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  1. #21
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    Can you see Roger Goodell doing this (video at bottom)

    Commissioner Ambrosie having a time at Spirit of YEG
    Robbie Abrahamson the snap cfl.ca November 25 2017

    Commissioner Randy Ambrosie is probably the busiest person during Grey Cup Week. However, he had time for a little fun… making a stop at the “Spirit of Edmonton.”

    The fans made sure to show Randy a good time:

    https://twitter.com/i/videos/tweet/934439942138277893

  2. #22
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    Five months into new job, fans seem pleased with Randy Ambrosie's efforts because he's listening
    Ambrosie has pulled off a masterful bit of retail salesmanship. He has shown up at a lot of games, partied with fans, and generally made himself available to listen
    Scott Stinson The National Post November 24, 2017

    OTTAWA — In a convention centre a few blocks from Parliament Hill on Friday morning, a crowd of Canadian Football League fans, dressed in a riot of colours and with no lack of fireman helmets, waited for the chance to enter a room where Randy Ambrosie would give the annual commissioner’s town hall address.

    A league official gave the sign that the doors were open, and the crowd started to shuffle in. As the procession moved, the distinct sound of several tinkling cowbells could be heard. Never has the phrase “herded like cattle” rung quite so true. These people take their CFL fanhood very seriously.

    The first evidence that this particular group of fans has a lot of time for Ambrosie, a former Grey Cup winner himself and someone who has made no secret of his love for the league, came the moment he walked in the room. He received a standing ovation.

    So, there is that. Although Ambrosie has only been on the job for five months, taking over after a long search that began when Jeffrey Orridge left abruptly after two years, he has pulled off a masterful bit of retail salesmanship. He has shown up at a lot of games, partied with fans, and generally made himself an available face of the league. He’s also responded to fan concerns, whether changing the replay rules mid-season or talking the Hamilton Tiger-Cats out of hiring Art Briles. He’s given fans reason to believe that they are listening to him.

    So it is not that surprising that, over his hour-long town hall at the Shaw Centre, there were as many heartfelt expressions of gratitude as there were tough questions. One fellow even asked the commissioner to sign his Randy Ambrosie CFL player card; Ambrosie managed to not appear shocked that someone would still have such a thing. (He retired in 1993.)

    Still, there were some questions, and Ambrosie managed to defang the most aggressive of them by doing something else that is quickly becoming a notable trait: admitting when he doesn’t know something. Asked when Hamilton would finally get a Grey Cup — they haven’t had one for 21 years — the commissioner could have said “soon” or “gosh, I hope by 2021” or something similarly hopeful. Instead, he said he hasn’t looked at the Grey Cup bid process yet. The 2018 game will be in Edmonton, and beyond that they haven’t thought about it. So, he doesn’t know. Ambrosie probably does know that Hamilton presents serious challenges related to hotel rooms, but he’s wise enough not to mention that yet. He said, reasonably, that the “business season” will take place when the football season ends. Business season starts Monday at 8 a.m., Ambrosie said. Then, considering the likely post-Grey Cup party schedule, he adjusted that plan to Tuesday at 8 a.m. Wise plan.

    Asked if the CFL would consider moving the season up a month to end before winter sets in, Ambrosie said they should think about it, and he asked for a straw poll in the room. (It was about 40 per cent in support of the change.) Asked if ticket prices were too high, Ambrosie said he didn’t know and plans to find out. Asked if there was a way to improve the instant-replay process, the commissioner said he thinks there are opportunities to have fans watching the game understand what officials are seeing when they are making the calls. Maybe the scoreboard in-stadium could show how the replay officials came to their decision, he said. This is nothing short of revolutionary, when sports leagues generally want officiating explanations to be totally walled off from the paying public.

    It was part of a recurring theme on Friday: fan makes statement, Ambrosie says it was worth considering.

    If he keeps this up, the good vibes won’t end anytime soon.

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by rdavies View Post
    Asked if the CFL would consider moving the season up a month to end before winter sets in...
    Starting the season earlier sounds good to me.

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    Randy Ambrosie: A day in the life of the CFL’s commissioner
    Donnovan Bennett Sportsnet.ca November 26, 2017

    Five months into his tenure as the CFL’s 14th Commissioner and Randy Ambrosie is still pinching himself.

    “At times it is an out-of-body experience that I get to do this,” Ambrosie stated about his duties throughout the 105th Grey Cup weekend in Ottawa.

    Sportsnet spent the day with Ambrosie and his inner circle as he navigated his busy agenda during Grey Cup week.

    The day played out like this:
    • 8:30 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.: Media state of the league address
    • 10:30 a.m. – Noon: Fan state of the league address
    • Noon – 1:45 p.m.: CFLAA legends luncheon
    • 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Board of Governors meetings
    • 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Reception with league partner Kubota
    • 7:15 p.m. – 7:50 p.m.: Officials reception on an army base
    • 8:15 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.: Grey Cup “Tweet Up” Twitter party

    As Ambrosie started the normally tense media state of the league with a selfie it was evident he isn’t a run-of-the mill commissioner and this wasn’t just an ordinary day for the 54-year-old CFL alumnus. The workmanlike humility is evident as it’s hard to picture commissioners from other leagues running through the aisles to hand out swag and souvenirs to fans.

    The former offensive lineman is still getting used to being the centre of attention, but he doesn’t mind it.

    “I could have done that for another two hours,” he declared with a smile as his communications and security detail ushered him away from the fan state of the league event.

    To say he’s enjoying the job would be an understatement.

    It was a day not without controversy. First, colleague Arash Madani (quelle surprise, Rogers' designated hitman - rdavies), then wide receiver Nik Lewis, pushed Ambrosie about the league’s official stance on a link between football and CTE and the possibility of improved player safety.

    Tough questions that Ambrosie said he “welcomed because they are not without merit and deserve careful thought and preparation.”

    The criticism comes with the job and will take some getting used to for Ambrosie.

    Well after dark, Twitter notifications being pushed to the lock screen of Ambrosie’s iPhone illuminated the back of the SUV as he was being chauffeured in. Travelling through the Glebe neighbourhood being whisked from one appearance to the next, he lamented that one fan on Twitter earlier in the day inexplicably compared him to Donald Trump. Quite the leap to compare the current U.S. president to the former Grey Cup champ.

    Despite the vocal dissenting minority, Ambrosie does feel he’s “got a better job than Prime Minister [Justin] Trudeau,” and most he met congratulated him on the work he’s doing, something that became more apparent throughout the day as many seem to be rooting for him in a similar fashion to the way fans interacted with the players.

    The biggest takeaway from our time with him was most of the queries and comments via the media, fans or players were pretty similar: The topics people wanted to bend Ambrosie’s ear about included the health of the Toronto Argonauts, expansion to Atlantic Canada, moving the season up in the calendar, Hamilton hosting a Grey Cup in their new stadium, Calgary getting a new stadium and video replay.

    Even in what has been a successful year by all accounts there are many challenges ahead and during his first Grey Cup week as commissioner Ambrosie took the opportunity to tackle his biggest challenge of all.

    As filled as the streets of the Grey Cup Festival at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa were, he still hopes to “bring more people into the tent that is the Canadian Football League” and “make the Grey Cup not just a championship but the biggest celebration of everything that makes us special as Canadians.

    With his first “football season” being put to bed, Ambrosie now transitions into his inaugural “business season” on Tuesday with the assurance that he is the people’s choice as commissioner.

    From watching him for hours give impromptu speeches, welcome babies to their first Grey Cup, sign trading cards with his likeness and receive thanks from breast cancer survivors who applauded him for the league’s fundraising efforts throughout the month October, it was clear the Canadian Football League’s commissioner was the Canadian peoples’ choice.
    Last edited by rdavies; 11-26-2017 at 11:47 PM.

  5. #25
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    Randy Ambrosie will be all business at CFL meeting
    CFL Commissioner has plenty of ideas he’s keen to present to league owners and GMs
    Terry Jones Postmedia News January 10, 2018

    Randy Ambrosie stared out the windows of the Banff Springs Hotel Tuesday and projected a vision of climbing mountains the CFL has never scaled before.

    Ambrosie has a dramatically different business model he plans to produce for CFL general managers and presidents in the next 72 hours.

    “The agenda will have a very heavy focus on the business of the game,” he said.

    The CFL meetings represent the start of the next CFL season and the end of Ambrosie’s magic carpet ride first year as commissioner, even if he didn’t get the job until last season was well underway.

    He’s still coming down from it.

    “It was beyond description,” he said. “Never in my lifetime have I felt more proud to be a Canadian. Going to every CFL stadium and stopping to shake hands and talk to people and I’d come out of there without my feet touching the ground. It’s been amazing.”

    The general managers and presidents had yet to arrive for the three days of meetings but Ambrosie’s plan was 50 per cent for him to listen to them and 50 per cent for him to insist that they listen to him.

    Normally this meeting is held not long after the Grey Cup. But that didn’t make sense to Ambrosie. He wanted a time period for all involved to decompress and for him to build his case to lead the league where it hasn’t been before.

    “I’m optimistic that after we sit down first with the GMs, then the GMs and presidents together and finally with the presidents by themselves that we’re going to make some progress,” he said.

    “I need to talk to our GMs about some of their ideas to improve the game. If there was one thing I was critical of myself, and it was part situational, last season it was that I didn’t really talk to those guys. I want to spend time talking to them about the game itself.

    “This will be my first chance to really sit with the GMs and find out what they are thinking.

    “I want to talk to them about the challenge flag. I want to talk about the command centre with them. I think there are some real issues with command centre,” he said of video replay decisions.

    “I’m optimistic we might be able to drive a couple of ideas across the goal-line in regard to the game itself.”

    Ambrosie has been a ‘git ‘r done’ guy from the beginning when he cut the number of coaches’ challenge flags from two to one at mid-season.

    But the real business that Ambrosie is planning to tackle here this week is the actual business of the CFL.

    Ambrosie isn’t interested in any tinkering here. He’s determined to send both the GMs and presidents away from here in search of significant change.

    “We’re going to talk about managing our business more efficiently. We want to run a good business. We want to be transparent. We’re going to talk about different ways of operating than we have in the past.

    “I think we’re at a point where we can make our business better just by running our business better.

    “Having a ticket-selling strategy is one of the most important things on our agenda. We have to talk about ticket sales. As a league that’s something we have not really done.

    “One of the messages I intend to emphasis is that everyone in the entire organization is in ticket sales.

    “We’re going to spend a lot of time on ticket sales.

    “With both the general managers and the presidents I’m going to talk about our relationships with everyone.”

    Media access is one area.

    “Having our story told is a critical part of the development of our game. We’ve been running a real risk of a) our existing core group of fans not being as connected as they used to be and b) how do we get the new ones. We need as much coverage as we can get and we’re going to talk about that.”

    It’s a busy agenda for Ambrosie’s first CFL meetings. Discussion on moving the season up and the status of the Halifax expansion project are two items he will deal with. But fixing the CFL as a business he identified here Tuesday is Job 1.

  6. #26
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    Randy’s Road Trip
    Montrealalouettes.com February 2, 2018

    The CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie was in town yesterday to talk football and the future of the league with a hundred Alouettes Season's Ticket Members. The development of amateur football in Canada, reffing, the rules of the game, the return of the XFL, the involvement of players in their community, safety… there were plenty of topics covered and questions asked.

    Check out a few highlights of the successful evening:

    “NFL players are supersized, but the players in our league are superathletes. Those are the guys we want here.” – Randy Ambrosie on the particularities of our game.

    “Show me another sport in which kids of all sizes and with different physical abilities can show up and be important for their team. That’s football.” – Randy Ambrosie

    “The reason for the one challenge rule is that we wanted to make it valuable. It should be used for a truly defining moment because we know that the pace of the game is very important to our fans.” – Randy Ambrosie

    “One of the things we’ve been thinking about as part of our 2018 business plan is the entire game experience. Next year, we will have two national theme games, one of them being a Kids Day.” – Randy Ambrosie on wanting to attract the next gen of fans.

    “We have to work on safety, on safe tackling… We have to listen to the moms and we need more women around the table!” – Randy Ambrosie on the development of football in Canada.

    “Five of our home games will be held on Friday night in 2018 because that’s what our fans wanted.” – Patrick Boivin on the importance for the @CFL and the Als to be aligned with their audience.

    “It’s been too long since we’ve had a Grey Cup in Montreal and we have a very strong interest in bringing it back in 2021.” – Patrick Boivin

    “We want our players to be healthy. We are going to triple down on the message about concussions this year and we want to be better than any league in the world on this issue.” – Ambrosie on how the prevention and the recovery from concussions are priorities for the CFL

    “Pound for pound, there are no players in the world who are better than our guys in the community. They are world-class human beings. I’m proud to be associated with them and all of our fans.” – Randy Ambrosie

    “No other group is more important to us than our fans. If we don’t have our fans, we don’t have our game.” – Randy Ambrosie

  7. #27
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    Q and A with CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie on Randy's Road Trip
    Tim Baines, Postmedia February 2, 2018

    In his eighth months as Canadian Football League commissioner, Randy Ambrosie has done a lot of listening: to owners, management types, coaches, players and fans.

    It’s good, he says, to engage people, to seek input. That continues this month as Ambrosie goes on a cross-country tour — Randy’s Road Trip — to visit each of the league’s nine cities, plus Halifax, where there’s a good chance a 10th franchise will be granted in 2018.

    “Great businesses in every industry spend a lot of time trying to understand their customers, in our case our fans,” he said. “I also think my mom would love this. She loved people and she would get a kick out of the fact that I liked hanging out, sharing stories and listening to new ideas. I think, boy, if this is hard work, sign me up for a lot more. I kind of finish every day with a big smile. Not only is it an effort to connect with the fans, there is some knowledge that will come from this that will help us run a better Canadian Football League.”

    Before Ambrosie’s Town Hall meeting with fans in Ottawa on Friday, here’s what the commissioner had to say to some Postmedia suggestions.

    Q: Talk about Thursday’s CFL statement, which was very clear in that players were obligated to live up to the terms of their contract. Why the need to release a statement?

    A: There has been a lot written in the past week and a half. A couple of players took exception to being asked to honour their contracts. I think there was some confusion about the terms of those contracts. I felt it was important to clarify that. I think there were also comments that were incredibly unfair to the Argonauts. Toronto was simply asking the players to honour their contracts. I think they were being cast in a very negative light. I feel a responsibility to all our teams to stand up for them and ultimately our league. I wanted to make it clear that we have rules and we’re going to follow them. But I also think, if we have a rule that’s not working, we should talk about it. There should always be an open-mindedness to our culture. If we got it wrong, let’s talk about it. But what we have in place has to be respected by all teams.

    Q: In the league statement, it mentioned a team — the B.C. Lions, it would seem, which had let a player go early — would be subject to fines or further penalties. What’s the reaction from B.C.?

    A: I called (Lions president) Rick LeLacheur, explained the situation and the letter that would be coming momentarily and I talked him through the reasons. Rick thanked me for the courtesy of letting him know. We hung up and I went on with the rest of my day and I’m sure Rick went on with the rest of his.

    Q: Will the player release (linebacker Micah Awe) be overturned?

    A: I think at this point, that act has already happened, so it would be difficult to put that genie back in the bottle.

    Q: From a player perspective, it seems like a one-way street. A team can release a player before the option year, but the player is bound to the contract. What’s your opinion of that?

    A: There is always, in a contract between any two parties, a combination of puts and takes: benefit to me, benefit to them. You can’t look at it through the lens of one dimension of an agreement and ask if it’s fair or not. I’ve learned you have to look at the totality of a contract. In that review of the big picture, you will find things that are better for the league, some things are better for the players. I’m convinced, after all these years of sitting in negotiations, that the best place to land is when everybody’s a little bit unhappy. When everybody’s just a little bit unhappy, you know you probably got a good deal. We should talk about these things, they should be part of a good, healthy, honest discussion. Maybe things have changed, maybe we have to look at some of these things differently.

    Q: Halifax is the hottest word in the CFL right now. What’s going on?

    A: The group that we’re working with — Anthony LeBlanc, Gary Drummond and Bruce Bowser — they continue to advance their project with government in the Maritime region.
    The big question that will ultimately largely determine success or failure of landing this franchise will be can we get a stadium built. There are new and innovative ways of looking at stadium financing. Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group did something special here. This Lansdowne redevelopment and the ecosystem they built around it is being looked at as a model that could work in Halifax. There are a lot of positive signs, but a lot of work to be done yet.

    Q: In a perfect world, the ownership group there would love to have a shovel in the ground by late this year. Is it possible things could move along fast enough that they would be granted a franchise this year?

    A: We could move very quickly with them if they are successful in advancing the stadium project. We are working with them on the franchise modelling. Because we’re doing that work now, if we needed to move quickly, we could move quickly.

    Q: In your heart, you want this to happen. Do you believe it will?’

    A: I’m an optimist. They’re a really good group. I can see our league working well with them as partners. I like them. That’s part of the equation: You find a partner you’d like to work with. There seems to be a feeling this is the right time to make this happen. I’m on board to do anything we can do to support this, and I’m optimistic we can reach a successful conclusion.


    Q: You’ve talked to fans about whether the league should move the season up and play a Grey Cup earlier. What has that feedback been like?

    A: It’s been about an even split between those that thought it was the best idea and those that were a little suspect of the idea and liked that tradition of a late November date. We have other partners. I look at TSN. If we get real serious about this, that would be our first stop and really have a conversation with them. I can see lots of good reasons why a Grey Cup in early November would be better. I grew up in the West, I’m a Winnipeger, so I know the difference between early November weather and late November weather. Using that as a barometer, I kind of like the idea of how big we can make a Grey Cup festival if the weather conditions were going to predictably be better.

    Q: You’ve got a TV contract with ESPN (in the United States) that expires at the end of the 2018 season. Any talks with them?

    A: (CFL chief marketing, digital and strategy officer) Christina Litz and I went down to ESPN in December and started discussions about renewing the agreement. We had a follow-up meeting last weekend at the Pro Bowl. They like the idea of a season shift, they like the idea of a bunch of our content being post-NFL Draft and pre-NFL and college season. They like our game. We talked a lot about tapping into their big college market. So many of our players have been stars in U.S. college football. They are a huge college football broadcaster. We talked about how we can do more so the fans in Alabama and Florida know that one of their star players is playing in Ottawa or playing in Calgary or playing in Toronto and they’re playing in a game this weekend. We agreed we would keep moving forward to a long-term contract.


    Q: There are other options, though, the NFL Network being one of them.

    A: There are options that we aren’t going to ignore. We aren’t going to ignore what’s happening in social media. If I’m correct, Facebook made a bid for Indian cricket (for $610 million). That’s just evidence of a completely changing landscape. I wouldn’t ask Facebook for anything more than about $300 million if we were talking to them. Of course I’m smiling (when he says that). ESPN has some capabilities that are incredibly impressive. They are changing their platform to address the changing viewing habits. That was some of what we have been talking about, what are they doing to address the changes … so much consumption is happening on mobile devices. They wanted us to know how they think that could help us drive a bigger TV audience in the U.S.

    Q: What changed in Johnny Manziel that you gave the OK to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to negotiate with him?

    A: In situations like this, I think our communities should expect that we would lean on experts in these fields that relate to what has gone on in his life. I said that had to be the new norm when we had a player with his kind of background. I did a lot of listening to what our experts found when they put him through the process. That gave me cause to say Johnny could play football in the CFL if he chooses and can arrive at a contract.

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    Q & A with Commissioner Randy Ambrosie
    George Johnson stampeders.com February 6, 2018

    Early on in Stop 4 of his cross-country town-hall meetings to interact with CFL devotees, commissioner Randy Ambrosie generously took time for a chat with Stampeders.com before dashing off to the Saddledome to talk football with Calgary Stampeders season-ticket holders.

    STAMPEDERS.com: On your travels, what have been the most recurring themes so far among the league’s fan base.

    AMBROSIE: There are always questions about officiating. I’ve come to the conclusion I couldn’t find a more thankless job in the world. But everyone wants to talk about it.
    I’m finding lots of interest in a possible season shift. I’m asking. It was one of the things I wanted to accomplish, get some feedback from the fans on that issue, build an understanding of what the fans are thinking.

    The most common thread, actually, is how much they love the CFL game. They’re passionate fans. They want us to be successful. In every stop, there’s been a new idea, how we can help them further engage. In Toronto (Monday), one fan asked me; ‘What can we do more to help the CFL?’ That’s incredibly cool.

    STAMPEDERS.com: You mentioned the issue of moving the seasonal-start date up earlier. There seems to be that romanticized ‘Oh, it’s snowing. The weather’s awful. This is what the CFL is all about’ as opposed to, in outdoor Grey Cups, ‘Why on earth are they playing this late?’ What’s the read you’re getting from fans on that?

    AMBROSIE: I think for some it is almost nostalgic. It is how they characterize their own experiences with the game, those super-cold memorable moments. I still talk about the ’93 Western Final here in Calgary. Minus-26, snowing like crazy. We talk about it because it’s a frame of reference for a lot of us.
    I do think the word nostalgic fits into it. What I keep reminding myself and telling the fans that I speak with is that we need to find the next generation of CFL fans. We need to get into the hearts and minds of this wonderful millennial generation and others who aren’t currently part of our fan eco-system. We need to ask them what they’re looking for. We might find they’re not nearly so nostalgic and they’re interested in a great game-day experience. There’s a significant weather expectation you’d have around the second, third or fourth of November as opposed to the 24th, 25th or 26th. And that’s why we have to have the conversation.

    The best thing when you’re in any business is ensuring you have a strong, active dialogue with your customers and that what this tour is giving us a chance to do.

    STAMPEDERS.com: You mention the milennials, young fans. That’s the demographic that will push popularity forward.

    AMBROSIE: Honestly, we’re seeing it. I’ll use Ottawa as an example. You go to a game there and they really have captured that community’s … I’ll call them millennials. In my day, standing-room-only were the worst seats imaginable, arena or stadium. Now they’re the best seats in the house. They’re where the kids are hanging out, enjoying each other’s company. In Ottawa, it’s like they were having a party and a football game broke out. It’s a whole different thing.

    What we’ve got to do is build game-day experiences that appeal to every fan. We’ve gotta have places for families where the kids come, have fun and keep them engaged, involved. You want to have a section for the more boisterous crowd, you want to have the more traditional fans. Businesses spend a lot of time on segmentation, understanding all their fans. We don’t have one type of fan. We have many.

    Look at Winnipeg and the Rum Hut. That’s fantastic. The Pil Zone in Saskatchewan.

    I saw Wade Miller dealing with their egress problem – fans exiting the stadium – by inviting fans on the field. People having fun. And it made for a smoother exit from the stadium.

    STAMPEDERS.com: So it’s a balancing act, keeping the old-school fan while enticing a younger crowd.

    AMBROSIE: What I’m heartened by is that for the old-school fan, we’re going to give him or her a great football game. You can never forget that at the end of the day we’re a professional football league and our game has to be world-class because that’s the glue. That’s what brings everybody together. Now we give our new fans new and different experiences. Then before you know it, we’re rocking and rolling in every stadium in the CFL.

    STAMPEDERS.com: Can you share any upcoming initiatives along the ‘new experiences’ line?

    AMBROSIE: We have a very large initiative underway for national game-day strategy. We’re looking at the possibility of a National Kids Day, where we do a whole bunch of fun things in our stadiums – every CFL team will host one – to create a kid-friendly atmosphere. I was teasing Huf today that he might have to learn how to make balloon animals.

    STAMPEDERS.com: That I’d pay to see.

    AMBROSIE: I gotta tell you, I’ll be back in Calgary for that day, too.

    We’re also looking at our Diversity is Strength campaign. Our locker rooms for decades have been a bastion for diversity. What I love about our players is they don’t care where you’re from, they just want to win. That brotherhood is so welcoming of inclusion. And let’s make sure that our stadiums are a reflection of exactly that same idea. We want everyone to fans of the CFL so we’re talking about that kind of programming, as well,

    STAMPEDERS.com: To close, thoughts on the need for a new stadium?

    AMBROSIE: I have such a great respect for the Stampeders/Flames organization. Of course I’m going to be supportive. I’ll always be able to lean in whenever I’m asked to attend a meeting, to provide encouragement or information. This has been the most successful franchise in our league for the last 20 years. I think this franchise, this city, these fans, deserve a world-class facility that can address some of these initiatives built for the modern-fan experience.

    But for now, you know what? we’re just gonna support the Stampeders any way they can and encourage the community to find a way to create a new McMahon that will give fans here another 20, 30, 40 years of enjoyment, the way this place has.

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    Here's a summary of Ambrosie road trip to Riderville.

    https://www.riderville.com

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    A CFL player has written an anonymous letter saying he has lost faith in Ambrosie. However, I disagree with virtually everything he says. I've outlined in earlier posts why I think Ambrosie is doing a great job, so I won't repeat myself. Human nature being what it is, it's understandable that many players don't agree with his rulings on players honouring their contracts. However, he has been a breath of fresh air and brought about many changes that benefited not only the owners, but the fans and even the players.

    http://3downnation.com/2018/02/07/cf...andy-ambrosie/

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    Often times, an author will use the tried and true "unnamed source" to publish the writer's own opinion. And it wouldn't surprise me if someone there thought Ambrosie was getting a little too popular for his britches and someone at 3dnation wanted to take him down a few pegs. In this case, it was called an unnamed player, which is fairly shoddy journalism. I'm not buying it.

    They've shown some bad judgement before with the Genie Bouchard episode.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rdavies View Post
    Often times, an author will use the tried and true "unnamed source" to publish the writer's own opinion. And it wouldn't surprise me if someone there thought Ambrosie was getting a little too popular for his britches and someone at 3dnation wanted to take him down a few pegs. In this case, it was called an unnamed player, which is fairly shoddy journalism. I'm not buying it.

    They've shown some bad judgement before with the Genie Bouchard episode.
    Bad judgement in getting the story or even exaggerating its importance is one thing but totally faking it is taking quite a risk for a journalist. It happens occasionally (more often in the National Enquirer if you consider that journalism) but it can end a career in disgrace if the truth comes out. I doubt that this is what happened here.

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    More common than you would think in today's era of identity politics and the culture wars. The British online "press" is notorious for this. I would hope 3dnation is not, but the fact they felt compelled to publish such a lame account is telling.

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    Below Ed Tait summarizes Ambrosie's comments during his visit to Winnipeg today.

    https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/02/...andy-ambrosie/

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    'Pride, respect, honour' CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie defends Eskimos name
    Terry Jones Edmonton Sun February 14, 2018

    It was stop eight of Randy’s Roadtrip and 480 fans gathered in the gym at Commonwealth Stadium — 130 more than at any other stop — to hear the Pied Piper of Canadian Football.

    New CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie’s material didn’t change much since he delivered the same messages to the general managers at the CFL Winter Meetings a month ago in Banff.

    But it was much more personal as he spoke to this crowd.

    “I spent five years here and they were the best five years of my CFL career,” said the offensive lineman who won his only Grey Cup as an Eskimo in 1993.

    On the day it was revealed that the football team is conducting a survey on the subject, the Commissioner was asked about what he thinks about the Eskimos keeping the team name.

    Clearly the Eskimos are conducting the survey to see if it matches the informal conversations that indicate the fans are about 99 per cent in favor of retaining the name. Ambrosie said put him down as a ‘yes’ as well.

    “My personal reflection is that of all the wonderful things I’ve been privileged to do in my life and all the organizations I’ve had the pleasure to be associated with, I’m not sure there was one I was more proud of than to be an Edmonton Eskimo.

    “My father grew up just north of here and as happy as he was that I was playing in the league I think the day he was most proud was the day I called to say I was going to be an Eskimo.

    “I never met a player who wasn’t proud to be associated with the name. All I feel when I think of the name is the pride and the respect and honour.”

    It’s remarkable how many of the politically correct crowd understand the respect and honour part involved with being “an Eskimo” that reflects so positively on the Inuit people and the culture of the Canadian north.

    Ambrosie gets it. So do most Eskimo fans. Always have.

    No doubt that vote will turn out the same as the one Ambrosie is conducting on his own as he completes his tour.

    Changing the season

    When he polled those gathered here Tuesday evening about the idea moving the Grey Cup and the season up by three weeks, the room erupted with cheers, not just hands in the air, in response to the idea.

    When he asked for those who would prefer keeping it the way it is, there were maybe a dozen hands in the air.

    Ambrosie scored it at 95 per cent.

    “The fans have been in favor at every stop so far but not by the same percentages. It was 60-40 in Montreal and 55-45 in B.C. and maybe a little higher than that in Toronto,” said Ambrosie, who will visit Hamilton next and then proceed to Halifax where he thinks it’s vitally important to make Atlantic Canada part of the conversation.

    “Calgary was 95 per cent and I was a little worried that the fans against it might be chased out of the room. And Monday night in Winnipeg there was only one fan and I went and stood beside him. I thought he needed a friend.

    “This has been a great opportunity to really get a grass roots perspective on it before we engage in a more thorough process. But there seems to be a lot of positive energy around the positive process.”

    It’s been so overwhelming that I wonder how much thought he’s given to the potential downside of getting this part of the nation pumped about the prospects of having seen the last of football at minus 25 degrees.

    To my understanding rights holder TSN has a veto on this. And it’s entirely possible they like it just the way it is.

    Ambrosie said it’s far too early to look into the idea from a contractual point of view.

    “At this stage, I think it is important to come to the table with a perspective on what our fans think and then have a conversation with our partner. I think we have a tremendous partnership with TSN. I couldn’t respect them any more than I do. I know they want us to be successful. They have a great interest in our long term success.”

    Engaging CFL Fans

    Ambrosie spoke about his goal of creating a league with the “most engaged” fans in sport and how he intended to do that by creating a whole new era of access by fans and media and selling the football organizations on no longer having football season followed by six months of disappearing from the sports pages.

    Starting soon, a percentage of the players listed on teams negotiation lists are going to be made public.

    “Starting now there’s football season and business season,” he said and said his ‘Bums In Seats’ initiative is about to be launched at a league level.

    One of his biggest cheers came with his announcement that one game in each city would involve a major kids day promotion.

    “We want it to be a major theme game. We want to get them in our stadiums and fall in love with the game. We want them to have an absolutely great time and want to come back.”

    He really has become the Pied Piper of Canadian football.

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    Ambrosie launches monthly blog to fans entitled 'Randy's Word'
    https://www.cfl.ca/2018/02/15/ambros...s-randys-word/

    This has got to be a first for a pro league.

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    From pro football player to Bay St. executive, CFL CEO Randy Ambrosie has gone the whole nine yards
    With rookie training camp starting Wednesday, Ambrosie believes his crossover experience will help him lead the league as it mulls a possible expansion to the east coast
    Andy Holloway National Post May 15, 2018

    Randy Ambrosie, CFL commissioner: FP Magazine sits down with the ex-Bay Street executive and pro football player to talk about leading the Canadian Football League and the joys of cottaging.

    What’s the state of the CFL?

    We got a chance this winter to visit every one of the nine cities where we have our teams, and a tenth in the Atlantic region where we all hope one day to be playing, and you just walk away unbelievably optimistic. Our fans are passionate, they love the game, they’re filled with energy and ideas. They’re interested and interesting. Every stop we went I felt more energized.

    Entertainment is a crowded marketplace. How does the CFL separate itself out?

    We’re focusing a lot of effort on telling the story of our players so fans get to know them as people. We know that’s an important aspect of attracting fans, because our guys are cool and they’re interesting and they’re selfless. Getting them into the communities is another big part of our strategy. I think, pound for pound, there are no athletes in the world who give back more to their communities than CFL players do. I’m absolutely convinced of that. They’re not looking at their watch for when they have to leave. They tend to immerse themselves in whatever they’re doing and they’re making sure every kid gets a smile, that everybody is included. And that inclusion extends into our strategy. We want to make every Canadian feel welcome in our stadiums so that it becomes a perfect representation of what makes our country so fantastic: Everyone belongs and your next-door neighbour can be from anywhere.

    What about the future of the Toronto Argos?

    It’s part of the human experience to forget where things come from. Building anything is hard work. Look at when teams that were great fall on hard times. So seldomly do you flip a switch and they’re great again. The great news is we have a really big market, and our game is incredibly affordable. Remember, the Toronto Raptors weren’t always the Toronto Raptors of today. If you talk to people who were there in the earlier days, it was bleak, it was a hard sell, it wasn’t popular. It’s now incredibly popular, it’s super high energy and you have to give MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd.) credit for figuring it out. What we’re seeing from our partners at MLSE is that level of commitment to the Argonauts.

    How about Halifax?

    I’ve had a chance to spend time with Halifax town council, Mayor [Mike] Savage and his councillors, and I feel there is a genuine passion and belief that this is the right time. The economic models for stadiums have evolved from ‘Can the public fund this?’ to much more of an evolved model. What they did in Ottawa with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group has really created a new way of thinking about the relationship between the private sector and the public sector.

    Fans seem to like that you have a connection to the league as a former player, but you also bring in the business background as a former exec at AGF Management and HSBC Securities.

    This league belongs to the fans, but what I’m super excited about is that I can relate to the fans because I’m one of them. I could just as easily switch places with them and sit in a seat, drink a beer and cheer for the team the way they do. I can relate to the players because I love them, I know how hard the game is to play. I have a great respect for the work it takes to be a player. And then I look at from the teams’ view and I know how hard it is to run these businesses. Maybe in that way, I’m able to bring some of that experience from my own love from each of those areas to the table and hope that combination of experiences allows me to be a successful leader of this league.

    I’ve heard you love being at your cottage. What’s the best thing about it?

    The best thing, and I think all offensive linemen would relate to this, is the food. First of all, my wife, Barb, is an amazing cook and that, at least in part, explains why I’m this big. It’s the cooking, sitting together, eating, even the cleaning up. It’s being together as a family. One of our favourite times of the year at the cottage isn’t in the summer. We love having Christmas at the cottage. It’s quiet, the fireplace is on. I don’t think of the cottage as just a summertime thing; I think of it as an all-year place. It’s not so much what time of year it is, it’s that Barb and our girls are there, we’re all together, we’re all in the kitchen making dinner, sitting around the table laughing and telling stories. That’s what the cottage is about.

    What’s so special about the cottage?

    It’s all about family. The cottage is where we meet. It’s more than symbolic. The cottage has a way of stripping away the frenzied pace of the world. Your dinners last longer at the cottage. They just do. The cottage and families are synonymous with one another. The world is just a little bit slower there.

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    Ambrosie must be doing a media tour or something.

    Ambrosie on TSN 1260 (Edmonton) - https://www.tsn.ca/radio/edmonton-12...game-1.1100411
    Talks about the Grey Cup process changing.

    Ambrosie on TSN 1040 (Vancouver) - http://ckstam.streamon.fm/listen-pl-9721?smc=10
    Talking about things from CFL in Halifax, Manziel, League being involved with selling seats, Argos are brought up, etc.

    Ambrosie on Landsberg in the Morning TSN 1050 - https://www.tsn.ca/radio/toronto-105...ball-1.1103737
    Talks about the Argonauts, Manziel, the upcoming season, etc.

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    Quote Originally Posted by R.J View Post
    Ambrosie must be doing a media tour or something.

    Ambrosie on TSN 1260 (Edmonton) - https://www.tsn.ca/radio/edmonton-12...game-1.1100411
    Talks about the Grey Cup process changing.

    Ambrosie on TSN 1040 (Vancouver) - http://ckstam.streamon.fm/listen-pl-9721?smc=10
    Talking about things from CFL in Halifax, Manziel, League being involved with selling seats, Argos are brought up, etc.

    Ambrosie on Landsberg in the Morning TSN 1050 - https://www.tsn.ca/radio/toronto-105...ball-1.1103737
    Talks about the Argonauts, Manziel, the upcoming season, etc.
    Good on him for doing this.
    It's us vs the rest of the country

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