Toronto Argonauts: Hopes of a 2020 CFL season appear to be fading

The latest developments seem to point towards the Toronto Argonauts and the rest of the CFL not playing any games in 2020.

If the 2020 CFL campaign had gone ahead as originally planned, the Toronto Argonauts would be preparing to host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday. Instead, fans are still wondering if there will be a season full stop.

MLS has returned and MLB started on Thursday, while the NHL and NBA are set to resume soon. Meanwhile, the CFL still has numerous obstacles to overcome, if they hope to play any games this year. (The NFL has various questions too, but they are theoretically in a stronger position.)

There seemed to be a step in the right direction when the CFL announced that Winnipeg had been tentatively chosen as the hub city for a possible 2020 season. The plan is to hold a 60-game season over 15 weeks, starting in September.

However, even with the release of this positive news, the key words are ‘tentatively’ and ‘possible’. As per CFL.ca, Winnipeg Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller acknowledged the hard work which still lies ahead:

"“The health and safety of our players, staff and the wider community are paramount and the CFL will only return to play with the approval of health officials and medical experts.”"

Finances will play one of the most significant roles in determining if a season goes ahead. In this respect, the Manitoba government has committed $2.5 million worth of funding to allow the CFL to use IG Field.

However, the league received some less encouraging news on Wednesday. As reported by Bartley Kives of CBC Sports, Sport Canada won’t fund a 2020 CFL season.

While Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault didn’t outright say no, his comments were telling. As per Kives, Guilbeault said:

"“Through Sport Canada, our government funds amateur and youth programs across the country. Sport Canada does not provide funding for profit-independent leagues or those outside of Football Canada’s mandate.“We encourage organizations in need of assistance to talk to their financial institution and to see what options are available to them.”"

The problem with the CFL being a profit-independent league is that they are in a unique position compared to other professional sports leagues in North America. More specifically, they are much more of a gate-driven league compared to the likes of the NFL, MLB and NBA.

With no fans likely in the stands this year, the CFL desperately needs funding for a 2020 season to take place. However, this isn’t the only challenge facing the league.

As things stand, getting the players onto the field will be an issue in its own right. As reported by Justin Dunk of 3DownNation, the players association overwhelmingly rejected the most recent financial proposal.

As per Dunk, the CFL offered pro-rated base salaries of 33 percent for a six-game season, with apparently more than 85 percent of players voting no. A big part of this was related to the request to self-isolate and quarantine for up to 15 weeks.