TORONTO – The Canadian Football League officially called off its 2020 season today after being turned down by the federal government for a special bailout. The league and its players were hoping to play a shortened season using Winnipeg as a bubble city for all games.
“Our league governors decided today it is in the best long-term interests of the CFL to concentrate on the future,” said league commissioner Randy Ambrosie in a press release. “We are absolutely committed to 2021, to the future of our league and the pursuit of our vision of a bigger, stronger, more global CFL.”
Losing the CFL for the fall and the normally highly-rated Grey Cup Championship game in November (last year’s game drew 3.9 million viewers) will hurt TSN, RDS and parent company Bell Media, which normally would be all-in on the league right now hyping the Labour Day Classics, games which normally would draw 1.5 million or more fans to their televisions. The last time the Grey Cup game was cancelled was during World War I, from 1916-1919.
Cartt.ca asked Bell Media how the season cancellation will affect the broadcaster’s recently signed multi-million-dollar rights deal with the league. Will it extend the deal by a year, or is one year of the deal cancelled? A spokesperson declined to answer the specific questions, saying only in an email:
“TSN fully supports the CFL and is committed to our longstanding and successful partnership. We will continue to work closely with the league and our advertising partners as we turn our attention to the 2021 season.
“We look forward to the CFL’s return to play and to the TSN schedule, including the great tradition of the Grey Cup for the 2021 season.”
The spokesman reminded TSN’s fall schedule is still full, with the upcoming NFL season, the just-started NBA playoffs, the two remaining pro golf majors and other PGA events, tennis, soccer and car racing.
Despite the loss of the TV revenue, the league’s press release notes its number one source of revenue remains fans in the stands. “Unlike U.S.-based leagues that can count on television or streaming to provide the lion’s share of their revenue, the CFL depends heavily on its live gate,” reads the release.
The league had planned to try and play all games in Winnipeg, with players living in a protected bubble consisting of the game day stadium, practice fields and hotels, but it also needed federal government support to compensate for the lack of ticket sales.
While it received approval for its season plan from Manitoba public health authorities and said it was close to a deal with the Canadian Football League Players’ Association, “even with additional support, our owners and community-held teams would have had to endure significant financial losses to play in 2020,” added Ambrosie.
“Without (federal help), the losses would be so large that they would really hamper our ability to bounce back strongly next year and beyond. The most important thing is the future of our league.”
Ambrosie thanked the league’s fans and its many employees. “The support, understanding and patience have been outstanding. Our players have hung in there despite the hardship imposed on them and their families by a postponed season. Our fans keep asking how they can help. And our partners, especially our friends at Bell Media, have been incredible to us,” he said.
The commissioner also added teams are working together on a new initiative to let fans to show their pride, which will be unveiled in the coming days.
