Giving federal funds to league a tricky issue to consider

Despite cultural argument, optics of public funds supporting pro sports are never good

Professional sports leagues continue to navigate dangerous roads in trying to forge a path forward in an uncertain future.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s confirmation on Wednesday that the federal government is in talks to potentially bankroll the CFL for as much as $150 million is the very definition of a political football.

As much as the three-down game and Shania Twain entering a snow-covered field on a dogsled for a Grey Cup halftime show has Canadiana written all over it, justifying support to a professional league amid the novel coronavirus economic collapse might be an impossible sell.

The timing, on the eve of Thursday’s CFL draft and with the Ottawa Redblacks and the rest of the league facing the very real possibility of having the 2020 season wiped out altogether, is intriguing.

It also comes on the heels of an insightful Reuters survey south of the border. The poll found that 42 per cent of sports fans in the United States would return as soon as spectators were allowed back into stadiums, parks or arenas. Another 39 per cent of sports fans, however, said they would prefer to wait for the arrival of a vaccine before returning to the fields or rinks of action. The best estimates from the medical community is a vaccine could be 12-18 months away.

It must be pointed out the sample size of 4,400 adults is relatively small and the attitudes of American sports fans could vary from the opinions of Canadians, but it does suggest a scary world for all teams and leagues worrying about surviving the crisis.

For the bigger leagues with rich TV contracts such as the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, there’s at least the potential for recouping some short-term revenues by playing without fans this summer and into the fall.

In the case of the NHL, there’s some logic in possibly moving the start of the 2020-21 season all the way back to December. The hope is by that point, the health concerns in most cities will have relaxed enough to allow at least some spectators.

But until a vaccine arrives, how many fans will risk a return without at least some physical distancing rules in place?

And how much longer could the Ottawa Senators and some other NHL teams survive while playing with half the seats empty?

Which brings us back to the CFL, which is largely a gate-driven enterprise. The CFL was originally scheduled to kick off its season on June 11, and currently has no incoming revenue.

According to TSN’s Dave Naylor, who first reported the discussions with the federal government, the CFL is asking for an immediate $30-million influx to withstand the next few months.

In a best-case scenario of a shortened university or college-like season, perhaps beginning in September, the

CFL might be able to squeeze in eight games before the playoffs to crown a Grey Cup champion. In that case, reports suggest the CFL could need an additional $20 million to $70 million just to survive the season. Should the 2020 campaign be wiped out altogether, the CFL suggests it would need $150 million to keep operating.

The CFL would, in turn, “pay back” the government with unpaid future contributions toward public service and tourism, but no actual dollars would be involved.

There’s a cultural argument to be made here to support a league that’s based solely in Canada and boasts such a proud history.

When the dialogue advances to the merits of supporting a distinct north-of-the border enterprise, the CFL might well argue it deserves support similar to that given to the arts and entertainment industry. In the past year, for instance, the Canada Media Fund, a public/private partnership, delivered $353 million in funding to support the Canadian television and digital media industries. That pot of cash helped fund Schitt’s Creek, Kim’s Convenience and Letterkenny.

Whatever the argument, though, the optics of governments directly subsidizing professional teams or leagues have never gone over well.

Longtime fans of the Rough Riders will remember, perhaps not so fondly, the organization’s desperate pleas for city and regional council support in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Those discussions split the community.

When former Senators owner Rod Bryden went to the feds at the turn of the millennium, saying government support was the only way to stay alive, the ensuing controversy split the country.

Say what you want about Eugene Melnyk, but if the CFL is given a bailout, what’s to stop the Sens owner from making a similar plea for receive financial support if the stands at the Canadian Tire Centre aren’t full in the future?

Keep the following in mind. When Bryden’s ask was in the air, before he ultimately sold the franchise to Melnyk, then CFL president Jeff Giles weighed in.

“The CFL is also as deserving as the NHL in that we’re an important part of Canadian culture, Canadian heritage and the fabric of this country,” said Giles. “We need help as much as anybody.” kwarren@postmedia.com Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren