Another professional sports league offered an update about its shortened season. But it wasn’t one that sports fans who enjoyed tuning in for offseason football will enjoy. The Canadian Football League called off the 2020 season.
“Our league governors decided today it is in the best long-term interests of the CFL to concentrate on the future,” Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement released by the league. “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.”
The league lost its number one source of revenue – fans in the stands – when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented large gatherings. Sportsnet reported that the league looked to get a $30-million, interest-free loan from Ottawa which they made a formal request for on Aug. 3 in order to hold an abbreviated 2020 season during the COVID-19 pandemic. But on Sunday, The Canadian Press reported that the plan had fallen through after an agreement with the government could not be reached.
The CFL initially approached the federal government in April looking for up to $150 million in assistance due to the pandemic. Last month, the league ruled out a loan from the Business Development Bank of Canada because it felt the interest rate was too high for the league.
Unlike US-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. It previously spent the past several weeks working on a plan to launch a shortened season this September.
It was to be played in a single location – Winnipeg had been chosen as the hub city – with players living in a protected “bubble” consisting of the gameday stadium, practice fields and hotels.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
