Has the Toronto media succeeded?

[Earl]

Didn't realize that argotom about Global, interesting. Agree that just Saturdays wouldn't have been good if it was just that.

[hwgill]

@"Earl"

Yes, the NFL affects the CFL in that if it weren’t for the NFL or a major pro football league in the US, no one in Canada would give a rats arse about the CFL because football in general would be regarded about the same as, hmmm, well, let’s put it this way, not even close to shuffleboard I’m afraid. A pro league is necessary to make people really interested in a sport, not saying it should be this way but that’s reality.

It sounds here as though you don’t see the CFL as a pro-league?

[Tridus]

@"bighands"

I even checked out a game the other day, it was good.

Is it possible that maybe NFL ratings are increasing because there has been some very entertaining NFL games this year? Amid all the other stuff, you even said that the game you saw was good.

I know people love to blame the Toronto media for everything, but come on. A big part of the market is “football” fans. Not CFL fans or NFL fans, football fans. People who will watch an entertaining game of football in any league.

More entertaining games = more viewers. It doesn’t require a vast media conspiracy to figure that out.

[Earl]

hwgill, yes the CFL is a pro league and one that I respect very much. What I was saying is that without a pro football league in the US that is successful, I personally don't think that a pro football league in Canada existing on it's own would work due to a few reasons. One, we don't have a huge population here and many of our best athletes gravitate towards hockey where they are more likely to make it to the NHL with the million dollar plus contracts. Even with a pro league in Canada and the US, our minor league football system for kids isn't as nearly extensive as in the US. If it weren't for the US giving us some players for the CFL, the CFL would not have the talent we have now and I think more people wouldn't follow the CFL as much as now.

That's all I was saying, the presence of the NFL makes it so more football is played in the US and we feed off of this a lot. We might still have some football here in Canada if the US wasn't into football so much but not at a very high level I don't think.

[ArgoZ]

@"Earl"

hwgill, yes the CFL is a pro league and one that I respect very much. What I was saying is that without a pro football league in the US that is successful, I personally don’t think that a pro football league in Canada existing on it’s own would work due to a few reasons. One, we don’t have a huge population here and many of our best athletes gravitate towards hockey where they are more likely to make it to the NHL with the million dollar plus contracts. Even with a pro league in Canada and the US, our minor league football system for kids isn’t as nearly extensive as in the US. If it weren’t for the US giving us some players for the CFL, the CFL would not have the talent we have now and I think more people wouldn’t follow the CFL as much as now.

That’s all I was saying, the presence of the NFL makes it so more football is played in the US and we feed off of this a lot. We might still have some football here in Canada if the US wasn’t into football so much but not at a very high level I don’t think.

I understand the point you are trying to make, however I can’t agree too much. The game of football was here long before the American’s invented their version. It would have just continued, probably keeping with rugby rules, with a lot more Canadians, played at the highest level possibe and no one would know the difference. If you want to give the American’s credit for anything, it was inventing the forward pass and eventually eliminating the game of rugby which we both played.