The #CFL announces that there will not be a shortened season played this fall.
— CFL (@CFL) August 17, 2020
FULL STATEMENT | https://t.co/iq4JNXU20p pic.twitter.com/OE4R4AHZdQ
The CFL had a lot of good momentum. A decade where 8 of the 9 CFL teams won a Grey Cup (sorry, Hamilton Tiger-Cats). A Touchdown Atlantic in Halifax, finally.
Unlike the other major leagues, the CFL needed fans in the stands to be viable. Even in Canada, that was not going to happen.
The CFL announced earlier today that there will not be a 2020 season. This is the first year in the modern CFL era (1958-) where there will be no season, the first time since 1919 that the Grey Cup will not be awarded.
No strike or lockout; just the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The final straw was when the federal government turned down the league's request for a $30-million, interest-free loan. The CFL turned down a loan from the Business Development Bank of Canada over the high interest rate.
There had been talk about a hub scenario in Winnipeg but the financial part didn't work.
In May, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambroisie told a House of Commons standing committee on finance earlier this month that the most likely scenario for the CFL is a cancelled 2020 season. "Ours is a big brand but not a wealthy business," Ambrosie told the committee. "Unlike large U.S.-based leagues, our biggest source of revenue is not TV — it's ticket sales."
The approach seemed a bit defeatist at the time but might have been more honest than we knew at the time.
If CFL plays in 2020, have all the games in the Maritimes
2020 Touchdown Atlantic in Halifax: What would have been
Our approach that playing a limited season (8 games, not 6) and then asking for money would have made more sense. Since crowds wouldn't be an issue, playing in the relatively safe area of the Maritimes would have grown the sport for the future.
Having the visual of Halifax, Moncton, and Saint John would have been amazing, similar to what Toronto and Edmonton are enjoying with the NHL. Canada has proven to be safer than the United States on COVID-19.
What sports will look like on Canadian soil in 2020
CFL dream: What if U.S. sports fans suddenly cared about the CFL
Even though this punch in the gut was coming for some time, the idea that all these other sports could come back in some form and not the CFL feels very cruel. I used to cover sports and sports broadcasting for a living beyond this blog. The world is filled with so many sports that I don't care about anymore. The CFL was a grand exception. We have to hope that 2021 will offer a season of some kind. Please.
Chris Cuthbert picks Stanley Cup final over TSN, jumps to Rogers Sportsnet
I don’t know, but I would be happy to if asked. https://t.co/ezlBCS2ipD
— Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) August 5, 2020
Assuming a 2021 CFL season, TSN and the league will still have to answer on who will call the big CFL games. The Gord Miller tweet gave some hope that he would be part of the mix. Rod Smith would have been high on the list. The announcer landscape may be very different in 2021.
We know giving up the CFL was a difficult decision for Chris Cuthbert. Cuthbert made the right decision at least in the short term.
CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage
Labour Day. Canadian Thanksgiving. Sundays in November. As bad as the hurt is now, those benchmarks are coming soon. The hurt will get worse. The CFL is hopeful for 2021 but there are no guarantees in life, on and off the field.
Twitter captures: @CFL; @GMillerTSN
logo credit: CFL
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