JuranBoldenRules

I can't see the players in any of these leagues agreeing to anything very soon. Just think the CFLPA was fighting about insurance coverage for football injuries. Now we're talking about risk of a virus that can cause organ failure, respiratory failure. No idea what the long-term effects are even in younger stronger healthier people. One player contracting the virus and having severe complications could lead to millions of dollars in liability. Who is insuring these leagues and are the leagues able to pay?

The biggest problem with this league was McMahon. I don’t think it will dampen the idea of spring pro football in the US. Would not be surprised if the next league is created by ESPN and the NFL. There’s a decent gap there to play an 8 game season on Saturday’s and Sunday’s between Super Bowl and March Madness.

It's absurd that a professional league penalizes the teams that win with more costs. Playoffs should be a league cost entirely.

Yeah I think they need to run through some scenarios where they need to go dormant for this season, maybe next. How that works with the current players, how they might re-emerge. There's way too much money tied into the stadiums and games being broadcast for the league to die, even if they couldn't play for a couple seasons. Also see a scenario where the league is all Canadian players or players who reside in Canada for 2020 if they play at all. Border could be closed to personal travel for a long time.

The whole play is to maintain TV money. There’s no way in this calendar year any sporting event is permitted fans. I’d be shocked if we get up to gatherings of 250 being allowed.

Beyond that...the amount of time these guys and the staff would have to be cooped up on the front end (14 days) before they could even practice and then the entire time they are playing would be so unreasonable. Are they going to stay away from their families and the public generally for three months to play 8 football games? If the CFL pulls it off they might be able to make big money on US TV rights too.

Residency matters. Same for EI. Can’t collect EI even as a Canadian while outside the country. There are tons of us as professionals who have no hope of ever collecting EI. We pay into it as a tax to protect our economy. CERB is very similar just less restrictive. But at the end of the day the entire point of either is to stimulate the economy of Canada, not send money around the world. Players living in the US will be getting stimulus money from the governments there. American players living in Canada should qualify for CERB once they lose income.

Jeff

They should get full CERB if they live in Canada. The guys who don’t should get zero. The point of CERB is to maintain Canada’s economy not ship money across the border. International students in Canada are getting CERB. Pro athletes living here who aren’t permanent residents would be similar to me.

CERB covers almost anyone who made $5000 taxable in 2018 or 2019 tax years. Any CFL player in Canada should apply for it regardless of citizenship. Wonder if the PA has told them that.

If I am one of those American players I have no interest in that because once the league starts operating again I’ll pay it all back in tax on both sides of the border. Unfortunately a lot of the American players are confronting their football mortality. Unless they can hang on until 2021 or 2022 might be time to move on and get a “real” job.

The PA issue is going to be an enormous one. More than half of the contracted players and operations staff are American. Governments will not be funding those salaries. They might be willing to give some coverage to Canadians. There is way more complex than just asking for $150 million in a few installments. Until Ambrosie articulates some information on what the league has tried with partnerships that already exist I hope the Feds refuse to move on anything. There are many opportunities available to put the league on ice and reemerge when it is safe. If the government paid all the league essential costs that cannot be removed with operations not happening there is no way that adds up to $150 million for one season. Debt obligations of franchises outside of public facilities should not be considered IMO. If the private owners are bad operators even in 'good times' they can't use the pandemic as a bailout opportunity.

There is no doubt IMO either. There are at least three provincial governments relying on a CFL team operating to serve public debt on a stadium, arguably four but I don’t know as much about the BC Place arrangement. I’m not entirely sure why the ask is to the Feds. I would like to hear more about other partnership ideas and levels of government more directly involved. Whatever happens a CFL will emerge out of this. All these venues will need tenants. It just might be slightly reformed.

Ambrosie is way too fluffy. Needs to be very direct. No one has time for bullshit right now least of all governments with everyone coming cap in hand right now. I also would like to know, and no one seems to be asking, what other kinds of deals has the CFL looked at in terms of TSN/Bell, other industries that are really reliant on the CFL to make their revenue...New Era, other suppliers.

Well that was a very Ontario heavy draft for the Bombers.