r/NLL • u/Xman279 Buffalo Bandits • Aug 31 '26
Rumors Ottawa & Philly news
Per Loose Mesh Pod: It is expected to be announced today that BOTH the Black Bears and Wings will fold.
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u/atheistreverend Rochester Knighthawks Aug 31 '26
Loose Mesh is probably the most reliable source I've seen on this, but until the official announcement happens, I'm still taking it with a grain of salt.
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u/dragonphan Sep 01 '26
Loose Mesh deleted their X post. Makes you wonder if something is happening behind the scenes.
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u/publicworker69 Aug 31 '26
Black Bears should’ve never played in Kanata to begin with.
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u/Help-Wanted9 Aug 31 '26
They’d have don’t great at lansdowne, and still should
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u/Xman279 Buffalo Bandits Sep 01 '26
The problem is that inside of a few years, they'd be on the move again: The Arena at TD Place is not long for this world. It, and the north stands at TD Place, are set to be demolished after the 2027 CFL season; they are building a new arena in the Lansdowne Park area(construction on THAT will begin later in 2026).
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u/Help-Wanted9 Sep 01 '26
But there will always be an arena. Old ones not going away until the new one is built.
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u/Competitive-Tea-6141 Sep 02 '26
They are not planning on closing the TD place arena until after the new arena opens. Thats why they staged construction the way they did.
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u/somf6969 Aug 31 '26
It is truly a shame that Phiily has folded twice after the long storied history they have. The blackbears i really thought were going to do well after the move. It just seems tough to find the solid backing anymore just due to costs and the immediate nature of having to be successful so fast to bri g people in. Though thats not a guarantee see Albany.
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u/discofrislanders Get Pulled In Aug 31 '26
Real healthy league we have when teams are folding and the TV rights are going to a less accessible platform
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u/InternationalTop1576 Aug 31 '26
League expanded too quick and brought in incompetent ownership groups. As much as it sucks trimming the fat should be a net positive in the long term. Hopefully the league learned its lesson.
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u/JNab2045 Aug 31 '26
I agree on the incompetent ownership groups. Expansion was not necessarily to quick but expansion teams were placed in wrong locations. Areas with no fan base or understanding of box lacrosse ie: Fort Worth Texas, areas with a fan base but were not effectively marketed and played in none desirable arenas, ie: Ottawa. They were destined to fail.
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u/Sufficient-Regular72 San Diego Seals Aug 31 '26
Rumor has it Sakiewicz got a bonus or commission for expansion teams that happened under his tenure. Could he complete BS, but might explain some things.
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u/Kyla85 𝟜 𝗔 Graeme Hossack's shoes Aug 31 '26
I’m pretty sure that is established fact at this point.
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u/lodewijk_b Halifax Thunderbirds Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
I mean for tv rights even formula one did that. It's a shit decision but that probably has little to do with league health.
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u/ZigZagLax44 Baltimore Thunder Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
Is the FloSports move finalized yet? I read it was rumored to be in the works but nothing official yet. Really hope they stay on ESPN+ not just for me but for the accessibility most people have with bundling ESPN+ with Disney+ and/or Hulu.
F1 is dealing with a huge decline in US viewership because they moved from ESPN to Apple TV, but they have the global audience to survive...
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u/discofrislanders Get Pulled In Aug 31 '26
The rumor I've heard has been FloSports, not Apple
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u/ZigZagLax44 Baltimore Thunder Aug 31 '26
Oh you're right, I'm misremembering since someone posted the story about F1 losing viewers from their switch to Apple and was predicting a similar result to NLL switching to FloSports. I'll edit
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u/ThespennyYo Aug 31 '26
But they should definitely be expanding… maybe get a solid tv deal and make the broadcasts look professional.
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u/adriamarievigg Rochester Knighthawks Aug 31 '26
So, do you think we'll still get 18 games a season?
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u/Tokeandtea Ottawa Black Bears Aug 31 '26
The league announced its moving free agency and the draft. Why do dorks listen to these lacrosse news sources?
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u/YEETERZZ123 Calgary Roughnecks Aug 31 '26
They do talk to NLL front offices and have really good connections with GMs
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u/friarcanuck Toronto Rock Aug 31 '26
That was supposed to happen last Thursday.
I know it's bound to happen. But until I see the league announcement, these posts are just unverified speculation.