The Canadian Elite Basketball League led the NHL, NBA and later the CPL in returning to play in Canada after the coronavirus shut down the sports world in March of 2020. The CEBL Summer Series put professional basketball on the television and digital screens of millions of viewers across Canada and around the world, establishing the CEBL as the top Canadian-based global team sports brand. The 2021 season will build on that momentum with an expanded viewing audience around the world, and locally through an innovative approach to addressing the uncertainties due to the pandemic around having fans in arenas across the league.

           The CEBL and the Hamilton Honey Badgers announced the 2021 regular season schedule Thursday, a 14-game slate reduced from the standard 20 games and pushed back from a mid-May start to June 5 to accommodate the possibility of fans being able to attend games in person this summer. The league cannot push its season beyond a late-August playoff finish because most of its players must report to their international pro teams by September.

           “In creating the schedule for 2021, the health and safety of fans, players, officials, and staff was the top priority, followed by a structure that would increase the odds of having fans in the stands for as many games as possible this summer,” said John Lashway, president of the Hamilton Honey Badgers. “It is our hope that by summer our region will be better positioned in the fight against Covid-19 and restrictions around public gatherings may allow for some number of fans to attend games. Live events play an important role in revitalizing a community, and we want to contribute to that to the extent we can in the Hamilton-Halton region.”

           With uncertainty around government regulations of people attending events, and in recognition that some people may not feel comfortable attending events in 2021, an innovative approach has been created to protect the investment of those who have purchased tickets to Honey Badgers games.

           All season tickets, season ticket deposits and flex packs that have been purchased for 2021 are automatically being moved forward into 2022 and applied toward next season’s ticket packages. If fans will be allowed into FirstOntario Centre, those ticketholders may choose to draw tickets from their 2022 package to use for any games they wish to attend in 2021. There will be no obligation to use any tickets in 2021. All unused tickets will remain on account and applied toward the same ticket packages in 2022.

           Fans who had purchased tickets for the 2020 season and left their tickets on account for 2021 received retention benefits that included a 20 percent credit toward additional tickets and a 25 percent discount on team merchandise. Those benefits will be extended to all ticketholders through August of 2022.

           “Our organization has been overwhelmed by the growing support of people and businesses during the past year. Not only did almost all fans who purchased 2020 season tickets ask us to hold their tickets on account for 2021, but we have increased our season ticket base by 40 percent since last August,” said Lashway. “In return, we have always been focused keeping people first, so we are ensuring the full protection of any investment in our tickets through a plan that provides the ultimate in flexibility and makes sure that no one will feel pressured to have to use their tickets this season if they’re not comfortable attending games. To our knowledge, this concept is the first of its kind anywhere in professional sports.”

           Additional ticketing details will be announced closer to the start of the season when it is expected there will be more clarity from government and health officials around public gatherings.

           The Honey Badgers open the 2021 season at home versus Ottawa on Saturday, June 5 at 7 p.m. The seven home games will also include visits from defending CEBL champion Edmonton on Thursday, July 15, and Fraser Valley, the team that defeated Hamilton in the playoff semifinals last August, on Friday, July 23. Local rivals Guelph and Niagara will play twice at FirstOntario Centre, including the regular season finale Friday, August 6 against the Niagara River Lions.

           Hamilton’s road schedule includes single trips to Edmonton, Saskatchewan, and Ottawa, and two games at Niagara and Guelph. The CEBL will announce its plans for the post-season at a later date.

           CBC is the premier media partner of the CEBL and will broadcast nationally televised games on seven consecutive Saturdays beginning June 5. The Honey Badgers will appear twice on national television, first at Edmonton on June 26 and then at home versus Guelph on July 3. All regular season games will also be live streamed on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, and on a new OTT streaming platform the CEBL will unveil this spring.

Highlights of the 2021 Hamilton Honey Badgers schedule include:

• Five of Hamilton’s first eight games come on the road
• Hamilton plays consecutive games at home only once, and that will be eight days apart, July 15 and 23
• The Honey Badgers play in Ottawa on Canada Day
• Hamilton plays every day of the week: three Thursdays, three Fridays, three Saturdays, two Tuesdays, one Monday, one Wednesday, and one Sunday
• The team will not host Saskatchewan and will not play at Fraser Valley
• Hamilton’s longest road trip of the season is three games in six days

           A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 80 percent of its 2020 rosters being Canadians. Players come from the NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA and U SPORTS programs.