Moving the Season to end to October is an idea that worries me .
When I hear this it really scares me that the CFL would go up against the traditional playoff and World Series of Baseball .
Right now CFL owns November . We get great exposure as we have this time period alone for OUR League . Media comes alive for the CFL for this month .
Put on your long underwear and for one game enjoy being a Canadian .
Out of all the moves that could hurt the league in the future this is one that could set it back .
One of the reasons we get bigger numbers on TV is it’s a better time to sit inside and watch football . The TV numbers embrace this month for the CFL like no other time . Plus we have the spotlight for one month of the year .
Why would anyone would want a possible Blue Jay playoff going against the league’s show case event ?
I hope Ambrosie is just doing lip service to this idea and is no way considering such a game changing idea that could damage the leagues King of November in the sports world In CANADA .
I agree Hank. One just needs to look at the attendance figures over the past 20 years when the Grey Cup was being played in places like Commonweath Stadium [Edmonton] to a crowd of 60 000+. Anyone who had been to Edmonton late in November would know what I'm talking about. Attendance figures in other Grey Cup games has been stellar. What exactly is the reason to finish off the season in late October?
I'll echo those who think the league has a good stage where it gets attention in November. Maybe move it up a couple of weeks but I think having the Grey Cup in October is too early.
If we end earlier, we'll also have to start earlier and the change to a 21 week season (which I'm good with) alredy puts the start early so they'll need to consider what it's up against by another 3-4 weeks.
While the weather would be more likely to be warmer in October for the spectators, I agree that the GC at the end of November gives the league and the GC more attention as others say.
Move it too early, CFL's first 2-4 weeks are lost to NHL finals. Especially if Canadian teams are in the Final.
Also, could run into MLB finals, which is not an issue, unless the Blue Jays are in, and once again CFL is lost.
Not a fan of bi weeks unless absolutely necessary. The CFL doesn't need to drag the season on like the NHL.
Hoping Halifax comes through, then each team get 1 bye week somewhere in the middle of the season. Do what they did before, 1 weekend half the teams play and then another weekend the other half plays.
We are Canadians. If you can't dress for Winter, how do you live here. Clothing is lighter and warmer than ever before. There are all sorts of accessories that you can put in gloves or boots to help.
Also, here is incentive to go to games. If the stadium is full, that is 20-35k people giving off body heat. Its amazing how warm you stay when there is a full stadium. Used to have season tickets for the stamps, and I would be fine until the mid 4th quarter exodus that Calgary fans do. Would barely even feel the cold, until there were empty seats around.
Own November.
The NFL plays until February. More than half the teams (a few have domes, but are cold winter climate locations) have Winters similar to Canadian CFL cities. Only the Super bowl is played indoors.
That means the NFL plays in October, November, December and January in cold stadiums yet they get 60- 80k to a game.
I definitely don't expect that the CFL season will ever end in October. Would not make sense. I don't have problems/would not be surprised it was to start 1 week or 2 weeks earlier.
Since each team will have 3 "breaks' in 2018, compared with 2 in 2017, the 2018 regular season will automatically begin at least a week earlier than in 2017 and end on November 25,2018, with the Grey Cup in Edmonton. The League Governors could always begin 2 weeks earlier than in 2017; the Grey Cup would then be on November 18,2018.
I don’t understand why they would bother starting 2 weeks sooner unless they wanted to end the season a couple of weeks earlier as in around Nov 15. If it is because of whether I can’t see a couple of weeks making a difference. It not because of the whether, what other reason?
I more bye week per team next year means more weeks played. Better to tack the extras on in June than December. As RV says above, the Grey Cup will still be end November.
The only reason I brought this up was Ambrosie saying to a reporter flippantly "maybe in 2019 we'll be playing it in October " at the state of the union .
It was not the appropriate time to be flippant with something that many feel
sacred .
Maybe saying it to a fan to be courteous who likes the idea I understand but not at a league address to a reporter . He should have a solid answer to something like that at this point of his tenure .
I actually like how it works well with the US Thanksgiving . Lots of football Thursday and Friday . Looking for forward to the Vanier on Saturday and GC on Sunday .
Looks like the CFL thinks there is some benefit moving from ESPN to the NFL Network. Whether such a move is positive or not is debatable. ESPN would be the preferred broadcaster by most fans as that channel makes replays available online for those who cannot watch the games live. Besides, NFL Network and CFL have partnered before and that made no difference at all.
Perhaps the NFL Network is now offering more than just exposure to the US market.
“The CFL could be coming to NFL Network. And as part of that deal, the CFL may alter its schedule to move the Grey Cup from late November to the middle of October.”
I read the article, Grover and I gotta ask why does the CFL have to alter it's sked ? Aren't there enough CFL summer games to fill the void on the NFL network ?...As I get older I have to say I much prefer the warm to the cold but I do understand tradition. Moving to the 3rd week in Oct would only be a month earlier. I've watched a lot of CFL football at the cottage in Oct in between fishing and closing up for the winter.....Maybe we should try this idea for one season and see how it goes. More games during the summer when the kids are out of school. It might just work and be a benefit to the league.
The NLFN would really have to be paying a significant amount of $$ for the league to consider this.
Then it's got me thinking after reading some of the user comments. Could this be a precursor of going to a 16 game regular season? I'm likley in the minority but would be in favour of this.
Moving Grey Cup from late November to the 3rd week of October is a shift by 5 weeks. Expansion to 10 will eliminate the need for the 3rd bye week, so that will offset from what we currently have. Does a 16 game season mean only 1 bye week is needed? There's one week of savings there.
Reducing from 18 to 16 removes another 2 so the regular season would start in the 2nd week of June which almost misses the Stanley Cup final and it won't be difficult to schedule around that.
The NFLN would have to pay enough to keep revenues and player salaries intact with 16 games. Maybe it's doable.
When I hear Ambrosie talk about this nonsense I start to think that the man is not a good leader for the CFL . His talk about CTE was worse than Orridge and he looked uncomfortable with the Nik Lewis question who was just looking for the CFL to advise it’s players of the risks extensively with brain health but it went over Ambrosie’s head .
The talk about leaves changing colour while a Grey Cup game is on is comical for a commissioner . The CFL lost crediblity again with this guy as your spokesman .
I had great hopes but this is the great sell out to NFL interests if this has any legs . What is this league worth I didn’t know it was for sale .
I cannot see how the League can start early enough to have the Grey Cup in the 3rd week of October.
With the 3rd bye week being added in this upcoming season I cannot see starting the season any sooner than 2 weeks sooner than this season started and ending 1 week sooner than this year
Here is why
The NFL draft is always the last week of April(April 26th to 28th this year) this wont change for us.
Our Draft for Obvious reasons cannot come until at least 7-10 days later as Our 1st round prospects always get some looks by the NFL(CFL draft was May 7th last year) No CFL team is going to use a 1st or 2nd round pick on a player only to see him get drafted into the NFL and then spend the first few seasons on a NFL roster or practice squad.
There must be some signing periods accounted for, so the only way a season can be pushed forward is by starting Training camp 2 weeks earlier,( training camp started May 28th for rookies last season)
So, knowing that,
If we start 2 weeks earlier than last season but then add in the 3rd bye week = ending season only
1 week earlier.
I wouldn't change our schedule to cater to Americans, if even the supposed TV deal was double what TSN is paying. The Grey Cup has always been played at the end of November or early December for the last 100 years or so. That hasn't prevented the GC from becoming Canada's biggest sporting event. Do we really want CFL training camps in April with regular season games starting in May? That's what would be necessary for an October Grey Cup.
So what if the league can theoretically "double or triple" it's revenue. Guess where all that money is going...to player's salaries and inflated contracts for team and league administrators.
Some of the greatest players in history signed $10k or $25k entry-level contracts to play in the CFL. Now it's $55k to $65k. Would paying rookies $150k to $200k really improve the quality of players? Would paying a CFL GM $1M a year really allow him to make better roster decisions? I don't think so.
The game is fine the way it is. Of course we want the CFL to grow and prosper but radically altering the formula which has made it Canada's premier sports league should be carefully considered.
For one, ending the regular season in September would allow CFL fans to follow nearly the entire NFL season. Many Canadian fans get their football fix following the CFL until the end of November, with the NFL just an amusing post-season alternative to Mary Poppin's re-runs for a few frigid Sunday afternoons. With a September CFL regular-season end these football fans could get totally into the NFL. Then come next summer these CFL fans might become intrigued with NFL coach and player signings, draft picks, preseason games in August and so on. Perhaps they might not follow the CFL as closely, especially after Labour Day? This is a mystery gift box we might not want to open.
Makes no sense at all to imagine having the Grey Cup the third week of October,as the Commissioner mentioned; with 1 more week off,the training camps would have to begin at the end of April. Nonsense!
Grey Cup games have always been in November and should remain as such; 1 or 2 weeks earlier than now, no problems, but definitely not in October.
They are not closer to a 10th team so that wouldn’t play into the decision. That said with 10 teams there are 5 games per week involving every team and no bye week is needed which would reduce the schedule by 2 weeks moving the Grey Cup to mid November.
I’m all for trying something new and competing with the Stanley Cup finals would impact 1-2 game during the first week maybe 2. Not detrimental at the start of the season. However, to go head to head with the World Series that would impact every night game over the October weekends is insanity.
Having a slight distraction at the beginning of the seasonvhappens to all leagues due to crossover but to deliberately compete with the playoffs and World Series is pure stupidity.