How Could the Coronavirus affect the Argos and the CFL

[Shatto]

Paying only Canadian players from any government grant funds, sounds good in principle but there are aspects that make it both impracticable and unworkable. What about Americans who spend their off seasons here? What about Americans who now play as Canadians (Singleton etc)? Would the Players Association agree to a situation that discriminates against half of its members? What about the damage it would do to future recruitment of American players?
As appealing as the idea first seems, it unfortunately, is just not feasible.

[1971GreyCup]

Sounds like paying on Canadian kids runs counter to the mantra “Diversity is Strength”. Replace term American with “Republic of Congo” or “Mexico” or other nations where players come from and you’ve headed down a road you don’t want to go.

And this all started by a politician whose previous response to all criticisms was racism. Folks you can’t make this stuff up.

[Jon Gonzo]

I think Steve Simmons said it right. I'll paraphrase, it's funny to watch the publishing & print world bitch about the CFL getting a grant, after splitting up the $600 m that they were given. Some of those businesses are owned my multi nationals, and billionaires.

What the CFL is asking is a drop in the bucket if you compare it to all the foreign aid Canada spends a year. In 2019, that was 6.4 billion by the way. So, is the Canadian league cultural? Does it provide a Canadian identity? Does it provide jobs in our communities? Is it an economic engine?

Or do we just want to meld into what our neighbours provide us and become NFL wannabees.

This league ties our country together in so many ways.

I suggest giving $150 million less in foreign aid this year and preserve a little of our own culture, and I am sure Ethiopia, Syria, Mali, Afghanistan and Bangledesh will still be happy splitting up the 6.150 billion that is left.

Does the average American come up here and learn and respect and appreciate our Country? I don't know. Does the average Syrian, or Afghan even know how much we give to their causes? I don't know

There are ways to get this done, and I can cite an endless list of other grants that were givin by our Federal Gov't in arts & entertainment that'll have you agreeing with me.

[doubleblue]

I think Steve Simmons said it right. I'll paraphrase, it's funny to watch the publishing & print world bitch about the CFL getting a grant, after splitting up the $600 m that they were given. Some of those businesses are owned my multi nationals, and billionaires.

What the CFL is asking is a drop in the bucket if you compare it to all the foreign aid Canada spends a year. In 2019, that was 6.4 billion by the way. So, is the Canadian league cultural? Does it provide a Canadian identity? Does it provide jobs in our communities? Is it an economic engine?

Or do we just want to meld into what our neighbours provide us and become NFL wannabees.

This league ties our country together in so many ways.

I suggest giving $150 million less in foreign aid this year and preserve a little of our own culture, and I am sure Ethiopia, Syria, Mali, Afghanistan and Bangledesh will still be happy splitting up the 6.150 billion that is left.

Does the average American come up here and learn and respect and appreciate our Country? I don't know. Does the average Syrian, or Afghan even know how much we give to their causes? I don't know

There are ways to get this done, and I can cite an endless list of other grants that were givin by our Federal Gov't in arts & entertainment that'll have you agreeing with me.

Good one. At least there is a few out there that gets it. What's the CBC get again? Something like 1.3 Billion, that's with a "B" and as far as I'm concerned they're not an essential service. Now if they would take a little of that Billion and televise the CFL again that would be one thing on there worth watching.

[Neely2005]

Toronto Argos’ president Bill Manning: ‘It would be prudent’ for CFL to discuss hub city concept

https://3downnation.com/2020/05/14/t...-city-concept/

[1971GreyCup]

Nine matches in the Bundesliga the weekend. ⚽️

Hard hit Italy will eliminate travel restrictions and halted quarantines for travel on June 3rd.

Out of the U.K. “There is a real chance that the virus will burn out naturally before any vaccine is developed. We are seeing a roughly similar pattern everywhere - I suspect we have more immunity than estimated. We need to keep slowing the virus, but it could be petering out by itself.” @prokarolsakora

I spoke with a CFL facilities manager this week and he’s preparing their stadium for a delayed 2020 season.

we might just come out of the pandemic as quickly as we went into it. Although a “new” normal for a while.

[argolio]

Just watched some of the German game on Sportsnet. Weird to see no fans. Players were not wearing masks despite speculation to the contrary. Most of the support staff on the benches were.

Leagues trying to finish their seasons without fans have banked the majority of their gate receipts. I still can't see how the CFL, which is more reliant on ticket sales, can pull off a season without financial support.

It would have to be at least a 12-game schedule, starting somewhere around Labour Day, to make it worthwhile. Which means the league would probably have to secure financing by late June/early July in order to start training camps in August. If it happens, I could see there not being any pre-season games.

[jerrym]

Another problem for the CFL is what is the effect on the talent level of draftees if some or/all of the Canadian universities don't play football this fall because of Covid-19? Will some or all American universities shut down their fall football programs. There are also questions about what is going to happen with American university football. If some of them or all of them don't play obviously the new talent pool for the NFL and CFL will be weaker. The two comment I did find were not promising.

As a response to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the U SPORTS Board of Directors has extended the moratorium on all in-person recruiting for its 12 sanctioned sports until May 31, 2020. ...

U SPORTS will revisit this decision in the coming weeks to determine whether to extend this moratorium.

https://usports.ca/en/news/2020/05/3...id-19-pandemic

A day earlier, news broke that Los Angeles County, home to USC and UCLA, intended to extend its stay-at-home order by three months, which would push it into August.

If college football teams would need six weeks to prepare for a season that started Sept. 5, requiring players to be working out toget her by mid-to-late July, such a move could put the Trojans and Bruins behind schedule. This led to further speculation that USC would not be able to play Alabama in Arlington, Texas, in the season opener— and USC athletic director Mike Bohn immediately debunking that notion on Twitter. ...

The announcement Tuesday by the California State University system that it planned to operate virtually in the fall did not directly affect the Pac-12, but was an indication of political winds that sweep the opposite direction from what the SEC faces.

With the state-by-state response to the novel coronavirus dividing the country more by the day, the Power Five commissioners are attempting a seemingly ridiculous task: align the actions of the 130-team Football Bowl Subdivision, made up of schools from 42 states. “There’s a lot of unique pressures, and there’s different cultures throughout the country, and different cultures result in different public policy sometimes, and different pressure on commissioners,” Scott said. “But we all need each other to play a full college football season.”

Despite the uncertainty that is sure to hover over higher education for many months — even in the South, presidents understand the virus’ behavior in the next six to eight weeks will ultimately decide their plans for the fall — the Power Five leagues are preparing for a full 12-week schedule that, as ever, leads into the College Football Playoff.

To pull it off, Scott said it’s key that the commissioners are “locked at the hip.”

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story...ng-coronavirus

[jerrym]

There are problems for Canadian and American universities in the recruitment of players that are likely to affect the future talent pool of the NFL or CFL. The following article is about a Canadian girl, Tara Wallack, trying to get an American basketball scholarship but much of it would apply to Canadians trying to get football scholarships to American universities. The article also discusses the financial problems that will hit the NCAA if the revenue from American college football disappears due to Covid-19, including a vivid description involving the f word.

Closed borders means no visits to the NCAA Pac-12 schools in the United States that are courting the reigning B.C. 4A girls MVP. Instead of face-to-face meetings with coaches and potential teammates, Wallack has to settle for FaceTime discussions.

“Yes, my recruitment has been impacted at this point,” said Wallack, who quickly pointed out her situation pales in comparison to the life-and-death struggles being played out around the world. I won’t get the exposure I was hoping to have this upcoming summer. It’s a lot more difficult, as I can’t visit the schools at this time. ...

Seniors in spring sports hoping for a strong final season to grab an 11th-hour bursary will be out of luck. Online and self-isolating workouts are helpful, but skills development in various sports will stall. Scholarships, both in total number and in dollar figures, will take a hit.

And universities on both sides of the border are facing a cash crunch that could overwhelm athletics programs. The NCAA, already without the $600 million from its lucrative March Madness tournament, is staring down the barrel of catastrophe if the shared-revenue college football season doesn’t come off, and its governors have been firm in saying that no sports will occur until schools are reopened.

“We’re all effed,” an athletic director from one of the biggest football schools in the NCAA told Sports Illustrated this week. “There’s no other way to look at this, is there?”

https://theprovince.com/sports/unive...ovid-19-crisis

[jerrym]

Former NFLer, Ottawa Rough Rider and Shreveport Pirate Dexter Manley, who holds the Washington Redskins record for sacks with 91, has been hospitalized with Covid-19.

[1971GreyCup]

Bombers coach O’Shea believes there will be CFL games in 2020, believes in resiliency of league
Winnipeg Sun
Ted Wyman


Grey Cup-winning head coach Mike O’Shea is always one to look at the positive side of things.


When asked about players with nagging injuries during a season, he invariably says he expects them to play.


When a player is struggling, he makes it known publicly that he believes in him.
You could hear that same optimism in O’Shea’s words Saturday as he spoke about the potential for a shortened CFL season in 2020.


“I believe it’s gonna happen,” O’Shea said. “Everybody I’ve run into around town, getting gas or groceries or whatever, they ask the same question. I wholeheartedly believe that we’re gonna play football this year.”


Sunday was supposed to be the first day of training camps in the CFL but owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, those have been postponed indefinitely. The season is on hold as well, the CFL is struggling with financial burdens and no one knows for sure if or when the players will be back on the field.


CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has asked the federal government for a bailout of up to $150 million and there are legitimate concerns about the viability of the league going forward, whether or not it stages games in 2020.


“I honestly can say that I’m not worried about the future,” said O’Shea, who played 15 seasons as a linebacker in the CFL and has been a coach for the last 10.


“I believe in the resiliency of our league. In terms of the toll it’s taking or going to take, that remains to be seen. I’ve put a lot of years into this league, seen a lot of different things, seen teams come and go, but I’ve also seen a league survive, and survive when the pundits said it wouldn’t.”


Ambrosie testified on May 7 before a House of Commons standing committee on finance and said the most likely scenario for 2020 was there would be no season at all.
Since that time, however, the idea of a shortened season, possibly with no fans in the stands, possibly in hub cities, has picked up steam. The league and the players association are working together toward some kind of acceptable solution, most likely an eight-game season, starting in early September.


“I don’t see that as being a problem,” O’Shea said. “The bottom line is players want to play and coaches want to coach and fans want to watch. Whatever that looks like, somebody else way above me will decide whether it’s a possibility or not, whether it’s feasible. Of course I believe that would be a good thing.”


O’Shea was speaking from home Saturday, the place where he has been working for the last two months. He has managed to keep everything in perspective even though it’s killing him to not be on the field with his players this weekend.


“It’s obviously disappointment but you can’t look past what the whole world is going through, which is far bigger than me and us starting training camp.


“This is one of my favourite times of the season just because everybody’s getting in the room and those relationships take hold again and you just witness it all for the first couple of days. It’s so exciting for the guys and the coaching staff too. Sitting in our home offices now, working remotely, you realize getting players in the building is just one of the greatest days for any coach in any sport.”


He’s had some contact with his players, who are itching to get back on the field, get games going and get the Grey Cup rings they earned last November in Calgary.
A united front between the players and the league is going to be crucial going forward, although O’Shea knows that alone won’t be enough to make things right.
“It’s important, but it’s also difficult when you’re dealing with the number of people involved,” he said. “There’s a lot to understand and a lot to grasp. This is far deeper than just a financial situation with our league. This is a country, a couple countries and a border.


“There’s a lot more in-depth discussions that need to happen for everybody to even begin to understand the magnitude of these situations and the decisions that have to be made. I can’t say that I have a complete understanding of everything that goes on. I just trust that we have leaders, not only on our team, in our league, but also in government at the provincial and federal level that will work to get a solution, not just for our business but for businesses across the country.”


O’Shea loves the look of the roster he’ll eventually take to training camp


If training camp had opened as it was supposed to on Sunday, Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea would be a pretty happy man.


His team won the Grey Cup in 2019 and the large majority of the key players from the championship season would have been back at IG Field for training camp.


That gives O’Shea a pretty rosy outlook for the 2020 season, whenever that may begin.


“A lot of guys are coming back,” he said. “Basically our offence will be intact and we feel we’ve signed some guys new to the CFL that will bring some competition in.
“Defensively, obviously, looking at the departures we’ve had, we’ve got to replace a few guys.”


All-star defensive backs Winston Rose (Cincinnati) and Marcus Sayles (Minnesota), signed NFL contracts, so replacing them will be priority No. 1 for the Bombers.
“Up front, we’re basically intact except for (defensive linemen) Drake Nevis and Jonathan Kongbo, but the back end is where we need to have good competition and figure out what our lineup is gonna be for the first game,” O’Shea said. “That’s where our focus in any camp setting is gonna be.


“In terms of my overall feeling about the roster … it’s good. Anytime there’s a great amount of continuity, you feel good about it. The veteran leadership group we have is growing and guys have a good understanding of what it takes, obviously, because they just did it.”

https://winnipegsun.com/sports/footb...ency-of-league

[1971GreyCup]

NZ gives sports sector $157 million boost to get through COVID-19


WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand’s struggling sports sector has received a NZ$265 million ($157 million) injection from the government to help it mitigate some of the worst financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sports Minister Grant Robertson said on Sunday.


Grant Robertson, who is also New Zealand’s finance minister and delivered the national budget on Thursday, said funding and revenue had dried up for nearly all sports organisations and that they were under “immense strain”.


“We are providing the support needed to sports at all levels to remain viable, get stronger and adapt,” Robertson said in the post-budget statement.


“We have also seen many of our professional sports and athletes struggle as competitions have been cancelled or suspended. Budget 2020 will provide some assistance, so they can keep competing.”


The funding would be spread over four years, with NZ$83 million made immediately available for “short-term support”.


A further NZ$104 million would be available in the medium term to help the sector rebuild, while the remaining NZ$78 million would be for the development of new programmes that help communities get back into activity and recreation.


All levels of organised sport have been on hold since March when New Zealand went into a national lockdown to attempt to contain the spread of the disease, restricting exercise to walking, running or cycling alone.


The government loosened restrictions in April and then eased them further on Thursday, allowing the resumption of professional sport, although fans will not be able to attend matches.


Community and club sports competitions are still on hold, with organisations told by government body Sports NZ to enter a “get ready” phase to prepare for a return.


Health officials reported one new coronavirus infection on Sunday, bringing the total to 1,499, of which 1,149 are confirmed. Only 45 are still considered active cases.


There have been 21 deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus.


https://reut.rs/3cDzExP‬

[jerrym]

Regina Mayor Michael Fougere says he is open to Regina being a hub city for the CFL. The league is considering possibly having two hub cities, one in the East and one in the West, if the season goes ahead.

Regina’s mayor is open to the idea of having a discussion about the Queen City being a CFL hub city if the 2020 season gets the green light.

While league commissioner Randy Ambrosie has said the most-likely scenario is a cancelled season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a final decision hasn’t been made yet. TSN’s Farhan Lalji tweeted Thursday that discussions indicate the league and the CFL Players’ Association want to play in 2020 and the idea of having two hub cities (one in the west and one in the east) has been floated. ...

Regina Mayor Michael Fougere said there hasn’t been a formal proposal made, but the city has had "very, very preliminary” discussions around the idea of hosting the games. "I think anything is possible. I think Regina in the outset is situated very well for this. We’re right in the middle of the continent, right in the middle of Western Canada, easy to get to and (we have) that beautiful stadium," Fougere said. "I think we have all the makings of making this happen, as with any other team in the CFL. But I think Regina with its new stadium and its geographic location would be well set to do this."

Fougere said a lot needs to be done to determine if the idea is feasible. "One of them is when you bring in players from the United States in particular, they’ve got to be isolated for 14 days (under public health orders). There’s a lot of safety issues to be done (and) there’s a financial implication for it as well," Fougere said.

Fougere said the City of Regina and Evraz Place haven’t had conversations with the CFL or anyone else regarding the idea as of now. "It’s simply an interesting concept,” Fougere said. “Let’s have that conversation and see where it goes."

During the Government of Saskatchewan’s daily update Thursday, Dr. Saqib Shahab said he hasn’t personally looked into the idea of having football events played in the province. “We know that there’s interest in many settings to have sports start in a way where there may not be spectators but they may be televised,” said Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer.
Shahab said players have to behave differently in countries that have opened up to sporting events, which includes social distancing in hotels. Shahab said there is a lot of close contact that happens during sports, which can put the players at risk. “Some time in the future, that could be something that may be done in a way that (there would only be some risk) to the players and maybe of some value in terms of entertainment and economy. ...

“I’ve not been in discussion with the CFL on any proposal that would be there to salvage a portion of this season,” [Premier Scott] Moe said. “If that was to be under consideration, there would be collaborative work done between the league, the teams, the community, the province and the chief medical health officers, likely at the provincial and national level to ensure the safety of the players in limiting their risk of exposure to the virus and many parameters around those who may have to be in the stadium.”

https://www.ckom.com/2020/05/14/foug...20-cfl-season/

[doubleblue]

Just watched some of the German game on Sportsnet. Weird to see no fans. Players were not wearing masks despite speculation to the contrary. Most of the support staff on the benches were.

Leagues trying to finish their seasons without fans have banked the majority of their gate receipts. I still can't see how the CFL, which is more reliant on ticket sales, can pull off a season without financial support.

It would have to be at least a 12-game schedule, starting somewhere around Labour Day, to make it worthwhile. Which means the league would probably have to secure financing by late June/early July in order to start training camps in August. If it happens, I could see there not being any pre-season games.

I can't see anything more than an eight game schedule starting at Labour Day to November 1st. That is 9 week ends, which the western conference would probably need to get in 8 games. I don't know if we would see teams playing 3 games in 9 days. Maybe if a lot of players are brought off and on the injured list. But finances may not allow for big PR's and injured lists. But player safety is a lot bigger issue now than it used to be, back in the day, as the saying goes.
As far as pre-season games I agree not likely, but maybe controlled scrimmages if teams are all playing in a "hub" city.
Surely by August with all the improvements being made with testing, the import players wouldn't have to go through a 14 day isolation if they tested ok. How crazy would that be for a rookie coming into a rookie camp to have to spend 14 days in isolation for a two day try out.

[1971GreyCup]

We still have a long way to go before returning to normal, or something that resembles it. With that said, sporting events are starting to return, especially across the world. Here is a look at what’s on tap over the next 10 days. https://www.tsn.ca/the-next-10-days-...when-1.1473405

[paulwoods13]

Here is a look at what’s on tap over the next 10 days. https://www.tsn.ca/the-next-10-days-...when-1.1473405[/COLOR]

That's from May 7, so it appears the 10 days have already happened.

[argolio]

I can't see anything more than an eight game schedule starting at Labour Day to November 1st. That is 9 week ends, which the western conference would probably need to get in 8 games. I don't know if we would see teams playing 3 games in 9 days. Maybe if a lot of players are brought off and on the injured list. But finances may not allow for big PR's and injured lists. But player safety is a lot bigger issue now than it used to be, back in the day, as the saying goes.
As far as pre-season games I agree not likely, but maybe controlled scrimmages if teams are all playing in a "hub" city.
Surely by August with all the improvements being made with testing, the import players wouldn't have to go through a 14 day isolation if they tested ok. How crazy would that be for a rookie coming into a rookie camp to have to spend 14 days in isolation for a two day try out.

They could move the Grey Cup to November 29th, which would make it 10 weeks. It also may be possible to start a week or two before Labour Day and fit in 12 games with some creative scheduling. If not 12, 10 games seems manageable.

Having an odd number of teams makes things difficult, so I think all nine teams would have to be in one hub city or two close to each other. I'm thinking the GTA because MLSE probably has the most resources for hosting teams. There should be no conflicts at BMO with TFC because they'll probably play all their games down south if MLS restarts. Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa/Montreal if necessary can handle all scheduling requirements.

Rosters could be tricky. No doubt they wouldn't want the expense of carrying more guys, yet they might need to under these conditions.

[1971GreyCup]

Effective tomorrow, B.C. new order for restaurants and pubs stipulates they can be at max. 50% capacity, max. 6 at a table (which must be 2 metres from another table) and that 1 person in a group must provide contact info that must be kept on file for 30 days. We seem to be returning to normal quickly.

No reports of return of new COVID-19 cases from Georgia, Florida or Texas.

[paulwoods13]

Effective tomorrow, B.C. new order for restaurants and pubs stipulates they can be at max. 50% capacity, max. 6 at a table (which must be 2 metres from another table) and that 1 person in a group must provide contact info that must be kept on file for 30 days. We seem to be returning to normal quickly.

We have radically different ideas of what constitutes normal, I guess.

[Stevoman]

I heard a suggestion today in the news that if they were to have a host city/province for all teams and games, that Saskatchewan would be a good location with games taking place in both Regina and Saskatoon, using some of the University facilities to both play games and house the players.