CFL commissioner search should focus on business skills, understanding of the league

With CFL commissioner Mark Cohon planning to step down next spring and league president/COO Michael Copeland declining to throw his hat into to the ring for the top job, the CFL's going to have to conduct a significant search for a new commissioner. The league announced just what that process will look like Tuesday, and the details they've announced seem positive. An extensive search seems like a good plan, especially as there's little agreement out there over what sort of background the new commissioner should have or what they should focus on.

First, the details of the search. From CFL.ca:

There aren't a ton of details in there, but the ones we do have are positive. For one thing, several clubs will be directly represented on the committee by their governors, and the rest will have "extensive input". Many of the CFL's commissioners before Cohon were handicapped and eventually pushed out by infighting and power struggles amongst the clubs, who have frequently had different goals. If the league's going to continue its run of success, it needs a commissioner the clubs can agree on. That won't be easy, but directly involving the clubs in the search process is a good step there.

Hiring a top executive search firm also seems like a solid plan. While there are still internal candidates who might be good targets, Copeland's decision not to apply for the top job means there's no obvious choice within the CFL ranks already. An internal candidate could still be selected, but a wide-ranging search can collect the best external candidates and put them up against internal ones to see how they compare. This is a crucial decision for the CFL's future, so taking the time to go through a lot of candidates is well worth it.

What should the committee be looking for? Well, TSN's Glen Suitor argues they should bring in a commissioner who is "a football guy first," but from this corner, that's getting it backwards. Yes, the on-field product is important, but the league office doesn't have a huge amount of control over that. The CFL office is involved in rule changes and CBA details, which can matter, but the calibre of on-field play is much more about the job the league's general managers do in scouting and recruiting talent and the job the league's coaches do of developing and utilizing that talent.

Moreover, you don't have to have a commissioner "who at one time played the game or coached" to improve the game. Requiring someone to play in order to understand how to run the league is demonstrably false; some of the CFL's top general managers, such as Brendan Taman and Jim Barker (winners of the last two Grey Cups), never had notable playing careers, but that hasn't diminished their effectiveness as personnel bosses. Meanwhile, some top players (such as Suitor's TSN colleague Matt Dunigan) didn't work out at all as coaches or general managers. Suitor's specific suggestions for improvement, such as increasing the officiating budget, firming up media availabilities and boosting the transparency of player discipline, aren't bad, but they could all be done by someone with a business background too.

Something else that's notable? Suitor's use of "guy." If you require professional football playing experience, then yes, you're probably looking for a man, but playing experience isn't everything, and it isn't all that relevant to this job. There have been successful female executives in football on both sides of the border, including Jo-Anne Polak (the CFL's first female general manager with Ottawa in 1988; she's now a VP at Canada Post, and someone who might be worth a look here if she was interested) and Amy Trask (the NFL's first female CEO with Oakland, who's now a CBS analyst). The CFL has two female vice-presidents at the moment, Sara Moore (marketing) and Christina Litz (broadcast and media assets), and either could be a strong candidate. There are also tons of successful female business executives who might be worth a look here. That doesn't necessarily mean the CFL has to hire a female commissioner (although, if the right female candidate was found, it would be terrific to see this league shatter that barrier), but eliminating half of the candidate pool over gender doesn't seem wise. Some people will inevitably blast the idea of a female commissioner, but it shouldn't be dismissed out of hand.

Getting someone with a strong business background may be more important than their gender or their football experience, as the business issues facing the league seem more critical than tweaks to the on-field product. In particular, the Toronto Argonauts need a stadium solution (BMO Field still seems like the way to go there, but hurdles remain) and a way to be at least a break-even team. The possibility of expanding to a 10th team in Atlantic Canada or Quebec City is a crucial issue as well; expansion could be great, and could help really grow the league, but it has to be done in a fiscally-responsible way. Corporate sponsorship will be essential to this league's long-term health, and the commissioner will have to play a significant role in maintaining current partnerships and finding new ones.

Solutions to the concussion crisis and the lawsuits against the league will be needed as well, as that's an issue that could doom the league if mishandled. The CFL will also have to find ways to keep game attendance and gate revenues high in an era where there are tons of attractive entertainment alternatives, including watching the games on TV. The next CBA negotiations will be important, too; players aren't thrilled with the low percentage they got this time around, and that could lead to a tough fight. Of course, coming from a football background doesn't necessarily mean that someone couldn't handle these issues, especially with a capable staff, but business experience (and sports business experience in particular) may be more beneficial than experience as a player.

Perhaps the most important criteria is finding a commissioner who understands this league, what makes it work and what challenges it faces. That doesn't necessarily mean the new commissioner needs to have worked or played in the CFL; Cohon didn't, but his tenure illustrated that he understood this perfectly, with his focus on reaching out to fans, building the league's audience and playing up its history and its Canadian nature. It does mean that the new commissioner shouldn't be someone who sees the CFL as just another sports league, though, and it shouldn't be someone who sees it as just a typical business. The CFL needs someone who thoroughly gets the CFL, and someone who has a plan to build on its successes while addressing its issues. That may matter much more than the candidate's background.

(Correction: this post initially spelled Christina Litz's name wrong.)