After a handful of Elks players tested positive for COVID-19, the Canadian Football League postponed Edmonton’s game against Toronto slated for Thursday night. Since then, the number of cases has now been revised to 13, but it is unclear how this will affect the CFL going forward.
In 2020, the Canadian Football League (CFL) was cancelled entirely. This year, the CFL’s board of governors overwhelmingly approved a revised collective bargaining agreement, to begin with the 2021 season on August 5. However, although the league has now gotten back underway for the new season, issues have already arisen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of the Edmonton Elks players tested positive, meaning that their game against Toronto Argonauts was postponed. In addition, the Elks will not practise or travel until the league’s chief medical officers and public health experts decide it is safe, according to the CFL. This means that fans will have to wait for the game to be rescheduled and also means any bets will be void. In other words, if you bet on this game, your stake will be returned to you. If you’re looking for Canadian betting opportunities, you can find more information taken from the review on this site.
All of Edmonton’s tier-one employees, including players, coaches, and support staff, will be subjected to increased testing measures, according to the CFL. The BC Lions, the Elks’ most recent opponent, will be subjected to heightened protocols and will be closely monitored this week, according to the league.
Since the initial failed tests, the number of players with active cases has been reduced after one of the tests was revealed to be a false positive. At the moment, this doesn’t change things for the Edmonton Elks, who still won’t be able to travel to any games or take part in practice until they have been declared safe by the league’s medical officers.
This is a major setback for the CFL, which endured a difficult year in 2020. Fans were excited to be able to watch their favourite teams once more, but it looks as though there could be widespread disruption to the players and coaching staff if further infections occur.
What Does This Mean for the Future of the CFL?
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on people and businesses all over the world. One of the most heavily affected industries has been the spectator sports industry, with even the biggest sports leagues and organisations relying on revenue generated from tickets sold. Without fans in arenas and stadiums, many sports clubs have been unable to cope.
The Canadian Football League (CFL) has been around since 1958, but the first football games in Canada were played all the way back in the 1860s. Since then, it’s become one of the most popular sports leagues in North America. Across the continent, match attendances at the CFL are only exceeded by the NFL and the MLB. In 2019, close to four million tickets for sold for CFL games.
Although there’s no denying the importance of CFL to Canadian sports, the league is dependant on gates, with teams making the majority of their revenue from ticket sales. The CFL is made up of small, largely family-owned enterprises. As a result, there was little surprised when the CFL cancelled the whole 2020 season. Without match-going fans, the teams would be making huge losses, but even after the cancellation, the league is projected to have lost $60-80 million in income as a result of the lack of revenue. Although the initial plan was for the CFL to resume in August and play a fourteen-game season, this early postponement could mean the season gets cancelled once more.
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