CFL Chair & Commissioner John Tory said that half of
the league's eight franchises "lost more than" C$1M each
this year, but league revenues "increased," allowing the CFL
to disperse money back to those teams after the season,
according to Scott Burnside of the NATIONAL POST. Tory:
"Things are moving in the right direction. But any
backsliding could see us behind the eight ball." Burnside
wrote that league attendance was up 6% overall, with
Montreal and Hamilton seeing increases of 68.5% and 42.8%,
respectively (NATIONAL POST, 11/21). In Toronto, Damien Cox
wrote that the C$1M going to each of the eight CFL teams is
"big news," but that "major challenges" still face the
league in Toronto and Vancouver (TORONTO STAR, 11/21).
ON THE OTHER HAND: Tory added that with attendance down
in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada's two largest markets, the
CFL will spend C$1M, including C$100,000 from each team, on
"the most exhaustive fan survey in decades." Tory also
"lamented" the lack of corporate involvement from banks and
high-tech companies in the CFL: "Corporate Canada hasn't
given the new CFL a chance." The CFL did announce a new TV
deal that will have TSN and the CBC covering the league
exclusively through 2002 (NATIONAL POST, 11/21).
FROM THE CUP: Tory made his comments during a state-of-
the-league conference during Grey Cup weekend. Yesterday,
the Hamilton Tiger Cats defeated the Calgary Stampeders 26-
24 to win the Cup, but despite "the warmest" November 22 in
Winnipeg "history," only 34,157 attended the game, 8,000
short of a sellout (GLOBE & MAIL, 11/23). It was the lowest
attendance for the Cup in 23 years (TORONTO STAR, 11/23).
TV TIME: In Toronto, Chris Zelkovich wrote that the CBC
"expected" to sell all 60 network 30-second spots at an
average price of C$43,000 for the Cup (TORONTO STAR, 11/21).
THE J. GILES HAND: The FINANCIAL POST profiled CFL
President & CEO Jeff Giles, and said he "is credited in part
for the resuscitation" of the league. Giles "expects" to
see most of the league's teams, with budgets of C$6M each,
generate "more than" C$1M in annual profit, against the
league's revenue base of C$15M (FINANCIAL POST, 11/21).
