By Greg Urbanoski

Riderville

Day 16 of postponed 2020 Season!

Jun 2, 2020 | 8:49 AM

On paper it looked perfect. I would work the midnight shift at the RCMP, get off at 8 am, go home, change and go sit in Mosaic and watch training camp and try to figure out who was looking good and who wasn’t.

This would have been Day 16 of preseason and the Riders would have played Calgary in Calgary and according to the CFL simulation game played, Calgary beat the Riders 27-23.

Instead I have my order of Saskatchewan Roughrider face masks coming in this week and as the days pass, it seems more possible, I hesitate to use the word likely, the CFL will be playing a modified schedule using the Hub City concept.

Hub Cities are those centres with a low level of Covid-19 infections and right now Winnipeg and Regina are leading in that category. The CFL has allowed players to use facilities in their respective cities depending on the public health guidelines, but the doors have been opened for what might possibly unfold.

There are a couple of variations on a theme that is developing here. If testing gets more widespread and let’s say the level of infections in southern Ontario goes down, the concept of Hub Cities would probably extend to southern Ontario, which would probably help TSN and their proximity to BMO and Tim Horton’s Field.

Politics

Liberal leadership race crystallizes as candidates make opening pitches

5h ago

Middle east conflict

Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to begin Sunday

8h ago

BODY-WORN CAMERAS

RCMP body cameras aim to build trust, but expert says can be "problematic"

Jan 17, 2025

Another variation on the Hub Cities would see the four western Canadian cities – Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary and Edmonton serve as hubs and each city could also adopt an eastern team. The proximity of the four centres would reduce travel costs and make the logistics perhaps a bit easier in terms of accommodation and practice facilities.

There has been talk of a non-CFL city acting as a Hub City, which would probably be Saskatoon if say the work on the Huskies facility is completed by August. However the infection rate of Covid-19 is just one factor in getting a season underway.

One of the biggest questions will be paying players and staff, especially if games are played in front of empty stands or depending on the city, maybe a third of the facility. Edmonton with a 60,000 seat facility would be able to get 20,000 in and spread out so they won’t do themselves or the players any harm.

In Saskatchewan the crowd would be limited to say 13,000. Throw in the uncertainty over season ticket packages etc, and if the CFL is looking for gate revenue, it will have to operate under a new salary cap that would take in account the limited seating capacity and likely surrounding concession and merchandise restrictions.

Some CFL teams have sought to address the changing landscape of merchandise by offering masks and buffs for sale. There are pictures of the 1918 Spanish Flu where people sat in stands wearing masks to prevent infecting others, or perhaps getting infected themselves.

I stopped in the Rider Store on the weekend and as they slowly open up different branches, the Riders are looking at a whack of merchandise for the 2020 Grey Cup that is no longer valid but still needs to be sold. This year the Calgary Stampeders are looking to unveil a new jersey to commemorate their 75^th season but changes to other team jerseys will likely wait until next year.

The CFL had made a disastorous visit to the Federal Government looking for money to help in case of a cancelled season or say a hub city season in order to have money coming in to pay players and staff. Now it seems the league is getting its act together by working with the players on what a new Covid-19 CBA would look like, how they can access television money and more importantly, what level of fan involvement or non-involvement is required to bring in gate revenue.

There may be restrictions on fans like no one over 60 would be admitted to games considering that seems to be the target demographic for Covid-19. Those season ticket holders over 60 would likely be asked if they want to hang onto their seats for the 2021 season if they sit this season out.

I would also think that concessions would be changed somewhat and teams may be more amenable to fans bringing food and drink in and preventing potential infection points at the various concession stands.

The problem with these plans and scenarios is that one is trying to anticipate how this virus may evolve and change. There is talk of a second wave of the virus as restrictions lift and people mingle more often. The cabin fever many have been experiencing has resulted in stupidity such as in Toronto last weekend when a number of people gathered in a park without taking care.

In Saskatchewan two family gatherings of more than 10 people resulted in an increase of Covid-19 infections as people say that stuff can’t happen to them and then to their surprise they find it is happening. All of these factors play into how leagues will be able to play whether it is CFL, NHL, NBA or NFL.

The next step will be with the border currently closed, how American players will be able to return to Canada and where they will have to quarantine before they can work out with their teammates. That hurdle should be easy to handle if the federal government provides a waiver for those players, providing they undergo guarantine on their entry to Canada.

The level of testing will have to go up, be it some kind of 15 minute DNA test or electronic thermometer that measures body temperatures. What happens if a player tests positive? One would think they would have to go into quarantine but whether the rest of the team has to go depends on what protocols are worked out with the provincial health authorities and the league.

So if the CFL can work out a Covid -19 CBA with the players, access TV and sponsorship money, and has a limited but enthused public attendance, it is entirely possible to see a CFL season starting on Labour Day weekend.

The CFL will probably look to access all the money it can under federal and provincial programs and all this talk about money going to American players – well, they pay taxes too and I would like to see how all of this works before dismissing it out of hand.

With the Hub City concept, if spectators are allowed in, then I would think if there are multiple cities, there will be revenue sharing amongst teams to try to mitigate the lost revenue for those teams who are not hosting hub cities. That concept may extend past the Covid-19 CBA as the CFL has a chance to reset and bring in a more responsible financial system.

So let’s say teams do make it to training camp. The postponement of the season will allow players like Matt Nichols and Bo Levi Mitchell to recover more completely from their injuries, and teams will have to have pretty cohesive to get out of the gate quickly because if it’s an eight game season, falling 0-4 is a recipe for disaster.

Teams that have a pretty good familiarity with their coaches and system would be at an advantage while teams with new coaches will be behind the eight ball to bring their team up to speed on whatever systems their coaches are looking to implement.

The result may be one of the more competitive CFL seasons ever…but a lot has to happen first.

It’s a strange day as I got news my former Copy Editor from the PA Herald, Gayle Seymour, passed away over the weekend from cancer. When I came to the Herald in October 89, I remember going to former reporter Lisa Thomson’s apartment to watch the Grey Cup and when we went into work afterwards, Gayle asked what I thought and I said The Drought is Over, which was the headline in the Herald for the game. Gayle was a class lady and will be sadly missed by family and friends.