By Brian Hickey
If professional football really belongs in Ottawa, the CFL should prove it before it’s too late.
The league had announced plans to grant Ottawa-born Internet executive Grant White a franchise for the upcoming 2001 season, only to see the ownership bid fall through late last year due to financing.
Recently, CFL commissioner Mike Lysko told The Ottawa Citizen that as many as six new groups have expressed interest in Ottawa. Overcoming expansion obstacles this time may ultimately decide the fate of the Canadian game as we know it.
In addition, failure to expand to the fourth-largest market in Canada will only make the CFL more vulnerable to outside threats.
The most serious challenge to the CFL comes from the XFL, a new eight-team league headed by World Wrestling Federation owner Vince McMahon. The XFL, whose season runs from February to April, has not disguised the fact that it plans to lure seasoned players and coaches away from the CFL over the next few years.
While many Canadians have discredited the XFL as a being a bush-league more interested in promoting naked cheerleaders and wrestling-style hype, the threat to the CFL product is legitimate.
From a financial perspective, XFL players will earn an average salary of about $65,000 Cdn, not including bonuses for wins. The average CFL salary is $47,000 Cdn.
While CFL players under contract cannot sign with an XFL team, there is a fear that players will abandon their teams once their CFL contracts expire. This would seriously harm the quality of CFL football.
The XFL will also hold its second draft on Feb. 6, where it plans to target established CFL players slated to become free agents on Feb 15.
Fourteen former CFL players were selected in a draft held in December.
Along with more money, comes the attraction of appearing on NBC, a part owner of the XFL and a major American broadcaster. Many players and coaches are hoping that the increased exposure in the new league might give them another shot at NFL glory.
The XFL has already taken Greg Mohns, the former B.C. Lions head coach, who left the team earlier last year to join the XFL’s management team.
Mohns has since been appointed the director of player personnel for the XFL’s San Francisco Demons.
According to recent reports in The Calgary Sun, the players could be right behind him. Alondra Johnson, a linebacker for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders, has asked for permission to sign with an XFL team before he becomes a free agent on Feb. 15. Johnson, a defensive standout, is a three-time All Canadian selection looking to cash in on the notoriety afforded by the new league.
The roller-coaster ride for the CFL doesn’t end with the XFL threat. Next April, the Toronto Phantoms will begin competing in the Arena Football League.
The AFL has been hugely successful in the United States and plans for more expansion in Canada.
The good news concerning the XFL and AFL invasion is that momentum is on the CFL’s side. According to the CFL, they have turned a profit in each of the last three seasons and TSN even announced a 10-per-cent increase in ratings over last season.
Sustaining these numbers with competition lurking becomes the newest challenge.
Expansion into Ottawa is a crucial hurdle that the CFL must overcome. Failure to expand will be viewed by fans, players and sponsors as a failure to show commitment to their own product. The CFL must take advantage of the expansion interest in Ottawa and make it the first step in tackling the competition.
Now is the time for action, especially when opportunity is staring the CFL in the face.