The NHL is debating about North Dakota. The NBA is looking into Las Vegas. MLB is considering Arizona to start playing again. The idea of an isolated structure at a neutral site is intriguing in the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The CFL has already delayed training camps and the season won't start until at least July. The fate of the 2020 CFL season is, like all the other major sports, unknown.
The theory is that warmer weather might slow down the rate of COVID-19 coronavirus cases. This theory is based on previous pandemics. If the pattern repeats with COVID-19, and that is an if, a limited CFL season might be an option.
The CFL was scheduled to have a regular season game in Halifax for the first time ever — July 25 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the "host" team Toronto Argonauts at Huskies Stadium in Halifax on the campus of St. Mary's University.
The limited window of potential play for the CFL combined with the league's desire to include the Maritimes could result in a tournament of games to take place in the Maritime provinces.
Attendance won't be as much of an issue in the 2020 CFL season since crowds may not be a concern. Calgary has implemented a ban on Flames (NHL) and Stampeders (CFL) games through June 30. The Toronto ban through June 30 does not include sports teams. The Montréal ban includes cultural and sporting events until July 2.
Attendance issues have been a concern in playing CFL games in the Maritimes. Introducing the game through Touchdown Atlantic contests has been a slow process.
Any games in 2020 aren't going to draw huge crowds so the Maritimes are more viable.
There are 3 significant options:
- Halifax — Huskies Stadium on the campus of St. Mary's University
- Moncton — Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium on the campus of Université de Moncton
- Saint John — Canada Games Stadium on the campus of University New Brunswick Saint John
King George V Park at the head of Quidi Vidi Lake in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is tempting. Prince Edward Island doesn't have a viable option of which we are aware. The other 3 stadiums have hosted CFL preseason games.
The CFL has a wonderful relationship with its fans. Leaving behind Regina, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Hamilton will be rather difficult. Giving Halifax, Moncton, and Saint John a chance to flourish is an act that would benefit the CFL in the long-term.
A 9-week/8-game season gives each CFL team a game with the other teams. Each city would host 2 games in a weekend 3 times during the mini season.
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As for the TSN broadcasts, having Chris Cuthbert, Rod Black, Gord Miller, Glen Suitor, Duane Forde, and Matt Dunigan travel to the Maritimes would be ideal. The crews likely would call games from the TSN studios in suburban Toronto. This is likely even if games were played in Ottawa, Montréal, Calgary, and Vancouver.
Each weekend would feature 4 games with a bye team. Travel between Moncton and Saint John is about 2 hours with another 3 hours from Moncton to Halifax.
The TV coverage can spotlight great options in the Maritimes region for when travel becomes more viable once the pandemic lessens.
We recommend a tournament as opposed to a regular season schedule with the uncertainty of how a season might end. The anguish of NHL and NBA fans is very real over the fate of their seasons.
Bringing 9 teams and their support staff to a new region is a bit daunting. Players and coaches would be separated from their families. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick might not want several hundred people coming in from the rest of Canada and the United States.
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This proposal is not meant to undermine the suffering and tragedy that has happened with COVID-19 in Canada. Having grown men in pads slam into each other might not be viable by the time the summer of 2020 comes along.
The 2020 CFL season could be a haphazard patchwork of games without a Grey Cup champion. Let the CFL and the Maritimes develop some goodwill in a condensed season.
photo credit: CFL
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