“I’m told that Genius Sports has really made a push to the league office about four downs and that Randy Ambrosie has let the teams know and let some of the football people know that there is a real push towards four downs from their now partner over at Genius Sports,” Madani said Wednesday.
This happens I'm Done... I don't want 1 rule change
Keep it Canadian..
Ditto. Except for the “I’m Done” part. I’ll keep supporting whatever trainwreck we wind up with UNLESS our newly Americanized teams leave Canada and set up in bigger US cities because Genius Sports pushes them to do it.
New partners can suddenly become complete dicks once the ink dries on the paperwork. Ask any lawyer (I’m not kidding. My late father dealt with this crap all the time).
This has been brewing for a long time. Ambrosie had an interview in the summer and the broadcast crew tried to get Randy to commit to 3 downs but he didn’t. He told them that the most important thing was speed of the game and width of the field. Then it came out that 4 downs was on the table at the Grey Cup. Then the Leger poll came out in January that nobody knew about saying that they would get more younger fans if the CFL became more American.
This was all thought out well in advance - MLSE and TSN are the power behind the throne - they were for the merger with the twice failed XFL - MLSE is a billion dollar corporate entity - you think MLSE lost last summer when the merger talks collapsed? They lost a battle not the war - the war is still going on - look at the BoG and who is gone and who is there now? new billionaire money in Hamilton? think that guy is Bob Young and a caretaker? That dude tried to buy the Carolina Panthers - he is a New York money guy - new guy in Edmonton - he is a kickboxing guy - New guy in BC? You think he had conversations with MLSE before buying into the CFL? Maybe a spreadsheet with the projected revenue from a merged CXFL? How about MTL? Those guys are in tight with MLSE - Or Calgary? They know all the NHL money comes from the States - the last speed bump is gone - Braley estate sold to the new guy - all three big markets are either MLSE or New money -
Taking the Canadian out the CFL will make it 3rd rate Football
I Rather watch the NFL for 4 Down Football
I love CFL for it’s uniqueness if that gone I’d rather just get NFL Team here.
and it Fold … 4 down CFL is 3rd Rate Football
It’s Larger Field 12 men 3 downs and Rouge make it special
Taking these any of it away makes it a USFL XFL NFL Clone and not worth watching .
I am getting fed up about some group pushing the CFL to go to 4 down every spring. Ambrosie needs to stand up to these "partners" and tell them the number of downs is not up for negotiation.
Not going to argue with you on these points - I am all in on three downs - I am not advocating 4 downs - I am just throwing out there what I see happening and who I see making moves behind the scenes -
I think Ambrosie is running point for MLSE TSN and MTL and the rest of the BoG - the BoG has changed drastically in the last 4 years - New blood in MTL, BC and Hamilton - Braley and his family are gone - the BoG brought in Genius Sports for a reason and made them partners -
The partnership the CFL has with Genius Sports was orchestrated by Roger Goodell when Randy went to him for a “loan” for the 2020 season. Rather than giving the CFL some money, he directed the league to a an entity the NFL has a stake in. That was when Randy came out saying that Roger advised him to do whatever it takes to make the CFL successful.
Every smart business person takes a meeting. 4 downs can’t be completely off the table. Everything has to be on the table.
4 downs doesn’t mean exclusively NFL rules. There’s been many drastic changes to sports in the past. (The forward pass, 3 point line, etc.) If there are additional benefits than it has to be on the table.
Its like getting married and not discussing whether or not to have an open marriage when one person quietly expects it.
Yes, partners introduce new ideas but 4 downs and other inevitable changes are fundamental and should have been addressed.
Has anyone ever thought that the NFL Network might be a destination for CXFL games if the CXFL were to play in the spring? Pretty sure that the NFL network could cough up a TV deal that was somewhere in the range of the current CFL deal with TSN - all the CXFL would need to do is play in the spring and summer - Roger and the NFL network need some spring summer content - the NFL wanted the CFL to shift the schedule for spring games and the CFL didn’t bite - maybe that deal is still on the table but with the NFL network wanting a 4 down CXFL -