The Canadian Football League cancelled its 2020 season on Monday due to the pandemic, marking the first year since 1919 when the Grey Cup will be awarded.
The resolution of the nine-team league thwarted the hopes of a shorter season in the central city of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said the resolution is in the league’s “best long-term interest.”
“We are surely committed to 2021, for the long term of our league and to the search for our vision of a larger, more powerful and more global CFL,” he said in a statement.
Unlike other Primary Leagues in North America, the CFL does not have the luxury of a $1 billion television contract. Although its agreement with TSN has been more lucrative over the years, the CFL remains an open league, a major challenge when enthusiasts are not allowed in the stands.
The league was unable to secure federal investment after applying for an interest-free loan of $23.7 million on August 3 to host a 2020 short campaign.
The CFL said the federal government had advised the league to apply for an advertising loan, which would be supported through Ottawa.
Canada’s Legacy Minister Steven Guilbeault said the government has tried to work with the CFL, the league to navigate emergency reaction systems for businesses across Canada.
“While the league would possibly have benefited from some of those programs, its board nevertheless took the decision not to continue next season,” he said.
The league commissioner lost more than $15 million last season.
“Even with government investment and a new ABC, our owners and our network would have had to suffer significant monetary losses to play in 2020,” Ambrosie said.
The league also needed approval from the Canadian Public Health Agency. Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada’s Deputy Director of Public Health, said last Friday that he encouraged through the CFL’s plan, but that he was unable to provide a timeline for a resolution the league needed to take quickly.
The CFL said last month that it chose Winnipeg as the key city for a normal six-game season, followed by an eight-team tiebreaker. There is no fan to attend
But this is conditional on the league obtaining monetary aid from the federal government, solidifying an extension of the collective bargaining agreement, and approving protocols of protection and fitness.
The league also had trouble fixing fences with the CFL Players Association. Politicians from all primary parties have criticized the CFL for involving its players in their initial request for monetary assistance.
When the pandemic first hit in March, the CFL had time, and educational camps did not open until May. But as the scenario worsened, the CFL began by postponing the camps and in all likelihood the start of the normal season in June.
The CFL later cancelled the Grey Cup championship game in November in Regina, Saskatchewan, saying the style would work without fans.
Cancellation also puts Edmonton’s new team on hold. The team announced that it would be resigning from the Eskimos’ call-up this summer after being stressed by the sponsors.