutral physician to sign off.
Perhaps we get rid of the practice roster and those costs.
I hope so and think that will be the case in the years to come (if it’s not already 100% the case).
The fact that the Argos broke the players cap this year without penalty wouldn’t sit well with teams having to share profits with the Argos. Of course Covid makes this year unique but the optics aren’t ideal. Penalties might have to be increased to ensure stricter compliance.
How about if they start the season 2 months early. Play the first 3rd of the season. Let the players out for 2 weeks. Do it all over for the next 3rd. Let the players out again for 2 weeks. Do it all over for the last 3rd. After 2 weeks, all play off players return for playoffs in either Toronto or Vancouver.
Assuming you mean NHL … if they still have to play in a bubble rather than in their home cities with fans then Covid is still an issue and the two weeks off would require two weeks of quarantine before re-entering … if “bubbles” are still necessary I suspect we may see a very different NHL season