Can you smell what the CFL is cooking?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/03/2021 (2016 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Canadian Football League knew exactly what it was doing when it made public Wednesday its brewing relationship with the XFL.

After a cancelled 2020 season owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the chance to create some serious buzz was just too good to pass up. The fact the league’s newest friends are a group headed by Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, made the news go viral instantly.

Suddenly, the CFL was trending in Canada, and news of the new alignment — that’s the official title at this point — was being plastered all over a number of popular American sports websites. As one CFL person said to me: “The last time the CFL garnered this much attention on ESPN, the Riders had 13 players on the field.”

So what exactly is the news? And what might it mean today and into the future?

It’s important to note that the announcement, at its very essence, is simply an acknowledgement of ongoing talks between the CFL and XFL aimed at growing the game of football. Simply put, it’s formalizing future formal chats — nothing more, nothing less. At least at this point.

In a chat with the Free Press, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said the focus remains on 2021, with preparations ongoing for a full season beginning in June. Wade Miller, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Football Club, also said full efforts remain on bringing three-down football back this year.

“It’s idea sharing. At its core, you look at what Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson have done — Dwayne Johnson’s total social media footprint would make him the fourth-biggest country in the world. So they obviously know how to create networks and communities and this is at the heart of what we’ve been talking about at the CFL — how do we energize our fan base?”” Ambrosie said. “We’re bringing a lot to the table, too. The CFL has been around a long time and it’s been an enduring part of the nation and that’s an important part to acknowledge, that we have a lot to offer.”

Since taking over as commissioner in 2017, Ambrosie has travelled the country talking to fans that love the CFL. He said the most common issue that arises is that the younger generation — a diehard fan’s younger son or daughter, niece or nephew — just aren’t interested in the CFL.

Ambrosie said this is one way to address those concerns.

“This is a chance to talk about how do we do that? How do we build that next layer, that next generation of fans and how do we basically use this to grow the game?”

And who better than Johnson and Garcia, a former power couple who married in the 1990s before an amicable divorce in 2008, both of whom have been very successful in business, along with their partner RedBird Capital Partners LLC, a successful investment firm which has a growing interest in the sports world?

The group acquired the XFL, a twice-failed operation under former owner Vince McMahon, last August for a reported US$15 million, just as it was set for auction. The league filed for bankruptcy protection on April 13, after cancelling its 2020 season five games in, owing to COVID-19.

“These are some really successful people in sports and global entertainment, that have taken a real big interest in what the CFL is doing,” Miller told the Free Press.

“When you’re having discussions with somebody like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who is a longtime CFL fan, who has played with Stampeders and has roots in Canada, it’s unbelievable.”

A little background: After graduating from the University of Miami (Fla.) in 1995, and with little interest from the NFL, Johnson headed north to try his shot with the CFL. As the story goes, Johnson, whose father, Rocky Johnson, grew up in Amherst, N.S., spent a couple months on the Stampeders practice roster before being cut by longtime CFL coach and GM Wally Buono. He left with $7 to his name.

As for the future, both Ambrosie and Miller said it’s too early to speculate what might happen. They insist the CFL isn’t quietly working behind the scenes to upend the league’s traditions and talk of American expansion hasn’t even been discussed. They understand the uproar from traditionalists.

The reality is, though, you can’t just dismiss the damage caused from the coronavirus, especially to the bottom line. And with seemingly few new revenue streams available to tap into, thinking outside the box has never been more important. While no one is saying it publicly, the CFL isn’t in a position to turn down help. More losses will come in 2021, regardless if the league plays a full or part season, with or without fans.

With season tickets declining across the league even before the health crisis, and a TV deal in the U.S. offering the CFL only a modest payout, to be able to swap ideas with the likes of Johnson and Garcia is just too good to pass up.

“Let’s just see where it goes. Let’s explore it — let’s see how the innovation and collaboration can work to grow our game in Canada. We need to grow the game of football in Canada — full stop,” Miller said.

“We’re at the beginning of this and there could be a lot of attention here. But it’s really too early to speculate on those types of things and where this may lead us. But we’re going to exchange ideas about the game — marketing, officiating, about our business — and we’ll have to see where this goes over time.”

There is one lingering part of this and it comes from the XFL side. The league decided Wednesday to put the 2022 season on hold “pending the outcome of our conversations with the CFL.” What exactly they’re holding out for, or how their talks with the CFL might alter their plans, remains unclear.

“We know this game belongs to our country. It belongs to our fans. It belongs to all of us,” Ambrosie said. “So then this gives us a chance to come out from the shadows.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton