Rush enjoy the rush of victory
ROBSERVATIONS ...
The Saskatchewan Roughriders were habitually on the wrong side of the scoreboard in 2015 — and now there is one more deficit to digest as a consequence of a 3-15 season. On Monday, the Regina Leader-Post’s Murray McCormick reported that the local CFL team will report a loss of (gulp) $4.3 million for the 2015-16 fiscal year. It is shocking to see such a figure after eight successive seasons with seven- or eight-figure profits. The days of the deficits, one had presumed, were but a distant memory from the telethon era.
When you break down the numbers, there is every reason to believe that the dismal 201516 data can be written off as an aberration. The amortization of the $15-million Grey Cup Legacy Fund, which is on the books for the fourth and final year, will not be factored into future annual reports. Plus, the team should be significantly better in Year 1 of the Chris Jones regime. The farewell season at Mosaic Stadium 1.0 will certainly lead to an increased clamour for tickets. Moreover, it is unlikely that the team will have to buy out pricey contracts (see: Corey Chamblin, Brendan Taman) or pay quarterback Darian Durant $500,000 to play only one-36th of the regular season.
Watch for a return to profitability once the 2016-17 results are tabulated. And when the numbers are crunched for 201718, following the team’s inaugural season in a state-of-the-art new stadium, they should be eye-popping due to the new and varied revenue streams that will be available.
Monday’s announcement that the Roughriders had added quarterback Phillip Sims to the training-camp roster prompted a prehistoric scribe to recall the team’s pursuit of a virtual namesake — Phil Simms. In 1979, the Roughriders were wooing Simms, who was a star quarterback at tiny Morehead State University. Simms gave strong consideration to signing with Saskatchewan, pending the results of the NFL draft. Unexpectedly, the New York Giants selected Simms seventh overall. “He was concerned about who was going to play quarterback for us,” Ron Lancaster, who was the Riders’ head coach in 1979 and 1980, recalled several years later. “I said, ‘Don’t you worry about that. You just have a good career.’”
That he did. Simms, who was with the Giants from 1979 to 1993, was named the most valuable player of the 1987 Super Bowl game after completing 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns in a 39-20 victory over the (sigh) Denver Broncos.
How about our province’s other professional sports franchise? The Saskatchewan Rush punctuated its first season in Saskatoon by winning the National Lacrosse League title on Saturday. By all accounts, the Rush offered an exciting product and an overall game-day presentation that proved to be irresistible. Rush management established a template on how to sell a new product.
The NBA final is a colossal disappointment. The Golden State Warriors look very much like they will sweep the dizzied Cleveland Cavaliers. Surprisingly, Cleveland was actually more competitive in last year’s final against Golden State, which defeated the injury-ravaged Cavaliers in six games. LeBron James has a superior supporting cast this year, but the Cavaliers still look lost.
Nice people who deserve a plug: Gord Downie, Rachel Hamilton, Chaslyn McKay, Maureen Miller, Jeff Fairholm, Dan Farthing, SueAnn Farthing, Dave Sandomirsky, Jay Elder, Corey Rubisch, Chloe McEachern, Ron MacLean, Matthew Exner, Ken Zemlak, Craig White, John Bolstad, Jim Langen, Darryl Mailander, Eli Velychko, Eric Velychko and Calla Caldwell.