(Hamilton) Canadian Football League (CFL) Commissioner Randy Ambrosi again boasted his optimism Friday, but remained stingy on details during his first press conference on the state of his district in two years.
The CFL has canceled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to several sources, the situation cost the league between 60 and 80 million.
The Canadian Football League resumed operations in 2021 with a shorter schedule to 14 games – four games shorter than usual – which will culminate on Sunday in the Gray Cup match between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. , at Tim Hortons Stadium.
It would then be a repeat of the 2019 final, which the Blue Bombers won 33-12.
‘Don’t waste a crisis,’ said Winston Churchill. ‘I’m glad I can say we didn’t,’ said Ambrose.
I won’t tell you that we fixed everything. I won’t mean that there are no longer challenges ahead. We have some. What I mean, frankly, is that a lot of work that should have been done so long ago has been done.
Randy Ambrosi, CFL Commissioner
As Ambrosie spoke on Friday, the CFL announced a long-term partnership with Genius Sports, which specializes in data and technology related to sports and betting. The company says on its website that it works with more than 400 sports organizations, including the NFL, Premier League, NCAA, NASCAR and PGA.
The commissioner praised the partnership for potentially accelerating the growth of the CFL and allowing it to reach new markets, but again, he provided very little detail, specifying only that Genius Sports’ investments were primarily technological.
Ambrose also said that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced his constituency to review its business model, including the adoption of a revenue-sharing scheme among the nine agents in the Canadian constituency.
Ambrosie didn’t provide more information on this either, except that the new chassis has been widely accepted by the teams.
An interesting comment where one cannot imagine that the three teams owned by the communities of Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Edmonton, which are traditionally considered the most profitable, could rejoice in the necessity of supporting the perks of wealthy owners.
“I think we have created an environment, a philosophy that allows all teams to be able and make profits if they do things right. We will hold each other accountable for respecting that standard,” the commissioner said.
Players Association CEO Brian Ramsey and President Solomon Elemian both said they are encouraged by the announcement of the revenue-sharing plan. The CFL and its players must negotiate a new collective agreement before the start of next season.
