10 WEEKEND THINGS
RODSERVATIONS
1 – BE CAREFUL: In the end, it was quite a week in the CFL. We had the passing of BC Lions owner David Braley, the announcing of Grey Cup Unite, and a statement from Commissioner Randy Ambrosie about a 2021 Return To Play. Although Braley’s reputation as a penny-pinching operator came to light, perhaps long-time Lions coach Mike Benevides said it best on Friday’s RP Show. The current Ottawa RedBlacks defensive coordinator advised CFL fans and staffers to “be careful what you wish for”, or “you never know what you have till it’s gone”. Braley may have run teams on a shoestring budget, but his deep, deep passion for the CFL is unquestioned and is a stark contrast to the faceless, emotionless corporate conglomerates in CFL ownership and management now whom are changing league business FAST. Read on…
2 – MORE ON BRALEY: We received a nice email from David Braley’s sister – RoseMarie Braley Stevenson – regarding the passing of her brother. “My brother was always available when needed and could be contacted anytime,” she wrote. “I have lost a protector and I will always be grateful for his thoughtful advice and caring. My mother will look forward to having him with her but we will miss his great lifestyle. I always remember his saying: ‘Money is nothing if you can not use it for the good of others.’ Such a great guy. Thanks for the write-up. It was so on!!” You never know who you’re reaching.
3 – LIONS FUTURE: Braley’s son Rob was reportedly quoted this week as saying his Dad left plenty of money in the Lions coffers to operate the club for several seasons. That seemed to appease Lions fans and CFL supporters alike but I say what good is that when the Lions brand is at an all-time low? My Vancouver football sources expect the Braley family to unload the club ASAP but owning a CFL team isn’t exactly an attractive proposition right now. Canucks Sports & Entertainment owner Francesco Aquilini said this week they aren’t interested in buying. I’m told there are other groups still interested, but don’t expect a sale anytime soon.
4 – THE WATERBOY: You don’t need a big marketing budget to grow your team’s brand and get people into the building. Don’t forget shortly after Bobby Ackles took over running the Lions in the early 2000s, they were regularly boasting crowds of up to 55,000 for regular season games. Read Bob’s book The Waterboy because it’s a How-To Guide for sports marketing which includes handshaking, door-knocking, bringing your stakeholders together and celebrating your club’s history. It’s not about buying Facebook and Google Ads, which is exactly what I’ve overheard CFL marketers saying is the way to go. It’s FEET ON THE GROUND! Ahhh, forget it. (The Argos, by the way, are killing it right now.)
5 – LEAGUE BUZZ: One grave concern amongst the football people I’ve spoken with is the quality of play whenever the CFL returns. There will be a distinct lack of money to go around, and the CFL’s never been flush with cash to begin with. Coaching staffs and football operations budgets – including scouting – have been slashed mightily, repeatedly, and how the player talent pool will look in the future is anybody’s guess. Will the league go back to being 80%-plus Canadian like it was until the 60’s and 70’s? Will the influx of global players (which clearly aren’t CFL-calibre) continue? Will the salary cap drop and thus discourage Americans from coming north? (Especially with the XFL expected to offer $75,000US salaries). How will the product suffer when coaches and coordinators are earning less than they did a decade ago? These are all questions being discussed and the bigger fear is that the CFL suits don’t even care. The assumption among the football people is that the suits are gambling CFL fans will buy tickets and watch on TV regardless of who’s in the uniforms. Furthermore with CFL stars like Cody Fajardo, Marcus Thigpen and a host of others picking up jobs outside the CFL, how many will return? These are anxious times indeed.
6 – RETURN TO PLAY: Randy Ambrosie’s interview with the Canadian Press provided some optimism that there will be a 2021 CFL season. At least it did for me. We’ve seen in the USA that government health officials have made it clear they don’t have an issue with competition on the field of play (regarding the spread of the virus), but they DO have an issue with large groups. It’s not much different in Canada where we’ve seen the NHL bubbles utilized effectively plus a return of amateur sports and/or high level junior hockey. Soooo it seems there WILL be a CFL in 2021 but it’s up to the CFL marketers and executives to find a way to be economically feasible in this climate. They couldn’t do it in 2020 but they’re certainly on the clock for 2021, and are expected to pull it off.
7 – CFL SIM: The playoff teams are set and all we’re awaiting is the playoff seeding based on the two remaining Week 21 games (Winnipeg at Montreal and Edmonton at Toronto). I’ve got no explanation for Hamilton (6-12), Montreal (5-12) and Winnipeg (8-10) missing the playoffs other than the Sophomore Jinx for Orlondo Steinauer and Khari Jones and a Grey Cup hangover for the Bombers! This Esports league was hastily thrown together and it’s been a blast, but we’ll have a much more sophisticated set up in 2021, likely with a partnership with the CFL. In the meantime, enjoy next weekend’s divisional semifinals which will be broadcast on Facebook Live in a doubleheader next Saturday, November 7 beginning at 5:00 pm ET! It’s looking like Calgary and Saskatchewan have clinched the #1 and #2 seeds in the Top 6 format. I’ve become a believer.
8 – S.J.: This Return To Play scenario in Junior Hockey has been nothing short of fascinating. The SJHL regular season is going to faceoff beginning November 6 and they’re going to try to give it a go with just 150 fans in the building. They have no choice because the government isn’t budging on that 150 cap. How will the WHL pull it off? Refer to Point 6. The biggest difference between Junior A and the Dub is the salaries and size of the staffs. Kinda similar to what the CFL is facing, huh? More is going to be expected from less. I guess these leagues just mushroomed too fast without the revenues to support it. That’s the pandemic-forced sports reset explained in a nutshell.
9 – DUB HUB: As far as WHL players skating in Junior A goes, it really is a tempest in a teapot. The Pay-To-Play teams in the SJHL don’t have any WHL players on their roster so if you’re worried about families paying thousands for their sons to play junior hockey only to be sitting in the stands in favour of Dub stars, don’t be. On the flipside, Medicine Hat Tigers forward Brett Kemp had 4-2-6 Friday night for Yorkton in a preseason game against Melville. This illustrates a huge disparity between the leagues and that’s not good. How long will this experiment last?
10 – RANDOMS TO END: Happy Birthday on Saturday to Rider alum Brian Peters and Mike Palmer and to Pats alum Josh Elder. … We caught the iconic production of Rocky Horror Picture Show Friday evening from the Capital Auto Suite at Conexus Art Centre. It was … something! It’s a little “out there” from what I’m used to but I applaud the all-Saskatchewan cast and the production was out-of-this-world. I’ll give it one thumb up from the Monday Morning Goalie. … Tom Brady is winning and Bill Belichick is not. Life is good. … How on earth do we not know yet if Andy Dalton will play for the Dallas Cowboys this weekend? … Fan 590 Toronto has given an opportunity to RP Show NFL Insider Tori Gurley. We couldn’t be more thrilled! They scouted him, and he’ll score a touchdown. I want the best for everyone in this perilous trade! … What are all these would-be politicians going to do with their new Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts if they’re not elected? It’s been an explosion of @TomDickAndHarry2020 accounts this fall. … Congrats to my good friend Derek Meyers for winning the Regina-Walsh Acres seat in the provincial election this week. Don’t forget us little people! The Sask Party has big things planned for the Duke of Midale. … And with that, I’m OUT of the politics talk. … Remember the Vegas Golden Knights? Me too. I miss my NHL hockey and Saturday nights aren’t the same.
Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen
The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12:00 pm ET on Game+ TV Network in over 1.2-million homes in Canada and the USA. It’s available in Manitoba on Bell/MTS Cable, in Saskatchewan on SaskTel Max, in Alberta & BC on Telus Optik TV and Washington and Oregon states on TDS Cable. It’s also available on Facebook Live and RodPedersen.com/ListenLive
(Jack-O-Lantern: Bradford Kruger)
