THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 4, 1995 TAG: 9512040113
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Comment
SOURCE: Harry Minium
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
The Canadian Football League did the right thing last week at its meetings in Toronto when it made significant cuts in salaries and other expenses. When nearly all your teams lose a bundle and two go under, it's time to retrench.
But the question for Hampton Roads to ponder, as CFL commissioner Larry Smith visits Norfolk today, is whether the slimmed-down version of the CFL is right for us.
Clearly, the vision of the CFL as presented by the Pirates to business and community leaders three months ago has changed dramatically.
The CFL would have at least five teams in the United States, and perhaps expand into markets such as Los Angeles and Miami, they were told. Failing that, the U.S.-based teams would secede and form their own league. Fred Smith, who founded Federal Express and owned the CFL franchise in Memphis, was negotiating with CBS for a contract for the CFL or this new league, they were told.
But the talk of secession ended weeks ago, and two U.S. teams - Birmingham and Smith's Mad Dogs - folded last week.
The Pirates, one of the three remaining U.S.-based teams, have moved to Hampton Roads from Shreveport, La. San Antonio and the Baltimore Stallions, who likely will wind up in Houston or Richmond, have also committed to play.
Yet expansion is on hold. That means the Pirates will have only two U.S.-based rivals next season. The CFL will also phase out the marquee-player rule, under which each team can pay a big-name player a large salary outside the salary cap.
Perhaps most important of all, the CFL's TV profile will remain relatively unchanged, which means marginal in the Lower 48. The CFL gets as much TV time in Canada as the NFL does in the United States, but in America, ESPN2 will be the primary conduit.
The CBS contract? It isn't going to happen any time soon, if ever.
Officials say that the caliber of CFL football won't be affected, that players who suited up last season will play again next in spite of salary cuts. Perhaps, but when the contracts of marquee players such as the Pirates' Billy Joe Tolliver and Calgary's Doug Flutie have expired, how will that affect the league?
The Glieberman family, which owns and runs the Pirates, also has given us reason to pause. Since announcing a season-ticket sale three weeks ago, the team has done little advertising. The Pirates sold more than 800 tickets in the first two days but have lost valuable momentum in the weeks since.
A direct-mail ad sent to 25,000 homes and some calls by a telemarketing company have been their only efforts since. They haven't yet reached out to the Peninsula.
The Pirates have also taken a public relations beating, in part from businessmen in Shreveport who say the Gliebermans haven't paid debts on time. There was also negative publicity resulting from the seizure of a Glieberman classic car by a federal marshal in Shreveport over a dispute with a sign company.
There was an ill-advised attempt by the Hampton Roads Sharks to mount a ticket sale for a CFL expansion franchise and a short-lived move by the Baltimore Stallions to block the Pirates from coming to Hampton Roads, both of which confused area fans.
Many of these problems were not of the Gliebermans' making. You can't stop a semi-pro team from mounting a season-ticket drive, no matter how ludicrous it might seem. But they should control the problems they can by paying their bills, getting their season-ticket drive truly rolling and introducing themselves to the Peninsula.
In spite of so many setbacks in so short a time, the CFL and Hampton Roads seem to be a good fit. This a football town without a major college or professional team nearby. Early indications from the Pirates' telemarketing company about potential fan support are encouraging. The business community seems eager to help.
CFL football is entertaining and is the best pro game available outside of the NFL. Ticket prices are reasonable - about $15 apiece. The league will offer Hampton Roads a major media profile in Canada and some additional media attention in the United States.
Moreover, the budget cuts probably will ensure the league's solvency, making it possible for the Pirates to break even with an average attendance of about 18,000.
It seems reasonable for the city of Norfolk to provide $400,000 for minor renovations to Foreman Field, an investment the teams says will be recouped by tax revenues within a year or two. The improvements will remain with the stadium and become property of Old Dominion University.
The Pirates are here, for better or worse, and thus Hampton Roads should give the CFL its best shot. Given the going price for NFL franchises, it may be the highest level of pro football we can afford.
Yet planning for a new stadium for the Pirates, one that would cost $50 million, should wait. Lets see how the community supports the Pirates, if the league truly rebounds, if the Gliebermans produce a winner and if further expansion in America happens before we invest real money in the CFL. ILLUSTRATION: B\W Photo
Larry Smith
by CNB