New CFL boss gets down to business

Jeffrey Orridge is not keen on wasting time.

The CFL’s newest commissioner, appointed to his role on March 17, has yet to preside over a regular-season game — that will come when the 2015 season kicks off next Thursday. In the interlude, just about everything that could happen off the field has happened.

There was the sale of the Toronto Argonauts, and an announcement of their move in 2016 to the city’s BMO Field. There was the unveiling of major rule changes, designed to liberate receivers, challenge kickers and inject a dose of scoring and pace.

There was the extension of one partnership — a TV deal with TSN and RDS — and the end of another: the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, cut as the administrator of the league’s drug policy. There was the Michael Sam signing, and his departure from Montreal Alouettes’ training camp.

There was also a draft, and some pre-season games.

“It’s much more exciting than I had even anticipated before I started,” said Orridge, who was previously executive director of CBC Sports from 2011-15. He has tasked himself with a few fundamental goals, none of which can ever really end, or be expressed in precise terms. Grow the game. Connect with current fans and attract new ones. Turn the CFL into a global entity. The league occupies a national niche. The question is how far a niche can go. “I just think this is an incredibly exciting era that we’re embarking upon,” he said. “The CFL is not only uniquely Canadian, but the value that it has to so many people, I don’t think (it) can be underestimated.”

Orridge sat down with the National Post at his office this week to discuss the state of the game he inherited, from the possibility of expansion to the future of the Canadian quarterback. The interview was moved up by 75 minutes from when it was first scheduled, after the commissioner arrived in Toronto on an earlier flight.

There was, it seemed, no time to waste.

Q What are you most excited for this season?

A I think that the new rule changes make a super-exciting, unpredictable game even more unpredictable — and that’s what sport is all about, right? Thirty-two-yard (extra points) now, it’s not just an automatic. You’re starting from three yards out for a twopoint convert. Some of those new rules in terms of defence and player contact, it’s meant to open up the game, so potentially much more scoring, and certainly much more excitement in the aerial game.

Q What rule change was the most important to implement?

A I think time will tell to see which one makes the bigger difference. Some of (it) has to do with coaching styles, and those coaching styles will necessarily have to change and adapt. The players will have to change and adapt, as well as the officials getting used to the new rules. We’ll see. All of those things as a composite are going to make the game much more exciting and much more unpredictable, and will speed the pace up.

Q What is the biggest issue facing the CFL right now?

A I think there are huge opportunities rather than issues. I think we can always better our best, and I think the opportunity to expand our reach, penetrating a younger demographic, certainly is on the horizon — and also people who are casual fans, getting them more engaged and becoming a more immersive experience.

So many more people are online now, and with the younger demographic, the fact that it’s social first, there’s a whole lot more opportunity to share the excitement of things that are happening in the CFL. I think that augers well for increasing our reach. Really exciting times coming.

Q What impact do you think new ownership and moving to BMO Field in 2016 will have on the Argonauts?

A I think it allows the franchise an opportunity for reintegration, and certainly to help us shape a new era in the CFL. The great thing about the transfer of ownership — we’re partnered now with Bell Canada and Larry Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Group, so two of the biggest, brightest and most experienced names in sports in Canada have taken on this opportunity with the Argos. We’re looking for great things to happen: new marketing, new promotion, re-energizing the Argos brand itself.

Q What is the status of further CFL expansion? Do you foresee a 10th team being added during your tenure?

A We’re focused on making sure that we’ve got as solid a foundation as possible before we look to expand (again). Obviously, we’re always looking for new opportunities to not only grow the game, but to increase our reach in new communities — and communities that have already demonstrated an interest and a passion for the CFL. There are a few of those communities out there. We’ll continue to look to explore. Q Any communities in particular? A I think there are so many that I’d be doing a disservice if I called out any number of them. Certainly, there are growth opportunities. It could be just about anywhere in Canada, because we know there’s a huge, pentup demand for the CFL and the style of game, and also something that is uniquely Canadian.

Q Quarterbacks are the only players whose nationality is not accounted for under CFL roster-quota rules. In that sense, teams are not really incentivized to sign or develop Canadian quarterbacks. What are your thoughts on this facet of the roster structure?

A I think the great thing about the CFL is that wherever you find talent, talent gets an opportunity to play. We’ve got great scouts in this league that identify emerging talent, that cultivate the talent. We’ve got a mentorship program currently with the CIS, where we have Canadian quarterbacks coming in under the tutelage of existing quarterbacks. I think we’re always looking to cultivate talent, and we’re looking to cultivate Canadian talent, certainly, because we play on Canadian soil.

Q Are there plans to change the quarterback nationality rule?

A I think that’s certainly an area where there has been some discussion outside of the football ranks. I think right now, we are focused on making sure that we have the best possible product on the field, and making sure that all talent is cultivated and is able to perform at its best.

Q There has been contention that the CFL’s drug policy is too lenient on first-time offenders and university athletes that have tested positive. Do you think the policy is sufficient?

A We focus on rehabilitation, not retribution. If someone has made a mistake, we’re focused on education. But we do have a fairly stringent policy. If you do have a positive test, you are subject to random and mandatory testing. You suffer a second offence, it results in game suspensions. A third offence, you’re suspended for a year, and a fourth positive test, you’re out of the league.

Those are fairly stringent guidelines that the players understand. The great thing about the policy as it exists now, in the four or five years that it has been implemented, we have not had one single second positive test. Evidently, it looks like it’s working — the education and the rehabilitation aspect is certainly serving the purpose.

Q Last week, you terminated the CFL’s agreement with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport to administer the drug policy. What is the plan heading forward — who will you be working with to enforce the policy?

A We do have a plan, and we’re currently engaged in a number of different conversations with different providers. So, yes.

Q ESPN will televise 20 CFL games (and stream 69 more online) this season, after televising 17 in 2014. How else can you expand the CFL’s American viewership or fan base?

A The idea is to have as much reach as possible. We know that football is probably the No. 1 sport in North America, and we’re all interested in growing the game of football. Certainly, there seems to be an insatiable appetite for the game. We feel that the U.S. market is certainly responsive to Canadian football, three-down football.

Q How long do you expect to work as commissioner?

A (Laughing) I have two young kids, so I will have to be gainfully employed for quite some time. I’ve got a 10-year-old and a five-year-old. Whenever they’re through college — how many years is that?

Look, I’m going to be happy here for as long as the CFL will have me. I have a great team here in the league office. We have great teams, those nine teams that currently exist. The board of governors, I couldn’t hope for a better collection of people who share the passion and the interest in continuing to grow this game. That’s why I’m here.

Q Do you have any sort of football background?

A Just playing football, until my high school terminated the program. I went to a very small school in New York. There are limited resources, limited funds. But I’ve always been a fan. I’ve always followed football. When I moved to this country eight years ago, I was able to catch CFL games live. That’s how I would spend the lion’s share of my summer: coaching youth baseball and watching CFL football.

I love sport. Sport is part of my DNA, so I played football, I played basketball, I played baseball, I ran track, for as long as I could.

Q For lack of a better term, do you have a “pipe dream” goal for the CFL — something that might not come to fruition, but that you hope to see accomplished while you’re commissioner?

A I think all of my dreams are actually going to be realized while I’m in this office. One of the things that I talked about is ultimately to have the CFL be a globally recognized league, in that it actually is recognized for the stature that it really deserves — the level of notice and awareness around the world.

This is the ultimate team sport. It is certainly one of the most exciting brands of sport out there. All the things that it represents: energy, excitement, activity. But it’s also the values that it has. I don’t know of many other sports that have so many of their players contribute to the community. It’s really an honour just to be part of the entire league, and all that it stands for — not just what it does, but what it stands for, as well.

Q So what do you have to do to make the CFL globally recognized?

A All the things that we’re doing right now. We’re increasing our reach. We’re focused on maintaining our relevance — not just delivering the product for the existing fans, meeting their expectations and exceeding their expectations, but attracting new fans, as well. Continuing to develop relationships with blue-chip organizations. All that will lead to revenue growth, and the revenue will be re-invested in continuing to grow the game. I think those are the primary tenets: reach, relevance and relationships. That’s what’s going to help grow this game and grow this brand.