CFL Structure/Format and Financial Issues

[4th&long]

CFL Structure/Format and Financial Issues

The owners are having issues getting fans in seats and TV viewers. And while they really aren't that bad considering the size of Canada and the markets they are are a couple things might take the wind out of the sale for fans...

1) 9 teams, 18 games over 21 weeks? in a smaller league that sounds like a long slog just to get to the play offs. I mean playing some teams 3 times it seems over kill just to ...

2) Have a play off with 6 of 9 teams. Granted its at least tiered but after 21 weeks you eliminate just 1/3 of the teams?

Based on the above WHY bother getting too invested in weekly games, you miss a couple ... who cares. Granted the NFL is approaching this bad plan but its not nearly as bad. It gets like the NBA/NHL where who cares about the regular season.

I think regardless of what happens dropping a couple reg season games and 2 playoff teams would actually make the regular season more attractive to fans and betters. Would that translate into lower cost and increased per game attendance / viewing enough to try? Not sure but it would for me.

Thoughts?

I do not subscribe to the bigger is better and leads to more fans. I mean sure the local fans for local teams but for alt leagues people are watching as local team fans, or they just like the sport. MLS now has 27 teams and ratings have gone nowhere AFTER years and years of expansion. And by nowhere I mean averaging 250k.
XFL 8 teams - every game counts 10 week season was intense. (or for example With 5/6 teams go 8/10 games).
Could u imagine 8 teams playing each other 2x with some 3x only to cut out 4 teams for playoffs? It certainly would lesson interest on a week to week basis.

[KJE]

The extra home playoff game is a huge boost to a team and could be the difference between breaking even or not for the season.

[4th&long]

The extra home playoff game is a huge boost to a team and could be the difference between breaking even or not for the season.

It's one game for 1 team only.
The Question/Premise was if there are 2 less reg season games and 2 less playoff teams, would that translate into better home field attendance and viewership for the remaining games they play? Since those games would have more meaning towards eventual winner. Otherwise its like the NBA or NHL (epscially 35 yrs ago) were the regular season is almost superfluous. It would save on costs too.

I think its something they need to consider, and market as adding to competition if they implement.

[GregParks]

I agree on the shorter season. I thought the XFL's 10-game regular season was perfectly fine, especially for an eight-team league. As a new entity, you don't want to overexpose your product and wear out your welcome with a longer season, at least in the first few years.

[KJE]

If my math is right, TSN pays for 86 games or season (9 teams x 9 home games + 5 playoff games). Your suggestion is for 75 games (9 teams x 8 home games + 3 playoff games).

So the difference is 11 games. A $50M contract works out to $581,395.35 per game. So you're losing almost $6.4M in tv revenue. I don't know what average attendance or ticket revenue is, but if it's $50 a ticket at 20,000 fans, that's another $1M per game your losing on.

I don't believe you're making up $15M plus over the rest of the season.

I don't disagree with your idea in principle - a more meaningful regular season and playoffs is definitely preferred - I just don't think it makes financial sense for the league.

[4th&long]

If my math is right, TSN pays for 86 games or season (9 teams x 9 home games + 5 playoff games). Your suggestion is for 75 games (9 teams x 8 home games + 3 playoff games).

So the difference is 11 games. A $50M contract works out to $581,395.35 per game. So you're losing almost $6.4M in tv revenue. I don't know what average attendance or ticket revenue is, but if it's $50 a ticket at 20,000 fans, that's another $1M per game your losing on.

I don't believe you're making up $15M plus over the rest of the season.

I don't disagree with your idea in principle - a more meaningful regular season and playoffs is definitely preferred - I just don't think it makes financial sense for the league.

That's yet to be determined if they avg 25k a game reg season now they'd need 28k to cover the lost games (or raise price). Plus 50k in playoffs. They would need to get player salary reductions for the 2 lost games played, and they'd save on leases, travel etc. Also They would likely need front office cost reductions in salary to attempt and test it out.

TV would need to see better ratings in order to exchange that for less games.

Also they could try in stages ...
A) reduce playoff teams maybe 1 then 2
B) 17 week season like NFL
C) 16 week season later

It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Bottomline - they need to shake things up and IMO the season is a slog to eliminate 3 teams - I'd start with that first.

[MGB01]

Based on the above WHY bother getting too invested in weekly games, you miss a couple ... who cares. Granted the NFL is approaching this bad plan but its not nearly as bad. It gets like the NBA/NHL where who cares about the regular season?

Not a fan of the NFL going to 17 (and sooner than later 18), but being that the NFL is unique in which they're the only pro league whose teams don't play everybody in their conference/league every year and having gone into the schedule biz myself for various sim/fantasy leagues I can appreciate the scheduling flexibilty.

Especially considering that TV effectively makes the schedule (a ball which arguably got rolling when Howard Cosell left Monday Night Football, complaining how ABC didn't get to pick their own games, and now here we are) and all the schedulers do is fill in the rest, not really as easy as it looks and that's before getting around to stadium availability.