(Hamilton) Canadian Football League (CFL) Commissioner Randy Ambrosie once again flaunted his optimism on Friday, but remained stingy on the details during his first press conference on the state of his circuit in two years.
The CFL has canceled its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to several sources, the situation cost the league between 60 and 80 million.
The CFL resumed operations in 2021 with a shortened schedule to 14 games – four less than usual – which will culminate in Sunday’s Gray Cup game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. , at Tim Hortons Field.
It will then be a repeat of the 2019 final, won 33-12 by the Blue Bombers.
“Winston Churchill said, ‘Never waste a crisis’. And I’m glad I can say we didn’t, ”Ambrosie said.
I won’t tell you that we fixed everything. I will not imply that there are no more challenges in front of us. We have some. What I mean, frankly, is that a lot of the work that should have been done a long time ago has been done.
Randy Ambrosie, CFL Commissioner
As Ambrosie spoke on Friday, the CFL announced a long-term partnership with the firm Genius Sports, which specializes in data and technologies related to sports and betting. On its website, the company says it works with more than 400 sports organizations, including the NFL, the Premier League, the NCAA, NASCAR and the PGA.
The commissioner praised the partnership for its potential to accelerate the growth of the CFL and allow it to reach new markets, but again, he offered very few details, limiting himself to specifying that Genius Sports’ investments were mainly technological.
Ambrosie also said the COVID-19 pandemic forced its circuit to review its business model, including the adoption of a revenue sharing system among the nine dealerships on the Canadian circuit.
Ambrosie did not offer further information on this either, except that the new structure had been widely accepted by the teams.
An interesting comment since one can hardly imagine that the three teams owned by the communities of Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Edmonton, which are traditionally the most profitable, could rejoice in having to support franchises owned by wealthy owners.
“I believe that we have created an environment, a philosophy that allows all teams to be able and to be profitable if they do things correctly. We are going to hold each other accountable for respecting this standard, ”said the Commissioner.
Players Association CEO Brian Ramsay and President Solomon Elimimian both said they were very encouraged by the announcement of a revenue sharing scheme. The CFL and its players must negotiate a new collective agreement before the start of the next season.