The Canadian Elite Basketball League is very hopeful that its second season will be able to go ahead, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
For starters, the league has a bit of leeway because the regular season doesn’t open until May, which falls outside the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation to halt gatherings of 50 or more people for eight weeks.
Logistically, the league is 70 per cent Canadian in terms of players, which means teams can easily get players to their respective markets.
“We only have three — generally — Americans, playing for us,” said Brett Fraser, president of the Edmonton Stingers. “So that’s a bit helpful.”
The sales team is pretty low key at the moment, but so far it seems the pandemic hasn’t scared off potential sponsors.
“We’ve actually still been selling some tickets, so there is still some confidence in the market.”
Another challenge the Canadian development league will face is the potential of going up against the NBA and NHL as both leagues hope to continue their seasons through the summer.
“Our first season, which was obviously very positive, we went right up against the Raptors’ championship run,” Fraser said. “We’ve seen the biggest of the obstacles… and we learned from that.”
The Stingers, who play out of the Edmonton Expo Centre, are due to open the season on May 8 against Hamilton.
Watch below: Some Global News videos about the Edmonton Stingers.
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