The CFL canceled its 2020 season on Monday, citing what Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said would have been “significant financial losses” if the league had played out during the coronavirus pandemic.
The league promised to return in 2021. At the heart of the issue were a series of Canadian government regulations that effectively eliminated the primary source of revenue CFL – ticket sales – and would also have created a challenge for players in the United States to travel to Canada.
The league developed preliminary plans for a short season based in Winnipeg, in a bubble environment. But the Canadian government refused the CFL’s request for a $ 30 million loan to finance it.
“Even with extra support,” Ambrosie said in a statement, “our owners and team-held teams would have to incur significant financial losses to play in 2020. Without it, the losses would be so great that they would really hinder our ability next year and further bound. The most important thing is the future of our league. “
The CFL joins the XFL and two major U.S. college conferences – the Big Ten and the Pac-12 – in canceling their 2020 seasons due to the pandemic. The XFL was sold in bankruptcy proceedings earlier this month and could return as soon as 2021.
The NFL, whose revenue is largely based on television contracts, has begun its third week of training camp and is on track for a timely start to its 2020 season next month.
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