Stewart Johnston: New CFL Commissioner

[blue_or_die]

1. Sir Blue and Gold was joking about Adam Bighill. Hilarious. Yikes.

2. The takes on Johnston being some conspiratorial industry plant are unhinged.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

1. Sir Blue and Gold was joking about Adam Bighill. Hilarious. Yikes.

2. The takes on Johnston being some conspiratorial industry plant are unhinged.

Aha!

[dd]

The other way to look at it. 

He has nothing to gain by screwing over his new employer to benefit his old one.  And if anyone would know just how much they can pay... well, I can't think anyone who would know better.

If he's looking for a few years and then move on, you may be right.  But none of his statements say that to me, rather they signal he wants this to be his last job...

Ya, I m thinking he knows where the 'line in the sand is' for a TV contract , and will negotiate a fairer deal for the league and not burn any TSN bridges to resume his media career post CFL stint.

[blueandgoldguy]

There won't be much to negotiate when it comes to a new CFL contract.  Rogers has the NHL locked up for another 12 years and they have the Blue Jays on tv everyday from March until the end of September...plus other events plus half the Raptor games.  No room for the CFL there so they won't bid...at least make a serious bid that's worth looking at.

Bell (parent company of TSN) is broke, CBC doesn't do pro sports and it's unlikely there is serious interest in a "game of the week" from streaming services like Amazon or Netflix.  With lack of competition, be grateful for small increases (like maybe a few hundred thousand per team per season) in the next CFL tv contract, just like the current one.

[dd]

Wow, I m glad you're not negotiating the next contract for the CFL!!

First off, nobody outside of 'Toronna' gives a roaring rip about the Bluejays or the Raptors, and when it comes right down to it for me, if its regular season NHL or CFL, I'd take CFL anyday of the week. There's too many NHL games broadcast anyways. Who cares about the Kraken, Blackhawks or Flyers, only interested in Jets games, rest are a boring waste of time listening to pro Leaf panelists rank on about the hopeless Loafs!!

[blueandgoldguy]

Wow, I m glad you're not negotiating the next contract for the CFL!!

First off, nobody outside of 'Toronna' gives a roaring rip about the Bluejays or the Raptors, and when it comes right down to it for me, if its regular season NHL or CFL, I'd take CFL anyday of the week. There's too many NHL games broadcast anyways. Who cares about the Kraken, Blackhawks or Flyers, only interested in Jets games, rest are a boring waste of time listening to pro Leaf panelists rank on about the hopeless Loafs!!

Wow.  So much wrong here.  There are tens of thousands of viewers on the Prairies alone for the blue jays.  I'm not even including the west coast which would add tens of thousands more tv viewers.  When the Blue Jays play in Minneapolis there are thousands of fans from Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario attending games.  When the Jays play in Seattle, there tens of thousands of fans from BC attending the games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thpPeu4-FCA

What does too many NHL games and Leaf-bias have to do with anything?!  Who are the mythical contenders for the CFL's tv rights that TSN will be competing with?  What leverage will the commish have?

[TecnoGenius]

I don't think Bighill has given up on his football career yet, hasn't announced his retirement and probably still rehabbing.  Don't be shocked if O'Shea adds him back to the team in some capacity at some point, I'm half expecting it.

If Nick Taylor can be added just for the post-season in '24, then certainly Biggie could be added late-season in '25.  It all depends on the injury situation, depth, and how the noobs are working out.

[TecnoGenius]

2. The takes on Johnston being some conspiratorial industry plant are unhinged.

TLB knows the score.  All too often nowadays these incestuous employee movements benefit the monied interests, and not the people they are supposed to.  No one can know (now), but to say it's impossible is ludicrous.

[TecnoGenius]

Bell (parent company of TSN) is broke, CBC doesn't do pro sports and it's unlikely there is serious interest in a "game of the week" from streaming services like Amazon or Netflix.  With lack of competition, be grateful for small increases in the next CFL tv contract, just like the current one.

But you spelled out the risk... Bell cries "broke" and so offers (possibly) "their man" running the CFL a many-millions-less contract next time.  Their guy says "whoops, no other bids so Bell gets it for the lowball price"!  Whoops, CFL is suddenly in financial dire straits.

Probably unlikely, but not impossible.  And if the CFL blows up (or even if it doesn't) Bell can take the dude back with a bonus for job well done!

No sense prognosticating too much, but the next TV contract negotiation will be interesting!  And hearing his first remarks about our game and history will be telling.

Who would have guessed I'd be pining for Ambrosie this soon?  At least with Ambrosie I knew he understood our 3d league and loved it for what it already was.  He's basically like most older dudes you might sit next to at a game.

[blue_gold_84]

Bell (parent company of TSN) is broke...

This is not true.

A lot of tinfoil in this thread.

[blue_or_die]

TLB knows the score.  All too often nowadays these incestuous employee movements benefit the monied interests, and not the people they are supposed to.  No one can know (now), but to say it's impossible is ludicrous.

I didn't say it was impossible, but I do think it's a massive stretch to take something that could theoretically occur and discuss it like it's an equally likely outcome of a guy moving from one job to another job.

Johnston was raised in Ottawa, so it's completely possible that he has strong ties to the feds in the capital. It's entirely possible that Johnston is acting like an agent of the government to infiltrate the CFL and use the league as a vehicle to spread its agenda to the key demographic of middle aged males.

See, you can just say stuff that could potentially occur with a shred of reason and talk about it like it's on par with something far more realistic. Occam's razor, etc.