TSL Championship Game December 15th

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4th&long
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Re: TSL Championship Game December 15th

Post by 4th&long »

Tank55 wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 9:26 am True, but remember that when they would have first asked players to come back, the game wasn't scheduled for primetime.

Have they released rosters?
It was still prime time Central, Mountain and Pacific. I think this is a great way to showcase for NFL teams looking to fill gaps heading into final weeks and playoffs.
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Re: TSL Championship Game December 15th

Post by Tank55 »

Rosters are out:

https://twitter.com/TheSpringLeague/sta ... 90/photo/1

https://twitter.com/TheSpringLeague/sta ... 90/photo/2

I just eyeballed the Generals. Some turnover, but it's not egregious.
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FootballYoda
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Re: TSL Championship Game December 15th

Post by FootballYoda »

4th&long wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 4:14 pm
FootballYoda wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:31 am I don’t know if I can get excited about this anymore, after all that went on with TSL. We will see.
What went on that makes the game less exciting than before?
Uh... rosters have likely changed for one. Players disgruntled, quit. TSL ownership revealed to be a shady bunch. You sound surprised that a persons attitude might have changed about the TSL.

Mark me down as disillusioned.
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Re: TSL Championship Game December 15th

Post by MarkNelson »

Unfortunately, since the teams haven't been on the field for a month, this looks more like training camp.

It has to be sad for many players that were left out of this "championship," for reasons that seem to be more arbitrary than anything else.

Still, I will cheer for any player that is able to use this TSL game to get signed to a paying football job.
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Re: TSL Championship Game December 15th

Post by GDAWG »

The Generals are the TSL Champions.
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Re: TSL Championship Game December 15th

Post by GDAWG »

https://torontosun.com/sports/football/ ... ague-final
Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson won’t be calling signals for the Aviators when they battle the Generals in The Spring League’s much delayed championship final on Tuesday night.

The former Toronto Argonaut chose not to fly from his home in California to the game in Orlando, Fla. for several reasons, including the fact he’s preparing for “opportunities in more sustainable leagues with more resources available to the players.”

Former Argo McLeod Bethel-Thompson skips Spring League final

Ouch.

The 32-year-old played in three games for the Aviators in San Antonio, Tex. before The Spring League abruptly shut down operations to combat what CEO Brian Woods called a “noticeable spike” of COVID-19. The final two games of the 12-game regular season were cancelled, and the final was initially re-scheduled for early December. The 2-1 Aviators and 3-0 Generals were chosen from among the league’s six teams to contest the final at Camping World Stadium, and the mid-December date was eventually set. The game will be shown on Fox Sports One, starting at 7 p.m. ET, with no fans allowed in the building.

Woods said in an email last week that Bethel-Thompson wouldn’t be playing for the Aviators because he was “still nursing an injured shoulder and won’t be available for the game.”

Bethel-Thompson was adamant that is not the case, and said Monday he was disappointed to hear what Woods was saying about him publicly.

“I did have a shoulder injury but it never held me out of any games. I hope that (story) isn’t going out there. I’m ready to go. I threw this morning. My arm feels great. I’m in the best shape of my life.”

He said he played in San Antonio hoping to generate an NFL tryout. When that didn’t materialize, and the championship final was delayed by several weeks and moved across the country, there was no upside for him to continue paying to play.

“The league is not paying anybody. The league is not financially subsidizing anybody. There are a lot of negatives to that situation, so why would I pay to fly across the country to expose myself to a situation that fell apart last time?

“It doesn’t make sense for me at this point in my career. I’ve shown what I can do on the football field. Plus, there are other quarterbacks who I’m sure would die for that situation, so it would be selfish, getting in the way of another quarterback.

“It’s really unfortunate that Brian framed it the way he did in terms of injury, and that seems like he’s protecting his brand and attacking me. That is very disconcerting.”

Bethel-Thompson said he still holds out hope for a call from an NFL team later this month or in the off-season. If it doesn’t happen, he’d welcome a return to the Argos once the Canadian Football League is up and running.

“Of course I would love to go back and have a season up there. I really love Canada. I love Toronto, the city, the Canadian football game and a lot of teammates who are still there. It’s a good group. I hope they’re in my future. Who knows.”

The Spring League, meanwhile, has tied its immediate future to Fox. Woods said the league plans to return to a late February or April start with six teams in 2021, with the timing and location ultimately determined by its broadcast partner. He added that there were lessons learned in San Antonio that will affect how the league operates in the spring if COVID-19 is still a major concern.

“If COVID is still around in great numbers, I think we would absolutely look at a bubble environment to make sure we’re maintaining the safest possible environment for our players, coaches and staff.”

The league decided against a lockdown environment in San Antonio — players were allowed to mix with the general population downtown — and positive tests for COVID-19 were essentially inevitable given the prevalence of the virus.

“We tried to be as safe as possible. We isolated our teams on certain floors of a hotel and kept our social distancing, tried to prohibit or at least mitigate mass gatherings, and mask wearing was obviously a mandate,” said Woods.

Some Spring League players took to social media before and after the season ended to criticize the league for a variety of perceived failures, including claims that testing for COVID-19 was inconsistent from team to team. There were also complaints about food and the availability of post-game treatment, and that NFL scouts were not being provided with game film. Other players said they were grateful for the chance to play football on national TV broadcasts.

Overall, Woods said his league fulfilled its mandate.

“I know our league has served its purpose, not just this season but since we started in 2017. We’ve had an abundance of players signed to NFL contracts and a number of players have gotten CFL opportunities.”
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Re: TSL Championship Game December 15th

Post by MGB01 »

Not that he's totally wrong, and the guy that was backup in TO two years before he got there (Dan LeFevour) opted out of his contract to join MLFB and that blew up, but not a good look for MBT here: a guy that's spent most of his career in leagues that don't meet his newfound criteria for sustainability and player resources (now also including the CFL, which is at least as close to the cliff as it was in the mid 90s) not to mention a practice squadder who occasionally made it as third QB. I believe he was also in the inaugural go of TSL in 2017 so it ain't like he just up and found this out.

Sure, TSL could go from moderate success to disaster now that they're going to actual league status from glorified extended preseason camp, but sounding whiny and entitled (much like a certain former Niner teammate of his) isn't helping.
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Re: TSL Championship Game December 15th

Post by Tank55 »

Man, to publicly communicate that Bethel-Thompson -- a TSL veteran and one of the league's true success stories -- is too hurt to play when he isn't is super, super scummy. What a dirtbag.
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Re: TSL Championship Game December 15th

Post by Tank55 »

I don't see how this is on MBT. CFL free agency just started and Woods is telling outlets in Toronto that he's hurt. So now he has to correct Woods AND explain why he wasn't actually in Orlando. What was the alternative? Let reports that he's injured go uncorrected?

Up until now, TSL's primary customer has been the players. They've been selling practice time with professional coaches and access to NFL/CFL/XFL scouts to players.

This season, the primary customer seems to have become FOX. They're selling live sports TV inventory to a television network.

You can, of course, have more than one revenue stream. But it calls into question whether these are compatible. Woods needs to protect the broadcast (his new customer) and so he fudges the truth. In the process, he harms the player (his original customer).

It's one thing to ask players to pay money when you're doing your best to give them a platform and get them a real job. It's quite another when that's a secondary concern.
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Re: TSL Championship Game December 15th

Post by MGB01 »

Tank55 wrote: Wed Dec 16, 2020 6:31 pm I don't see how this is on MBT. CFL free agency just started and Woods is telling outlets in Toronto that he's hurt. So now he has to correct Woods AND explain why he wasn't actually in Orlando. What was the alternative? Let reports that he's injured go uncorrected?
For one MBT opted out of his contract to pursue NFL opps. Well considering that he hasn't been in an NFL camp for four years and no NFL teams called him in for even so much as a workout in nearly four months it's safe to say the ship has sailed. He's not Chris Streveler, he's more Josh Johnson (whom I totally appreciate that much more after reading this)
Up until now, TSL's primary customer has been the players. They've been selling practice time with professional coaches and access to NFL/CFL/XFL scouts to players.
Yes, and which I referred to, was MBT himself at one point. Guess we're just gonna forget that.
This season, the primary customer seems to have become FOX. They're selling live sports TV inventory to a television network.
I'm not sure TSL is ready (or even built) to make the jump from glorified camp to alt league, but an alt league trying to build themselves off of TV? oh the horror
You can, of course, have more than one revenue stream. But it calls into question whether these are compatible. Woods needs to protect the broadcast (his new customer) and so he fudges the truth. In the process, he harms the player (his original customer).
Um, MBT himself admitted he had a shoulder injury, so no fudging there. Now what's Woods supposed to say, "personal reasons"? Yeah watch FOX just up and drop the league faster than McConnell dropped Trump. Again, whether TSL is ready or even built to make an AAF or XFL go of it is debatable, but it's another discussion.
It's one thing to ask players to pay money when you're doing your best to give them a platform and get them a real job. It's quite another when that's a secondary concern.
And exactly what will change in the three-plus years between TSL go-rounds? Hell he already got a gig out of it, this time there might not be a CFL. If the CFL can survive into 2021, well remember he opted out, so if he misses the bus it's on him. Much like his ex-teammate Kaepernick sounds like he's already got a ready-made target for when he does.
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