DR. CFL

Wow, this is one hill I don't want to die over with you. You can think whatever you want. 

Jim Hunt is leaving the Ottawa RedBlacks ownership group. He got in as a business venture with the development of the site. My guess as a businessman he sees the writing on the wall. Not a positive sign.

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.

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.

You can either be the head of the snake or the tail being wagged by the dog. The Boss be it actual or perceived is the Boss, gets paid accordingly for that responsibility. Historically having to deal with the Governors hasn’t always been easy. Demonstrated by the frequent turnover in the position, be it voluntarily, or shown the door. In dealing with the government you still need to do your homework, be adequately organized and prepared in making your presentation. The indications are that was not the case. Hopefully the next pitch is a better one. You have one strike against you.

I think Ambrosie should have dealt with the P.A. before going to the Fed. govt. cap in hand, having a whole load of wishy-washy maybe factors involved in the negotiations makes it  much more difficult for the Feds. to approve.   No 2020 season means no income which translates to no pay for the players beyond what has already been handed out, if that means every current player gets cut and they start over with new lineups in 2021 so be it,  the survival of the CFL is at stake.  This is not the time to negotiate with an organization that can't see past the end of their noses, cut the players loose, cut expenses to the bone, then go to the govt.  cap in hand with a realistic request that will help preserve the structure of the league.

You can play whatever semantics game you like...clearly if it comes down to it the CBA and player contracts are going to come down to legal determination at some point. If you start any process without collective cooperation between the CFL and the CFLPA it certainly doesn’t sent a very positive image to anyone you are asking support from. A TEAM effort clearly wasn’t demonstrated and the perception of that hasn’t been encouraging. Get our act together ! 

That's a horrible way to negotiate. Never go in with a number you can't justify. If you do, you get the other sides backs up and it makes it harder, if not impossible, to come to an agreement.

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.

The challenges of formulating a plan:
1 )You don’t have an agreement with the PA on the basis of a reduction of the number of games. 2) Logistically planning requires a known fixed start up date as all arrangements work backwards from that...you don’t know a date. 3) you don’t know if provincially, regionally or in all the cities what the rules will be and if you will be able to hold games. 4) Will players entering the Country be required to self isolate for 14 days? Where and at who’s expense. 5) What will the requirements for testing of players, coaches and staff be ? Costs associated with that and justification to others who are unable to be tested. 6) what happens when a player, coach or staff member tests positive? Normal requirements are that that individual and anyone who has been in close proximity are required to self isolate for 14 days. 7) what is the projected lost revenue on the basis of a reduction in games, associated reduction in TV revenue, reduced revenue from social distancing in venues, reduced concession revenues.  what are the projected increases in costs associated with all extra precautions that will need to be put in place?
  Those are just some starters that government will want factored in.  It is understandable that they want a detailed business plan. 

The challenges of formulating a plan:
1 )You don’t have an agreement with the PA on the basis of a reduction of the number of games. 2) Logistically planning requires a known fixed start up date as all arrangements work backwards from that...you don’t know a date. 3) you don’t know if provincially, regionally or in all the cities what the rules will be and if you will be able to hold games. 4) Will players entering the Country be required to self isolate for 14 days? Where and at who’s expense. 5) What will the requirements for testing of players, coaches and staff be ? Costs associated with that and justification to others who are unable to be tested. 6) what happens when a player, coach or staff member tests positive? Normal requirements are that that individual and anyone who has been in close proximity are required to self isolate for 14 days. 7) what is the projected lost revenue on the basis of a reduction in games, associated reduction in TV revenue, reduced revenue from social distancing in venues, reduced concession revenues.  what are the projected increases in costs associated with all extra precautions that will need to be put in place?
  Those are just some starters that government will want factored in.  It is understandable that they want a detailed business plan. 

The challenges of formulating a plan:
1 )You don’t have an agreement with the PA on the basis of a reduction of the number of games. 2) Logistically planning requires a known fixed start up date as all arrangements work backwards from that...you don’t know a date. 3) you don’t know if provincially, regionally or in all the cities what the rules will be and if you will be able to hold games. 4) Will players entering the Country be required to self isolate for 14 days? Where and at who’s expense. 5) What will the requirements for testing of players, coaches and staff be ? Costs associated with that and justification to others who are unable to be tested. 6) what happens when a player, coach or staff member tests positive? Normal requirements are that that individual and anyone who has been in close proximity are required to self isolate for 14 days. 7) what is the projected lost revenue on the basis of a reduction in games, associated reduction in TV revenue, reduced revenue from social distancing in venues, reduced concession revenues.  what are the projected increases in costs associated with all extra precautions that will need to be put in place?
  Those are just some starters that government will want factored in.  It is understandable that they want a detailed business plan. 

The challenges of formulating a plan:
1 )You don’t have an agreement with the PA on the basis of a reduction of the number of games. 2) Logistically planning requires a known fixed start up date as all arrangements work backwards from that...you don’t know a date. 3) you don’t know if provincially, regionally or in all the cities what the rules will be and if you will be able to hold games. 4) Will players entering the Country be required to self isolate for 14 days? Where and at who’s expense. 5) What will the requirements for testing of players, coaches and staff be ? Costs associated with that and justification to others who are unable to be tested. 6) what happens when a player, coach or staff member tests positive? Normal requirements are that that individual and anyone who has been in close proximity are required to self isolate for 14 days. 7) what is the projected lost revenue on the basis of a reduction in games, associated reduction in TV revenue, reduced revenue from social distancing in venues, reduced concession revenues.  what are the projected increases in costs associated with all extra precautions that will need to be put in place?
  Those are just some starters that government will want factored in.  It is understandable that they want a detailed business plan. 

The challenges of formulating a plan:
1 )You don’t have an agreement with the PA on the basis of a reduction of the number of games. 2) Logistically planning requires a known fixed start up date as all arrangements work backwards from that...you don’t know a date. 3) you don’t know if provincially, regionally or in all the cities what the rules will be and if you will be able to hold games. 4) Will players entering the Country be required to self isolate for 14 days? Where and at who’s expense. 5) What will the requirements for testing of players, coaches and staff be ? Costs associated with that and justification to others who are unable to be tested. 6) what happens when a player, coach or staff member tests positive? Normal requirements are that that individual and anyone who has been in close proximity are required to self isolate for 14 days. 7) what is the projected lost revenue on the basis of a reduction in games, associated reduction in TV revenue, reduced revenue from social distancing in venues, reduced concession revenues.  what are the projected increases in costs associated with all extra precautions that will need to be put in place?
  Those are just some starters that government will want factored in.  It is understandable that they want a detailed business plan. 

Feds said today that they need a proper business plan from the league and PA before they can move forward on this. Read a quote from one MP who said "we can work with them, if they present a proper business plan...and the sooner the better". So I get the impression that things are relatively positive, but the league needs to get it's **** together in a real hurry.

So here's just a few problems based on my years in gov't reviewing all sorts of funding proposals. I've seen stadium/arena proposals. I've seen plans to create 5 meter x 5 meter gardening plots. I've seen almost everything in size and scale under $500 million. I've also seen a lot of people coming forward who don't even know what they need. They can't articulate it. 
But...
1 - You need to come with a real plan. Sure, you can get through the door, gets someone's ear about your plight but, if you don't have a plan, waiting for gov't to develop one can be problematic. 
2 - If you're relying on gov't to have a plan, you better have a lot of time and not be approaching them during a crisis. Like now. The gov't analysts are working OT already trying to come up with plans and formulas to tackle the bigger problems facing our economy right now. This is not a small ask. Someone needs to analyse all the data and determine what the economic impact would truly be if the CFL folded. Also, what are implications for bailing out the CFL? Who's next on the list? How much are you going to hand out and how do you pick winners and losers. 
3 - If gov't is going to bail them out, they need a policy in place to rationalize it, which goes back to the previous issue. 
It sounds like the CFL has identified that there is a problem and have found some ways to contribute back through offer advertising but they haven't come with a plan. That's what I'm reading. 

So, I love the discussion on this, but here's a couple thoughts from someone in broadcasting re:advertising/advertisers...
-Shopping for anything and everything is down right now. If people aren't spending money at a business (Wendy's, Rona, Save On Foods, etc...) that business can't afford to advertise. That's sort of the world we're living in right now. All media corps are BEGGING for advertising right now...they've all seen a major drop off. So, asking the clients to pay more because "more eyes on the product" isn't going to fly, because they just can't afford to right now. 
I'm not saying anything is absolute, but the whole world of advertising has changed in the last two months, so I'm not sure what would actually work...

I don't think advertisers would be very happy if everything went to PPV. They're TSNs partners too and all sides are suffering right now. 

The draft was free...

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.

Maybe he can get a souvenir jersey with that number on it..🤪

Good luck, Marc in collecting that. Nice round number, though.

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. 

To rub salt into a wound: last year at this time, CFL rosters were being finalized, and we were arguing over who would make the opening day roster. I really miss that right now. Things are easing up here in Manitoba, and we have been both fortunate and compliant for the most part with the restrictions, but I suspect that the bit of added freedom we are going to experience starting tomorrow is going to be more of a reminder of what we have lost.

Didn't really ask any questions, he didn't have any answers to stuff I didn't already know, league suspended to-date as of July 1, 2020 etc. etc.
As for the 2020 season tickets, they've been a fine organization and I've retained both my invoice and proof of payment, I'm not too concerned about getting scammed etc., and thankfully I'm not in a position right now where I would need the money that urgently.
I think they are in the same position as many businesses in the country and world right now, cloud of uncertainty and just trying to stay afloat.