I don't see why not, the NBA did it last year and the 76ers actually lost to a euro team but I think the NBA was 10-1 in those games.
It could be more competetive than people would think because we would be in midseason form and NFL starters would be more concerned about not getting hurt and it would wind up being a game against their 2nd and third stringers.
Unforunately, our seasons are to off-balance for this to work. we're not gonna just stop the CFL season to play a few exhibition games.
The CFL has everything to lose IMO if they do this. As stated it would be against 2nd and 3rd string guys and what happens if the NFL team comes in and topples us ? It would re-enforce to all those how 'vastly' inferior the calibre of play is in the CFL. Even if the CFL team wins, it would be only against '3rd stringers'. What rules would they play ? That would make a difference. you cant win.
I wouldn't run this series again either. It was a great idea in the 1950s and 60s, when teh leagues were considered to be more comparable in skill level than now. Back then, there were even players who came up to Canada becasue the pay was better!! (the Loonie was higher than the US greenback too).
Even then the games were basically romps for the NFL. Our game against Buffalo was in the early years of the old AFL when it was definitely an inferior loop, far from its time of Broadway Joe and the successful rivalry and later merger with the NFL.
I think it's a losing proposition for the CFL, as inaslump contends. Plus, what could the NFL possibly gain frm something like this? If they win, it's expected, and the only criticism would be that they didnt win by an even wider margin. No glory in that. If by chance they lost, there would be hell to pay. Either way, they have nothing to gain from pitting their product against anyone else's.
Makes way more sense to revive the 1972 hockey summit series to me.
Well there are no Western teams on the list , the west has allways been stronger than the east, And these games were played over 30 years ago, Imo the cfl would do better in the 21st century! :cowboy:
one thing that I always thought the CFL should explore is a 'North America Cup' type of game. have Canada vs. U.S game with teams composed of CFL players. I always thought that would be really cool. The only problem for Canada would be our lack of a QB....
Just FYI - for people who don't know about it - there is an international (Global) Junior (under 19 i think it is) Championship tourney held during Super Bowl week every year - been going on for close to or a decade now - teams include host US + Canada and a few other countries send teams - Japan, Mexico, and has been teams from Europe (France & Germany i think?) - where they play some American rules football. The finals always end up Canada vs. the US - no surprise as these are the only 2 real "football" (as we call it) countries. and BTW - Canada has won the past 3 straight titles there. The Canadian team is an all-star team - mostly from the Quebec area but with a few other top players from around the country; the US team is an all-star team selected from the area of the host Super Bowl city - the team that Canada beat this year was from the Miami area - renowned for sending a lot of players on to top DI US college programs and I believe I read that a lot of the American team this year were DI comits.
Be nice to see this tourney get some more recognition and coverage - it's been going on years now with little reknown and it's not televised and media reports are sparse period. Canadians really get into seeing Team Canada play hockey in the World Juniors, plus the Olympics, World Cup, etc.; maybe football fans up here might get into seeing Canada play in an international (though American rules only) football tourney; not sure the American public would be that into - most of them probably don't realize football is played elsewhere and I'd guess they'd ASSume the US would slaughter all other teams - they would be shocked to see that Canada has kicked American butt for 3 straight years now.
Agreed that there is little for either of the CFL or NFL to gain from playing each other - risk of injury to highly paid players (assets) and potential source of embarrassment to either league - the CFL would have all the wannabes up here saying told you so if they lost big-time, as would be expected, to the NFL team; and the wannabe sports media up here would be all aghast trying to figure out / rationalize and mitigate the CFL winning; the NFL team & league would be severely embarrassed if the CFL team won or even stayed close - the media there would either write it off as a nothing game or make excuses too. Can't see those type exhibition games happening again.
Funny enough,I remember Jamie Stein mentioning that Keith Pelley tried to persuade the NFL to have the tournament as part of 07 grey cup week, however i dont think that came to be.
TCanuck, The only game in the tourney that is a full game is the finals. the round-robin portion is 2, 15 min halves I believe. You couldn't really promote it as a world junior type tournament. I dont know if the finals would garner much interest. Remember it is high school calibre football. Whether Canadian or American, how interesting could it be on Television ? Who would sit down and plan their evening around watching a game where they dont know any of the players and really had no clue this tourney was happening? The difference in the hockey one is that these guys are a year or 2 away from the NHL. The CIS is hurting for recognition in the sports scene so who would watch the up and comers? I personally just dont see it working
FYI speaking of exhibition and High school calibre football, St.Thomas More has their senior football team travel down to Ohio to play some high school team. More got owned but the town (cant remmeber the name) was so impressed than they took some of their plays and invited them back to play againt next year. Just thought you would like that little Tim bit. Im a Cardinal Newman player myself, i wish we had gone.
Surely you realize that the World Juniors in hockey feature players around the same age as the football players in the SB Global Junior Championship? Big difference is, that plenty of hockey fans up here follow Junior hockey where those players come from, so there are familiar names, plus Canadian hockey fans are used to and primed for international competition. The same conditions don’t exist near as much for football; but still - this tournament getting some more exposure and being televised (the NFL network has tons of room to show it and there would be no reason for one of the Canadian sports networks not to pick up at least the championship game) could help football in Canada - demonstrates that we produce very good football talent and it’s part of the hugely hyped Super Bowl week anyways. Not saying it would be a huge hit or anything, just that some football fans might enjoy it and it is a very good level of football - these are great young players participating - and good competition (the final anyways). Very worthy of more exposure IMO.
Sorry but the Tiger Cats never played an
NFL team!!
The Buffalo Bills at that time were in the AFL, the AFL was formed in the late 50s and was a much inferior league to the NFL and was actually considered a lower tier to the CFL.
When the first Super Bowl was arranged between the old AFL and MFL, there was a worry that the NFL would wipe out the NFL team. It did take a few years for parody.
Sorry but the Tiger Cats never played an
NFL team!!
The Buffalo Bills at that time were in the AFL, the AFL was formed in the late 50s and was a much inferior league to the NFL and was actually considered a lower tier to the CFL.
When the first Super Bowl was arranged between the old AFL and MFL, there was a worry that the NFL would wipe out the NFL team. It did take a few years for parody.
Big deal - the Jets from the old AFL won the Super Bowl in the 3rd year it was played.
And the CFL didn't officially become the CFL in that name till 1958, so those games listed prior to that year weren't the NFL beating a CFL team either.
