2019-20 CFL Offseason

[DR. CFL]

1 hour ago, Mr Dee said:

 

Well that is a start....they need to be on the same page. There are enough obstacles to be sorted out.

 

[M.O.A.B.]

Couple of guys signed by the Bombers per CFL.ca transaction page. 

DB Ranthony Texada 

OL Nolan Ulizio

 

[BomberBall]

Ranthony isn’t a great handle.

[Mr Dee]

16 minutes ago, BomberBall said:

Ranthony isn’t a great handle.

He’s got the better name. His sister is Theopatra...

 

 

😅

[Tracker]

33 minutes ago, Mr Dee said:

He’s got the better name. His sister is Theopatra...

 

 

😅

But she made an asp of herself and is in DeNile about it.

[SpeedFlex27]

On 2020-05-03 at 7:49 AM, Colin Unger said:

The bombers would struggle through this time but certainly they would not go under.  Teams like Edmonton, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg would be able to survive with the stabilization funds they have. However, the rest of the league is going to have trouble surviving. 

Flames have Calgary Sports & Entertainment Corporation is owned by a multi billionaire Murray Edwards. Similar to MLSE they own the Flames, Hitmen, Stamps & Roughnecks. They'll be okay. I worry about the Lions & Als. New owners who never banked on a pandemic when he bought the team. 

[The Unknown Poster]

 

[Mr Dee]

😮 🥺 😩 🤬

[SpeedFlex27]

How can Ambrosie say the teams rely on ticket sales more than tv revenue when stadiums on average are 25-30% empty every game with no effort to market those empty seats? And no thought of lowering prices so more people would be motivated to go to games than just stay home & watch on television.  An $80 ticket not being used isn't worth $80. It's worth zero so why isn't that ticket $40? Or even $20??

Now, it's taken a pandemic to get the CFL's attention to show them just how broken their business model is. To tell the Committee that the teams lose $10-20 million a year every year is shocking. How can they even operate in good times? They've had over 30 years to figure this out, get it fixed & just ignored it. 

Edited May 7, 2020 by SpeedFlex27

[Rich]

53 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

How can Ambrosie say the teams rely on ticket sales more than tv revenue when stadiums on average are 25-30% empty every game with no effort to market those empty seats? And no thought of lowering prices so more people would be motivated to go to games than just stay home & watch on television.  An $80 ticket not being used isn't worth $80. It's worth zero so why isn't that ticket $40? Or even $20??

Now, it's taken a pandemic to get the CFL's attention to show them just how broken their business model is. To tell the Committee that the teams lose $10-20 million a year every year is shocking. How can they even operate in good times? They've had over 30 years to figure this out, get it fixed & just ignored it. 

Your hate for the guy doesn't mean you need to go on a tirade every time he talks.

• Go read the financial reports of the community teams.  It is brutally obvious that the majority of revenue comes from ticket sales.  This isn't a revelation for the CFL
• Ticket pricing will be optimized to bring in the most revenue.    Selling 100 - $80 tickets brings in more money then 150 - $40 tickets
• The CFL has known how broken their model is for a long time.  Again, this isn't a revelation.
• Teams on the brink of bankruptcy, delusional owners, owners owning multiple teams.   They are here because of owners like Bob Young and David Braley have absorbed the losses for years for the love of the game.  This is not new news and should not be shocking.

The alternative  here and what we have been close to so many times  is the league folding.

[Mr Dee]

Well Bob likes Randy...

 

[SpeedFlex27]

52 minutes ago, Rich said:

Your hate for the guy doesn't mean you need to go on a tirade every time he talks.

• Go read the financial reports of the community teams.  It is brutally obvious that the majority of revenue comes from ticket sales.  This isn't a revelation for the CFL
• Ticket pricing will be optimized to bring in the most revenue.    Selling 100 - $80 tickets brings in more money then 150 - $40 tickets
• The CFL has known how broken their model is for a long time.  Again, this isn't a revelation.
• Teams on the brink of bankruptcy, delusional owners, owners owning multiple teams.   They are here because of owners like Bob Young and David Braley have absorbed the losses for years for the love of the game.  This is not new news and should not be shocking.

The alternative  here and what we have been close to so many times  is the league folding.

If the league survives things have to change. These guys are supposed business owners with an acumen for making money so they need to figure things out. 

[SpeedFlex27]

54 minutes ago, Rich said:

Your hate for the guy doesn't mean you need to go on a tirade every time he talks.

• Go read the financial reports of the community teams.  It is brutally obvious that the majority of revenue comes from ticket sales.  This isn't a revelation for the CFL
• Ticket pricing will be optimized to bring in the most revenue.    Selling 100 - $80 tickets brings in more money then 150 - $40 tickets
• The CFL has known how broken their model is for a long time.  Again, this isn't a revelation.
• Teams on the brink of bankruptcy, delusional owners, owners owning multiple teams.   They are here because of owners like Bob Young and David Braley have absorbed the losses for years for the love of the game.  This is not new news and should not be shocking.

The alternative  here and what we have been close to so many times  is the league folding.

The $80-100 tickets are too high. if being profitable means going back to a $3 million dollar salary cap then so be it.  Live within their means until revenues rise. 

[Dr Zaius]

Just now, SpeedFlex27 said:

If the league survives things have to change. These guys are supposed business owners with an acumen for making money so they need to figure things out. 

Way to somehow totally miss the point he made 

Edited May 8, 2020 by Dr Zaius

[Noeller]

Sports owners, ESPECIALLY in the CFL, have never been in it to make money. Most of the time, it's a money losing venture they take on for the "prestige" of saying they're a sports team owner... 

[rebusrankin]

I said this in another thread but while I still hope we have a 2020 season, I just hope this does not mean the end of the CFL.

[Tiny759]

If the government and cfl can not reach a deal, I feel like this could be the end. Putting themselves in a Leveraged position could help for next year, but having the high amount of debt could be hard to overcome since it was reported the cfl lost $20m/year. Sad to watch this potentially fold out. 

[Floyd]

8 game season with four teams made up of canadians and the americans who stayed the winter...  start up in July

Set up giant screens with different camera feeds outside the stadiums and let people have tailgate parties while the game is going on

Broadcast all of that on TSN, cut a deal with Boston Pizza or something

Huge opportunity right now to get ahead of the American sports leagues...

[Noeller]

There's definitely not going to be a 2020 season. If the league declares bankruptcy and folds or whatever, I'm still confident that there will be SOME kind of "league" one day, with the teams that can actually make it. It'll resurrect again one day... I'm sure of it. 

[SpeedFlex27]

3 hours ago, Dr Zaius said:

Way to somehow totally miss the point he made 

The point is it doesn't work.  Things have to change. We hope they get that chance.

[SpeedFlex27]

28 minutes ago, Noeller said:

There's definitely not going to be a 2020 season. If the league declares bankruptcy and folds or whatever, I'm still confident that there will be SOME kind of "league" one day, with the teams that can actually make it. It'll resurrect again one day... I'm sure of it. 

That is my feeling as well. That a new league will rise out of the old. 

[FrostyWinnipeg]

6 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:

 

If he not had tried for the Khari to Stegal pass for 150m he might have got some bucks which might have been enough to pass through a lost year but oh that Randy...

1 hour ago, Tiny759 said:

If the government and cfl can not reach a deal, I feel like this could be the end. Putting themselves in a Leveraged position could help for next year, but having the high amount of debt could be hard to overcome since it was reported the cfl lost $20m/year. Sad to watch this potentially fold out. 

Yeah but to be fair probably half that 20m loss was related to the Argos bottom line

They can always pull an Ottawa, claim bankruptcy, reboot.

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by FrostyWinnipeg

[SpeedFlex27]

If anyone is friends with Lyle Bauer on Facebook you should read what he has to say about cancelling the season.... He makes some great points. 

[WBBFanWest]

11 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

The $80-100 tickets are too high. if being profitable means going back to a $3 million dollar salary cap then so be it.  Live within their means until revenues rise. 

You sure seem to know a lot about how to run the CFL despite never having done it.  Tell you what, why don't you talk to Ambrosie directly and spare us your constant ranting.  He seems like a smart guy and I'll bet he'd be thrilled to get your advice.

[Rich]

4 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

If anyone is friends with Lyle Bauer on Facebook you should read what he has to say about cancelling the season.... He makes some great points. 

Here is what Lyle had to say

https://www.facebook.com/people/Lyle-Bauer/100018570634620

Quote

So here is a thought in regards to the CFL season.

CFL is heavily dependent upon gate receipts......sponsor revenue....concessions.....merchandise.....etc.

So for many of the cfl teams they could accomodate their attendance with proper distancing and protocols.

Teams with large stadiums like BC and Edmonton could reassign seats to provide social distancing compliance.

Other clubs like winnipeg, calgary, Saskatchewan May have to assign seats and limit them to “season ticket holders only” to come up with and appropriate social distance plan.

Toronto would have no problem doing the same as BC and Edmonton giving their capacity and attendance history.

With this type of plan you would still have lower gate receipts etc however the losses would be considerably less then canceling a season.

This plan would also eliminate the risk of sponsorship and broadcast rights revenue losses.

Proper protocol would also have to be put in place for concessions sales, Merchandise etc but that could be done.

Also take into account that all cfl stadiums offer outdoor environment which also lowers the risk vs being in a hockey arena

Obviously there would have to be regular player testing with fast turn around......say test players 24-48 hrs before game day and have them housed in secure hotels.

Fans may have to wear face masks and maybe the players as well but workable.

Yes it is a lot of work and a lot of coordination but very doable in a relatively short period of time.

Remember people are much closer in a grocery store, Walmart, transit, etc then they would be under this plan. You probably would be safer.

Cancelling a season would not be good for the cfl.......people find other things to do with their disposable income very quickly. Just think where you have spent your nhl money.

Anyways.......food for thought from and old cfl executive and evening older cfl player.

Let the games begin.

Big CFL Fan.

There is still a lot wrong with this scenario.   There is going to be an increased cost in playing the season in testing players before / after games.   All businesses that are operating right now have had to increase costs to put in plexiglass windows over the counters, extra staff and supplies to sanitize and clean regularly, cost of secluding players in secure hotels.   Closing off tables and taping out squares people can stand in.   You are asking the CFL to decrease revenues by limiting the tickets sold and increase costs of operating.  Lots of questions on if you can even get American players into the country right now to play.

I also wonder how much appetite the fans would even have in being comfortable in attending games.   Big risk that attendance is way down.   And a big question that even the NHL hasn't answered in their talks to restart is what happens if you go through all this trouble and testing and a player on a team tests positive?    Doesn't that whole team need to quarantine for 2 weeks as well as the teams they've played?   You've spent all this money to get the season going.  And now what?  You have to stop it all?

I want to see the CFL play again as much as the next person on here.  But equating a non-essential service like professional sports to allowing people to shop at grocery stores and use public transit is a little ridiculous in my opinion.  Some risks are necessary to take, others aren't.  You also don't have the same number of people in a store or bus as you would at a game, even with reduced attendance.

Listen to the experts, and don't put people's lives at risk if you don't have to.  This thing is very likely to flare up again big time in the fall, right in prime CFL season and playoffs.