AMBROSIE HAS LITTLE TO SAY IN CFL UPDATE
Commish upbeat about league’s future, but collective agreement lies ahead
It seemed like the logical place to begin the annual CFL Commissioner’s State of the Union was where Stampeders’ quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell ended up the night before.
“To the CFL, to the CFLPA: Get the damn thing signed and let’s have a league next year,” the CFL award winner as most outstanding player said in his acceptance speech.
So, the question for commissioner Randy Ambrosie: is there any reason to be optimistic that a mood and an attitude exists involving both parties that might end in negotiations toward a new collective bargaining agreement sooner than later? Or should we all just brace ourselves for the inevitable down-to-the-wire angst?
“It is, of course, the great unknown,” Ambrosie began. “Look, I think there’s a great attitude. We’ve done some really great work with the players over the past number of years. I’m optimistic. I really am. I think we can sit down with the players really shortly after the season and lay out a path to put in place a deal that’s fair for both sides. I’m absolutely confident that we’re going to get a solution and get back to playing football for the start of the 2019 season.”
Ambrosie could be called a dreamer and his dreams are giant-sized and in Technicolor. He has a number of visions and, so far, he’s delivered on some of them. But Friday he had precious little to deliver and he knew it.
He even made a joke about it when he took the podium.
“I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night thinking about the event today. My wife said I need to man up and go face the media,” he said of his situation.
A few months back, he was hopeful he’d be able to deliver the Atlantic Schooners as a done deal with a stadium secured. He’s still hopeful. But while the Halifax team planned an evening announcement in regards to the result of their name-the-team contest at the Schooners longrunning Grey Cup party location where people wear Schooners “Still Undefeated” buttons.
“We have this amazing group called Maritime Football with Anthony LeBlanc, Garry Drummond and Bruce Bowser and we’re totally committed to their efforts to get that 10th team,” Ambrosie said, adding that he’s found “enormous enthusiasm and excitement for the idea” on his visits to the area.
“But, ultimately, the big hurdle is the stadium.”
Ambrosie was able to bring Oscar Parez and Alejandro Jaimes onstage and sign a letter of intent with Mexico’s Liga de Futbol Americano Professional to work together on several projects, including possible CFL games in Mexico that are part of his “CFL 2.0” vision.
But while he was able to announce that Sunday’s Grey Cup game will be broadcast in Spanish on Mexican TV, it’s all pretty vague stuff and didn’t seem to move the dial with anybody. It’s hard to get excited about a few Mexican kickers and a place for Canadian college grads to play and possibly develop when the three biggest markets in the CFL — Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal — all have major attendance issues.
On the other hand, he had the evidence all around him that his new template for delivering a Grey Cup game and festival has been launched with an initial success beyond even his original expectations.
“In the past, the template that we used was when we awarded the Grey Cup to a team, whatever the financial outcome, was the team’s reward,” he explained.
This year, it became a league property with all the teams receiving equal shares of Grey Cup revenue.
“I can’t really imagine there would have been a better place to do it than right here in Edmonton,” he said. “We wanted the Grey Cup to be bigger and better than ever and we thank Edmonton for what they’ve done this year. It’s been amazing. They’re setting a really high bar.”
He’d hoped to announce the site of the 2020 Grey Cup at the function but said a timeout has been called on that because the bids were so exceptional from three cities that the board of governors wanted more time to study them.
Ambrosie was able to announce higher TV ratings, up 15 per cent in the key 18-49 year-old demographic, and a 10 per cent reduction and reduced injuries.
And he said the first step toward realizing his hope of moving the playoffs and Grey Cup game has been taken.
“In our request for 2020 Grey Cup bids, we’ve actually asked the teams to bid one week earlier that the week they’ve been bidding in the past.”
But mostly, it was, “Wait till next year.”
Look, I think there’s a great attitude. We’ve done some really great work with the players over the past number of years. I’m optimistic. I really am.