Sports in brief

FANS, OTHER UNIONS JOIN VAN ZEYL AND TICATS AT SOLIDARITY GATHERING

Under normal circumstances, Chris Van Zeyl would’ve started his eighth wedding anniversary at training camp with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Tuesday. The veteran Canadian offensive lineman did begin his day at Tim Hortons Field but not in his usual spot at right tackle. Instead, it was outside the stadium alongside teammates, fans and members of other unions in a show of solidarity for striking CFL players and their wish the league returns to the bargaining table. Fans and members of other unions, including the United Steelworkers, joined Ticats players Tuesday morning. It came three days after talks between the CFL and CFL Players’ Association on a new collective bargaining agreement broke off. That put players with seven of the league’s nine teams in a legal strike position at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, hours before training camps were set to open. Only players with the Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders reported for the start of camp Sunday because they weren’t in a legal strike position, according to Alberta labour laws. They’re expected to be legally able to strike later this week.