It’s Time for Players to Tackle the Great Canadian Football Rip-Off
Team owners in Canadian football made record profits while many of their players had to work second jobs to make ends meet. Now they’re using the pandemic as an excuse to claw back wages even further — a player fightback is the only way to change the game.
Brandon Alexander of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers runs with his team’s flag after winning the 107th Grey Cup championship game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on November 24, 2019 in Calgary, Alberta. (Derek Leung / Getty Images)
In mid-2020, the Canadian Football League (CFL) asked for $30 million in government aid. Citing football’s impact on Canadian culture, the CFL argued that these funds would be necessary to keep the season afloat — and canceled it when they weren’t forthcoming. That left many athletes in the lurch.
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie then told all teams to cut operational costs by 20 percent, leading to contract restructuring and extraordinary pay cuts for athletes. CFL bosses presented this as a way to salvage the 2021 season. But their professed concern for the jobs of players concealed a bid to claw back as much of their wage bill as they could, using the pandemic as an excuse.
Ripping Off Players
The nine-team CFL is older than the NFL, and it’s a major cultural institution for Canadian sports. There have been several episodes of federal government intervention to prevent the league from “Americanizing” and to make sure that its teams stay in Canadian hands.
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