TORONTO – As the CBC lockout drags on, the Canadian Football League and TSN announced this morning (Sunday) that the CTV-owned sports network will broadcast the Toronto Argonaut-Hamilton Tiger-Cats traditional Labour Day game.
As football fans around the country know, CBC has now broadcast two games (including last night’s Calgary at Saskatchewan tilt) using management and others in the production trucks and behind the cameras – and with no announcing crew or game analysts.
(Ed note: We watched large chunks of both games and while the decreased yakkety-yak during the games was a pleasant change on one level, announcers – as well as the experienced production, sound, direction and camera people – are clearly required.)
Simply, the CFL can’t afford to have its marquee regular season matchup aired in such a hap-hazard way. Despite Hamilton’s 1-8 record, Labour Day is normally the take-off point in the race for the playoffs and the Toronto-Hamilton game is often the highest rated regular season matchup of the year.
This is the first time it will be shown on a cable channel.
The earlier Calgary-Edmonton Labour Day game will stay with CBC.
Ironically, TSN’s Chris Cuthbert will call the game. If he hadn’t been unceremoniously and inexplicably dumped from CBC Sports earlier this year, he would have been locked out of calling this game for the Corp. TSN’s lead analyst Glen Suitor is the color man.
"The Labour Day Classic is a must watch event for every CFL fan,” said TSN president Phil King in today’s release. “TSN is committed to the growth of Canadian Football and we are very pleased to be able to bring this game to the fans."
"Our partnership with TSN has always been strong. We’re pleased they will carry the game," said CFL commissioner Tom Wright.
The TSN pre-game, in-game and halftime panel of Dave Randorf, Chris Schultz, Matt Dunigan and Jock Climie will contribute as usual.
For TSN, the CFL broadcast will be its third in four days. The network will broadcast the Ottawa at Montreal match-up Friday, Sept. 2, Winnipeg at Saskatchewan on Sunday, Sept. 4 and now the Toronto at Hamilton classic on Monday, Sept. 5.
TSN is in the midst of a five-year broadcast deal with the CFL. With the addition of the Labour Day Classic, this year’s broadcast schedule now features 55 games, the most ever for TSN.
– Greg O’Brien
