Continuation of Football in Canada

I don't know which topic to put this in, so I make a new one.

If the CFL is killed by the introduction of any other football in Canada, then I would not support this other football.

However, if the CFL dies on its own accord and is replaced by any other football in Canada, then I would for sure follow and watch it unless it was garbage.

Football, you bet!

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I am with you on that one.

Might as well call it (CFL 1956-2020).
End of an era.

The CFL coming back should have a better business plan.

The shield needs to change to reflect the Canadiana of the CFL.

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That’s exactly what they said 100 years ago when the forward pass was introduced.

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The forward pass made the game better.

Changing the rules will effectively end Canadian Football.

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If internet forums existed back then, it would have be sacrilege by many. Same as basketball’s 3 point line or baseball’s DH.

I think it’s best to see how this comes together first.

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And 100 years ago, the change brought about the beginning of a completely new game that we now here call football. Rugby still survived but rugby itself was created by another rule change that grew out of soccer.

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Right on - key elements of the game will survive in Canada at minimum. And if no deal, the game lives on though the league of course will be reorganizing one way or the other.

Even Gaelic football and hurling exist to this day. Aussie Rules preceded both codes of rugby in Australia and is still around.

It’s great that those Sports exist

It seems to be an issue with having Canadian Football around because of it’s resemblance to the American game.

Need to go back to the intricacies that actually made the two games totally distinct.

Maybe a CRFL will emerge if the CFL merges with the XFL and adopts American rules. Canadian Rules Football League. It could be small and local enough to finally add an Atlantic team, Quebec City, etc......

The XFL-CFL talks are somewhat overblown in my opinion. CFL has the league XFL has the money and star power (the rock). The soft spot articles the rock has about his time in the CFL are fluff pieces at best this is about money. I could see 3 XFL teams coming into CFL and the rock becoming the commissioner. You have 12 team league, lots of hype and excitement. You want t.v. money look at everything the rock touches. It may be short sided but it could save both to some extent.

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These talks could lead to very minor associations between the two leagues, so this could be all about nothing.

BUT, if the 2 leagues were going to merge - it wouldn’t be the XFL teams adopting to the CFL… it would be the other way around. The investors behind the XFL aren’t going to gamble their money on an expanded CFL - they’ll want to expand the XFL. It’s XFL rules and field dimensions or nothing. Their priority is gaining fans in the US, and the only shot at that happening is giving the fans football they’re more familiar with. Plus they can’t fit CFL sized fields into most of the US stadiums.

This is why I don’t trust the intention of this potential partnership.

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Since it’s hypothetical I would say the CFL has the leverage, spring football is still new and every time it starts it folds. (not good for season ticket holders) CFL is established and has a history which does hold some weight. The XFL also went into established markets and was barely surviving. I would also say it is a reasonable gamble on money to return for XFL owners in the CFL but hugely risky on a spring league again.

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I assume this thread was prompted by the recent news involving the CFL/XFL and I for one think it WILL NOT and SHOULD NOT happen.
As a longtime fan, I have been forced to imagine a world without the CFL more than once and has hard as that would be, a world where the CFL simply sells out to an American league seems just as bad. What is really disheartening are certain individuals in media trying to sell this as "the best thing" or "the only solution" for the CFL's survival. I think these individuals (Rod Pedersen as the biggest example that come to mind) perhaps see better opportunities for their own careers, and while I cannot blame them for wanting more, I certainly do not applaud them for pushing this at the expense of the average fan. FOR SHAME TO THEM AND LONG LIVE THE CFL.

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12 teams in a combined league sure would be a great re-start and a bonus I figure.

Now here’s the elephant in the room especially given the public will. What if a restart can happen everywhere but Ontario? Do those three teams play all games away? There will be football in Buffalo nearby with far more fans come September I assure you. This “no fans” stuff coming out of Ontario is utter garbage and the experiences in the US with limited fans and now again coming in Europe with soccer are going to prove just that.

Why wait a few more months for Ontario now? There it is - I wrote it.

As I said earlier, Americans aren’t interested in CFL rules football. They prefer NFL/NCAA type of rules/field - it’s proven. The XFL is already a gamble, the last thing they want to do is increase their risk by playing a type of football that Americans aren’t used to.

And the fact that the CFL is “established” means nothing at this point. They’re pretty much in the same boat now, and the only advantage the CFL has is in Canada - which is a secondary market for the XFL. Their main goal is to capture a big enough audience in the US.

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CFL has assets and more importantly possesses a paying tv contract. XFL has only a name and potentially having teams in Canada provides zero benefit in attracting an American company willing to pay for their media rights.

Other than kicking, the XFL rules are not that different from any other failed alternative football league. I believe the attraction to their core audience is more political (pro or anti whatever) than what happens on the field.

What I am curious about is the escalators that are supposedly in TSN's contract with the CFL. Are there clauses in the contract that would pay enough to make adding more teams worthwhile? If not, then at minimum the XFL would need an American contract worth around $100 million.

Should the XFL and CFL merge, I could see them operate with different rules for a season or two before settling on a single set. Too drastic a change would lose too much of the Canadian audience. If this is not a concern, then why would the XFL even bother with the CFL?

Alternatively, they could try the AL/NL method of playing under unified rules except for 1. Depending on who is playing at home, they could alter the number of downs.

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Surprised at Rod Pedersen’s willingness to embrace this potential concept.

The future of Canadian Football is on the line and he’s (Pedersen) seems content to promote this position without any regard to to potential loss of the Canadian rules.

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Yes and it only works if it’s 4 down football, you can’t have merged league with half the teams playing under US rules. You can’t have a CFL sized field in the US, stadiums, they are built around 100 yards with the 10 yard end Zones.
The old fans won’t go for it, but the younger generation in Canada would probably go for it. If you get young people watching then advertisers will buy air time, the CFL gets decent TV ratings but they have a hard time selling air time because the viewers are older.

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The CFL is a union of 9 independent Football franchises, the XFL is an entire entity in itself with each team being a branch of it. As such, how would this merger work? What would the role of the 9 CFL governors be if they can no longer be independent owners? Would they all agree to just be bought out? What is to say the XFL would have interest in all 9 markets? As an example: assuming there is a team in Toronto, do they really want Hamilton or Ottawa too? Do they see a need for 2 teams in Alberta? Is 4 teams over the vast, sparsely populated Canadian prairie needed?What about the Riders? Did they not sell 1000's of shares to the fans? How do they square this in the XFL model?
These are questions, I as a mere fan have, Imagine what questions the experts would have. Seems far fetched to me

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