The Canadian Football League has canceled its 2020 football season because of the coronavirus pandemic after officials determined owners and community-held teams would have endured "significant financial losses" to play this year.
"The losses would be so large that they would really hamper our ability to bounce back strongly next year and beyond," CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement, reports The Hill. "The most important thing is the future of our league."
He acknowledged the outcome, after months of discussions with the Canadian government, is "disappointing," but "we're focused now on the long-term future and we will continue to work with the federal and provincial governments in that context."
The cancellation means there will be no champion for the first time since 1919, but Ambrosie said league governors decided it is in the best long-term interests of the CFL to look forward, not back.
"We are absolutely committed to 2021, to the future of our league and the pursuit of our vision of a bigger, stronger, more global CFL," Ambrosie said.
The league had been considering an abbreviated season in Winnipeg but was not able to secure the funding from the Canadian government to make up from losses from gate revenues.
The gate receipts are vital because the league does not have billions coming in from TV rights contracts like the NFL, which has deals with several major networks, including CBS, NBC, FOX, and ESPN.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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