Michael Lysko, who has been VP/Sports Marketing for the
Chicago-based GEM group since July '98, will be named CFL
Commissioner at a news conference Wednesday, replacing John
Tory, according to Perry Lefko of the TORONTO SUN. Lysko,
who agreed to a three-year contract, officially "will take
office" on January 1, but will "start to assume some" of
Tory's duties after the Grey Cup next month (TORONTO SUN,
10/28). Sources say that Lysko's deal is valued at more than
C$750,000 (NATIONAL POST, 10/28). In Toronto, Jim Hunt
reports that Lysko will earn C$250,000 more per year than
Tory (TORONTO SUN, 10/30). In Toronto, Michael Grange cited
sources as saying that Lysko was selected from a list of
three candidates. Grange noted that Lysko also previously
worked with Toronto-based Molstar Sports and Entertainment
and oversaw corporate sponsorship and sales of the '96 World
Cup of Hockey (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 10/28).
BE LIKE MIKE? In Toronto, Allan Maki, noting Lysko's
marketing background, wrote that the CFL "is crying for ...
someone fresh who can create new alliances and deliver
alternate sources of revenue" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 10/28).
Argonauts Owner Sherwood Schwarz, on Lysko: "He is a dynamic
man who I think will add a lot of value to the league. He's
intelligent and has a lot of personality. I think his
experience in dealing with corporate Canada will be very
helpful" (TORONTO SUN, 10/28). But Maki writes this morning
that Lysko's hiring "is a bold move considering his
background is strictly in sports marketing. The NFL would
never have done that" (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/30). The TORONTO
SUN's Hunt writes that Lysko "may prove to [be] a disaster
for the CFL. ... [But] Lysko is the first commissioner who
isn't part of the CFL's old boys network. That could be a
plus, so I'm willing to give him a chance" (TOR. SUN, 10/30).
