CFL 2023

[Jer15]

Free Agency has started going crazy and then yesterday this news came out:

 

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-montreal-alouettes-ownership-1.6747518

For the second time in 4 years the Alouettes are under league ownership. 

Things are not looking good in Montreal.

[tigers]

6 hours ago, Jer15 said:

Free Agency has started going crazy and then yesterday this news came out:

 

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-montreal-alouettes-ownership-1.6747518

For the second time in 4 years the Alouettes are under league ownership. 

Things are not looking good in Montreal.

 

 

 

A pity with Montreal as they have a good following and a pretty good average attendance.

Maybe the owners aren't that good?

Do you know if they have trialed a supporters ownership group or similar?

[MJWalker45]

16 hours ago, tigers said:

 

 

 

A pity with Montreal as they have a good following and a pretty good average attendance.

Maybe the owners aren't that good?

Do you know if they have trialed a supporters ownership group or similar?

A supporters group probably won't fly for the same reason it won't in the USA. Does the league actually permit them? I know the NFL does not, which is why the only fan run team is the Packers, because that's how they were set up after the original team went bankrupt. 

[gosioux76]

17 hours ago, tigers said:

A pity with Montreal as they have a good following and a pretty good average attendance.

Maybe the owners aren't that good?

 

Just from reading up on the situation from media reports, it sounds as if the owners were victims of unfortunate timing. Sid Spiegel and his son-in-law, Gary Stern,  bought the team in January 2020. The pandemic shut the league down for the year. Sid died in 2021 before ever seeing a game. But he owned 75% of the club while his son-in-law only owned 25%, putting control of it into an estate. This was probably a passion project for Spiegel, and it's unlikely in those situations for an estate to continue stewardship of what was likely going to be a money-losing venture. 

[tigers]

7 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

A supporters group probably won't fly for the same reason it won't in the USA. Does the league actually permit them? I know the NFL does not, which is why the only fan run team is the Packers, because that's how they were set up after the original team went bankrupt. 

I know it's a novelty type of idea for it in the USA and other areas but it works well in many other countries and leagues.

You don't have to have full member ownership but something similar to the 51% rule.

 

You know some clubs in the NFL still have life member seats like the MLB?

 

6 hours ago, gosioux76 said:

 

Just from reading up on the situation from media reports, it sounds as if the owners were victims of unfortunate timing. Sid Spiegel and his son-in-law, Gary Stern,  bought the team in January 2020. The pandemic shut the league down for the year. Sid died in 2021 before ever seeing a game. But he owned 75% of the club while his son-in-law only owned 25%, putting control of it into an estate. This was probably a passion project for Spiegel, and it's unlikely in those situations for an estate to continue stewardship of what was likely going to be a money-losing venture. 

 

Thanks for that information as i did not know about the owners.

It would be a shame to lose Montreal as they do love their football for some reason.

[Sec19Row53]

17 minutes ago, tigers said:

I know it's a novelty type of idea for it in the USA and other areas but it works well in many other countries and leagues.

You don't have to have full member ownership but something similar to the 51% rule.

 

You know some clubs in the NFL still have life member seats like the MLB?

 

 

Thanks for that information as i did not know about the owners.

It would be a shame to lose Montreal as they do love their football for some reason.

Who?

[tigers]

29 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Who?

 

 

My bad i read on the NFL site and it's for ex-players who are life members. 

 

 

[Jer15]

To answer the  question I think is being asked; The Blue Bombers are technically a non profit organization but the Elks and Roughriders are both publicly owned teams. Edmonton having 80 shareholders and Saskatchewan having about 12000 shareholders. 

 

The Alouettes  have the lowest average attendance in the league besides for the Argos. The city has lost the CFL before and, if it weren't for the US expansion shutting down and the Baltimore CFL team moving to Montreal, I'm not even sure there'd currently be a CFL in Montreal.

Sure, they had some really great years when anthony calvillo was playing. They packed the place and won. 

I sure don't want to see them dissappear. Don't get me wrong. But I am worried. 

 

Yes I know....this coming from the Argos fan. 

[Jer15]

https://3downnation.com/2023/03/10/official-pierre-karl-peladeau-purchases-montreal-alouettes-from-cfl/

 

Well.....this actually feels like a good fit. Good to hear.

[DCarp1231]

CFL is moving to CBS Sports Network under a new multi year deal-

 

 

[MJWalker45]

14 hours ago, DCarp1231 said:

CFL is moving to CBS Sports Network under a new multi year deal-

 

 

I hope this helps keep the league afloat and in better shape than their ESPN deal did, but will they end up playing most of their games on Paramount? That would suck, even though I have it, because that will close off eyes that they aren't getting under ESPN+. 

[Sec19Row53]

2 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

I hope this helps keep the league afloat and in better shape than their ESPN deal did, but will they end up playing most of their games on Paramount? That would suck, even though I have it, because that will close off eyes that they aren't getting under ESPN+. 

Isn't Paramount an NBC property?

[MJWalker45]

5 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Isn't Paramount an NBC property?

No, Peacock is NBC.

[Seadragon76]

Paramount is CBS.

 

My thought is that whatever games they don't show on CBS Sports Network would be on Paramount+ for those who want to see the other games. With 34 regular season games shown by CBS Sports Network, that means the other 48 games this season (82 in all) could be on Paramount+.

 

This doesn't include the playoff games and the Grey Cup, but I would think that the Grey Cup would be televised... maybe put it on CBS for even more exposure.

[Sykotyk]

1 hour ago, Seadragon76 said:

Paramount is CBS.

 

My thought is that whatever games they don't show on CBS Sports Network would be on Paramount+ for those who want to see the other games. With 34 regular season games shown by CBS Sports Network, that means the other 48 games this season (82 in all) could be on Paramount+.

 

This doesn't include the playoff games and the Grey Cup, but I would think that the Grey Cup would be televised... maybe put it on CBS for even more exposure.

Grey Cup is scheduled for 11/19 at 6pm. There's no way that game is on CBS ... unless... they only have the 1pm NFL slate that weekend and they somehow decide 60 minutes would be less than the demos of those who might watch CFL's championship game over mid-season NFL games on Fox and the first hour of NBC.

 

I don't see it happening.

[nickp91]

 CBS probably won't want to put a CFL Thursday or Friday night game on network primetime even in summer 

[Seadragon76]

1 hour ago, nickp91 said:

 CBS probably won't want to put a CFL Thursday or Friday night game on network primetime even in summer 

 

Might not be a bad idea if whatever summer programming they have doesn't work out.

[Sykotyk]

33 minutes ago, Seadragon76 said:

 

Might not be a bad idea if whatever summer programming they have doesn't work out.

2023 is a lot different than years past. Right now the networks absolutely crave anything that draws live viewers as opposed to most stuff being streamed at the viewers' leisure. A July Friday night game might actually draw better on the worst TV night than any other programming they can throw on there.

[zubazpirate]

Any thoughts on the season so far?

 

Here are a few of mine:

 

-Wow BC Lions, no Nathan Rourke but still even better than last year

-The Elks are a trainwreck, burn that sucker right to the ground

-Calgary is surprisingly mid by their standards but they are good enough to be competitive

-Saskatchewan is typically mid by their standards but I don't see them going the distance

-Winnipeg is still a good team but they are no longer the dominant force they once were, they're getting older

-At one time an Argonauts team this good would have been shoved down Canada's throats by the national sports media but the CFL in Toronto being what it is now, this very impressive double blue team is toiling in relative obscurity

-Ottawa is not very good and that win over Winnipeg was a mirage, their defense is good but not good enough to carry them through the season

-Hamilton could be good but no QB is going to derail their chances

-Montreal is not really that good of a team, but they could exploit Hamilton and Ottawa's misery to end up in second place in the East.

[MJWalker45]

37 minutes ago, zubazpirate said:

-Hamilton could be good but no QB is going to derail their chances

-Montreal is not really that good of a team, but they could exploit Hamilton and Ottawa's misery to end up in second place in the East.

I wonder if either team will consider going after Bethel-Thompson since he's left New Orleans? He could help either team right now.