Long-time lurker, first-time poster.
If ZuluMoose's reply was a genuine option I'd select it.
There seem to be three "mentalities" (for want of a better description) that keep popping up on the forum and they all fit in the "petrified of change" category.
#1 - US expansion failed so it must never be tried again.
Tell me, where exactly is left in Canada to expand to? Every big town that seems to be mentioned (e.g. Saskatoon, Quebec City) would have the effect of simply splitting an existing fanbase with no guarantee that the new team would gather support. Yet some fans would seemingly rather have the Nunavut Nanooks in the league than testing out border markets like Montana or North Dakota.
#2 - The Global Player initiative is a waste of time, we need to get more Canadian kids in the league.
From where, exactly?
Even if you combine USports and the CJFL, that still leaves you with only around 50-odd teams, and how many of those are simply making up the numbers and will only be title challengers once in a blue moon? Also, how many players on those rosters can realistically play at the pro level? You also have the knock-on effect (no pun intended) of concussion awareness meaning the player pool from junior grades and high school will decline if kids are steered away from football by parents.
Talent has to come from SOMEWHERE, so like it or not a Global player pipeline is a positive as it may one day lessen reliance on the NCAA system.
#3 - This is "Canada's game". We need to defend our unique "Canadian football".
I genuinely think some Canadian fans don't realise how meaningless this term is to the rest of the world. I'm a fan from England, and I guarantee you that if you mention "Canadian football" to a random person on the street, the assumption will be you must be talking about the national soccer team. If I look at a betting site, sports results page or TV schedule, what will I find CFL listed as?
American football.
If anything, the CFL can be thankful it dodged a bullet with both the XFL and AAF disappearing, because if both leagues had been stable and successful, you could have had the worst-case scenario of the CFL being seen as "Division 4" football rather than "Division 2" - then the league REALLY would need the Global initiative as all the FCS and top-end D2 players would have probably stayed in the US.
Anyway, rant over.
Sorry if this comes across as way too negative. I like the CFL and want it to survive, but the league has to recognise times have changed, both in the perception of the league and competition from other sports that just wasn't there decades back.
Edited for a couple of typos, and also before anyone jumps on me about "perception" that the CFL is some kind of "minor league", I can only call a spade a spade - when a top defender or WR is making only a little more than NFL practice squad money, what other way can I spin it?
