Amar Doman believes CFL finances ‘solid as hell,’ B.C. Lions ‘on track’ for profitability

Photo courtesy: B.C. Lions

Amar Doman says you shouldn’t believe everything you hear about the profitability of CFL franchises — or lack thereof.

In an exclusive interview with 3DownNation, the B.C. Lions’ owner addressed the persistent narrative that only two of the CFL’s nine teams make money, revealing how those statements can be deceptive.

“I think you can look at profitabilities on all the clubs, and what gets put into a private company and what doesn’t can vary wildly due to tax reasons,” Doman explained. “When you read two out of (nine), who knows exactly what those true numbers are?”

“I would say (the CFL’s) never been in better shape. Number one, the ownership, let’s just say it’s at a different level than it was. There is deep pockets behind every team, and obviously, two are community-owned, but those are very well-run and have great balance sheets and a lot of cash. The whole system is in good shape. From that standpoint, it’s come a long way in five years. It’s not that it was broken, but it was a little shakier. It’s solid as hell now, and that is excellent.”

So, where do the Lions fall on the spectrum of profitability? Doman, who purchased the team in August 2021, declined to get into specifics but expressed optimism about the state of the franchise.

“From our standpoint, we’re happy,” he said. “We’re trending in the right way, and we’ll just continue to build on what we had started, now coming on five years ago. We’re on track.”

The CFL has long been covered by a cloud of financial insecurity, but that hasn’t been the case lately. Defined league revenue has grown by over $31 million since 2022, resulting in massive increases to the salary expenditure cap. More good news arrived with the announcement of a new six-year broadcast rights deal with Bell Media and online streaming platform DAZN, which will take effect in 2027.

Commissioner Stewart Johnston confirmed the agreement will represent a “significant increase” in league revenue, with some reports valuing it at close to $500 million. Doman, who has openly advocated for the CFL to enter the streaming space in the past, agreed that the deal will be impactful for all nine franchises.

“I think it’s very monumental for the CFL,” he said. “The confidence that’s been shown here on a massive deal like that is just excellent for all owners in the league and for the stability of the league.”

While Doman did not indicate whether the increased broadcast revenue would be enough to assure profitability for the Lions on its own, team president Duane Vienneau implied that it could get them close when speaking to the media earlier this week.

“I will tell you that since Amar bought the team, we’ve had constant growth, and we are getting our businesses run better every day, and this new TV deal in 2027 will put us to a position that will be in very, very good shape,” he said. “It’s going to be great. It’s a game-changer. There’s so many factors that I can’t talk about yet — it’s tough to really answer that question (regarding profitability) — but I will tell you right out of the gate, it’ll put us in a position where we need to be.”

If fresh television and streaming dollars aren’t enough to push the Lions into the black, the franchise could be poised for a windfall much closer to home.

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Even as the team has been forced out of their home stadium for the FIFA World Cup, negotiations are ongoing with BC Place regarding a new lease for the building. The expectation is that a deal will be in place ahead of the Lions’ return to Vancouver on July 25, and it could include significantly improved terms.

PavCo, the Crown Corporation that operates BC Place, has offered massive concessions to the Vancouver Whitecaps in order to stop the MLS franchise from relocating, which would include cuts of previously off-limits revenue sources like concessions, alcohol sales, parking, and potentially even stadium naming rights. With multiple levels of government involved in that sales pitch, it would be bad optics if the CFL team were treated differently, and Doman is hopeful that a similar deal will be struck.

“It would be a game-changer overnight. We’re doing a lot of investment, and it would be nice to have some of those revenues and margins from those opportunities like virtually every other sports team,” he remarked. “Us and the Whitecaps, it’s been difficult, and I think that’s been public for a long time. It’s just tough, and they’ve got their costs, and they’ve got their problems at BC Place they have to deal with.”

“(PavCo) are doing the best they can with certain things, and, being a crown corporation, there are certain things they can do, certain things they can’t do. We understand that it’s owned by the taxpayers, it’s just a difficult situation for a private business like ours to be in there and not enjoy other revenue sources like concessions, parking and different things like that. It’s a tough arrangement.”

The Lions have seen positive gains at BC Place under Doman’s ownership, with average attendance ballooning from 17,803 in 2019 — the last non-COVID restricted season — to 27,124 last year. Part of that growth has been due to the team’s popular kickoff concerts, which have featured performances from OneRepublic, LL Cool J, 50 Cent, and Snoop Dogg. All of those performances have been funded out of the lumber magnate’s own pocket.

He expressed excitement about what else could be possible in the building now that it has undergone extensive renovations ahead of the World Cup, but acknowledged that no matter what deal is offered, the venue will never be ideal for his team. There are simply no better options.

“If there was somewhere where there was a magic wand where we could do something somewhere else, I think everyone would be happier. It’s just too big for us, too. You put in 30,000 (fans), it still looks empty. That’s a good crowd for the CFL,” Doman remarked.

“It’s hard to get the right field, and then a permit, and there’s just a lot of complications. The Lower Mainland is so crowded; that’s why there’s no new stadium here. Where do you put it? Whitecaps, same issue. We need a right-sized stadium. The problem is there’s no land, and there’s no land available for it, so it’s just very difficult in the Lower Mainland of B.C. to do a lot of things that require space.”

Were it feasible, Doman has proven himself to be the type of owner to spend the money on major undertakings. He’s opened up his chequebook for two significant infrastructure projects already this year: the erection of a temporary pop-up stadium in Kelowna to host two games while the team is displaced and the renovation of the Lions’ Surrey practice facility, which was unveiled last week.

That latter project was completed despite the fact that the Lions still covet the construction of an entirely new facility, which Doman intends to deliver on in the near future. Conversations are ongoing as they attempt to find a location, with the aforementioned space limitations remaining the primary obstacles. The cost, as with all things, seems to be secondary for B.C.’s owner.

“The love for the CFL runs very deep here. What we bring to the table out here in B.C., we think and hope translates and moves into other markets as well, where people invest,” Doman said of his spending philosophy. “It’s like any other business. When you invest in it, good things happen. If you take money out all the time, bad things happen.”

That has proven true thus far in B.C., where investment has led to greater financial stability than ever before. The entire CFL may soon be following suit.