New CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge's first challenge will be finding the Argos a home

Tuesday saw Jeffrey Orridge officially announced as the CFL's new commissioner, and although he doesn't officially start that job until April 29, he already has a list of priorities in mind. During a media conference at the announcement, Orridge cited his priorities as growing the game, reaching out to fans and building the CFL's brand.

"The priority is to continue the momentum we've built and create the best possible fan experience," he said, adding that he wants to do that for fans at the games and fans watching on TV or other devices.

While that's a good general goal, the CFL is faced with at least one more specific and immediate challenge: finding a permanent home for the Toronto Argonauts. The team's lease at the Rogers Centre expires after the 2017 season and won't be renewed thanks to the Blue Jays' plans to put in grass there, so there's a firm date for solving that problem. However, getting the team out of the former Skydome even sooner has to be top of mind for the new commissioner; the Argonauts are such a low priority at the Rogers-owned and operated building that their 2015 schedule "has to be on the short list of worst schedules ever handed to a professional sports franchise," as Scott Stinson wrote last week.

I asked Orridge about the Argos during his introductory press conference and he said the health of the Toronto franchise is vital.

"There's nothing more important in immediate terms," he said. "That is the lynchpin of this league."

Of course, Orridge added that every team's health is critically important. Still, no other team is currently as threatened as the Argos, and no resolution appears imminent. Discussions about moving the team to a renovated BMO Field, something that was a part of Toronto council and the Exhibition Place board voting to approve those renovations, are still ongoing, and the renovations are proceeding for the moment without an expansion that would allow for Canadian football. There's a money shortfall thanks to the federal government declining to get involved, and although Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment execs haven't written off the Argos, there are plenty of soccer fans in particular who would be happy to keep them out. Thus, getting the team into BMO Field still places plenty of challenges. CFL board chair Jim Lawson said Tuesday he's still involved in discussions about the Argos, and that's a positive sign, but it's far from assured that they'll eventually wind up at BMO Field.

The Argonauts' ownership situation is also an issue. Current owner David Braley (who also owns the B.C. Lions) deserves praise for stepping in to save the team, even if he initially did so in a bizarre and secretive fashion (loaning the previous owners money without telling then-CFL-commissioner Mark Cohon), but reports of his penny-pinching ways have raised serious questions about his ownership. It's also worth keeping in mind that despite his reported losses on the Argos, he's done very well financially on the Grey Cup front, getting to host three of those games in the last four years. He's trying to sell the team, and reportedly has offers (even non-MLSE ones), but hasn't done that yet. The Argonauts don't just need a new stadium, they need a new owner, and those issues are interrelated; it's tough to sell them without a secure stadium future, but the in-flux ownership likely isn't helping solve the stadium problem.

Fortunately, Orridge has experience working with difficult people. At CBC, he had to work with both the International Olympic Committee and FIFA, perhaps the two most difficult organizations on the planet. He's also been involved in plenty of negotiations at his other jobs over the years, and he'll be a valuable presence to have in that room. The search for a CFL commissioner may have been part of what's held up the Argos' process, as the league may need to play a substantial role (financially or otherwise) in ensuring the team gets a long-term stadium solution, and that may have been difficult without the new commissioner in place.

Now, the board's found their man in Orridge, and he seems to be well-aware of the challenges in Toronto. We'll see if he's the man to solve them.