Oh my god, the whining about the divisions AGAIN. 
Whine all you want. The divisions arenât going anywhere. Itâs literally done in every major pro sport.
Pointing out facts and making a logical argument is hardly whining. Please stay away from the personal insults if you canât make a similar logical argument.
Comparing a 9 team league to a 32 team league is folly and the two canât be compared and I already addressed that baseless argument.
1 Like
The divisions are fine. No sane commissioner is going to mess with them. But sure, keep on complaining about a non-issue that has zero effect on the game.
1 Like
It has a huge effect on the game and scuttles competitive integrity, which at least for me is important if not critical. Iâm not whining or complaining, just pointing out obvious logical facts. No need to colour my position as such. My position applies equally to every team while yours favours 4 Eastern teams without any apparent competitive or logical reason for doing so. Simply put, my position is let the best team win and be seeded based on performance rather than location on a map.
The East and especially the Argonauts have been awarded many more Grey Cups than they have earned over the years. In my opinion the biggest prize for finishing in the top two in any North American sports league is in the CFL when teams receive a bye into the Grey Cup play in game. Huge advantage. And it is in fact a play in game, not the arbitrary misnomer of East or West final.
Thankfully this seeding via geography instead of performance scenario hasnât occurred since 2022, but it has occurred frequently in the past and probably close to a majority of the time. I wonder if you would feel differently if for once the East actually got shafted like the West has so many times. Remember, my solution is fair to both East and West while your blind adherence to the status quo is not. In 2022 geography meant that the 11-7 Argos hosted one Grey Cup play in game against the 9-9 Alouettes while the 15-3 Bombers hosted another against the 12-6 Lions. Huh? Clearly it would have been more fair for the Lions to host the Argos based on performance rather than geography. The Argos may very well have not made it to the Grey Cup via the easier route they were gifted if they in fact had to face opponents based on what they had earned and where they had placed based on their performance.
This was another questionable Grey Cup win as there was a good chance the Argos would not have made the game if they had to win in BC first, as their record would dictate. Weâll never know, although we can say it was unfair and not related to team performance. Anyone can win one game such as a Grey Cup, but it sure is nice if you can be spared the gauntlet that Western teams typically face just to get there. In addition BC was robbed of a home gate they earned based on their regular season performance and my guess is that they would have had some 10,000 more fans in the seats than the Argos did. This costs the league money and any sane commissioner would be addressing this Eastern favouritism that costs the league money immediately. I havenât even mentioned the inherently easier time an Eastern team has in finishing first because they have to beat out one less team to do so.
I do not see a logical argument against my position that teams should earn their way into and through the playoffs based on performance rather than geography. Calling me names or referring to the mystical concept of âtraditionâ donât cut it. Letâs have fairness please.
1 Like
I get you didnât like what I said. But it wasnât meant to be liked. Itâs how I see it.
Itâs a minor league. Thereâs some good players for sure thatâs true in other minor and semi-pro leagues. The main advantage CFL has is a pro level history and branding. But that doesnât mean a lot when folks ignore that because they have to genuflect to everything corny and American in much of Canada. I resent the corny Simpsons stuff. They donât respect the league. But the league doesnât respect itself. It is absolutely insane to me that CFL isnât going all out to sign Shedeur Sanders. Heâs in a very bad spot right now 4 years and 50m would sound just alright to him. Half guaranteed could make double that if he plays every game and wins. Then sign a deal with Amazon to stream Shedeurâs games world wide. You think there wonât be ratings. But itâs Cantnada when it comes to CFL and that an issue if you want me to convince two of my buddies to spend a bill to see a game with me. We are tired of all scrubs all the time. I can be a fan and have strong criticisms. Sorry you donât agree.
1 Like
These games arenât cheap. Itâs not intercountry baseball in Hamilton or Barrie 20 a ticket &kids for free. They are priced as professional sports products in Canada. On par with Buffalo Bills. I believe itâs a media cartel here that allows the cheapskatery to continue unchallenged. Always blaming local fans and âyoung Canadiansâ for their own cheapskate ways refusing to invest and refusing to show ambition in their own brand. Thatâs why young Canadians see it as a boomer curiosity at best. The loud folks on the forum who donât want a Shadeur here? That small time attitude is killing the league!
1 Like
Thereâs a whole entire other thread about him.
And go ahead and chime in there if you will, as apparently you are butt-hurt because youâve already crowned him and seem like all the others to think they know a lot more than 32 NFL teams who put him through his paces and interviewed him and though far from a perfect track record, they have seen many red flags in talented players before.
Itâs up to Shedeur to show them up or shut up now.
3 Likes
Who cares what you think? Youâre an American who loves our little bs crap scrub league. I donât. I live in Canada. Been to more CFL games than youâve seen on TV. Been inside locker rooms. Spoke to Don Matthews face to face. Take your âbutt hurt nonsenseâ back to San Antonio.
Letâs review here.
You donât like the CFL.
But Shedeur Sanders, and an imaginary deal with Amazon?
As if that were an actual realistic prospect, THAT would save the CFL?
Oh-key now âŚ
1 Like
I donât care if you care what I think or not. This is a free forum.
And I donât care if you donât like my country either. Thatâs a YOU problem not my problem, for most of us like Canada no doubt.
Alright then enjoy the games, but that has nothing to do with being a fan or not, which you call yourself but you are obviously seriously butt-hurt angry with no real solutions to offer.
So maybe find a way to brighten up for the good that is at hand, or maybe get over yourself and your butt-hurt face.
Boy, you have to work really hard to justify a crackpot theory that fortunately will never be adopted by the league.
I guess since the east has been the better division the past few years, you canât rely on that old chestnut anymore, so you have to invent new âproblemsâ to complain about.
1 Like
Thanks to HBIV, I just discovered the âignoreâ function.
2 Likes
I am âwhiningâ and âcomplainingâ and have a âcrackpot theoryâ because I disagree with you. My, my. I am trembling to find a response against these overwhelmingly intellectual arguments which are hard to reason against.
Iâll take the George Bernard Shaw high road as a civil disagreement with you is impossible.
Weâve gone off the rails a bit here⌠itâs nice that they are promoting SJ as a life long fan. To me this sends a message to the fans that there wonât be too many changes. Whether or not they are being honest in that assessment remains to be seen but I havenât seen much evidence to the contrary.
1 Like
One division would likely require a 16 game season for balance, unless we expand. If we did expand there would be no need for a 1 division league.
Love riding the rails lol
1 Like
/Looks at watch
Alright, itâs now about a month before showtime, and not soon enough
2 Likes
I was hoping to attend the Grey Cup game this year but I see that it appears no extra seats are going to be added to the Winnipeg stadium for the Grey Cup game?!
The prices are expensive enough but it is VERY DISAPPOINTING that it looks like additional seating is not going to be added so that MORE FANS can have an opportunity to go to the Grey Cup! WHY? This is a bit embarrassing for Winnipeg to have less than 40,000 seats.
I have attended 8 Grey Cups, such as
in Montreal, Ottawa & Winnipeg, Toronto. It would be nice if some seats in the $125-$150 range would be available.
Winnipeg Grey Cup games in the past have had thousands of extra seats added to the stadium.
Also it would make more AFFORDABLE seats available for fans! Winnipeg has
one of the smallest stadia in the C.F.L.
It would be nice if the C.F.L. & Blue Bombers could have 5,000 to 10,000 additional seats added for the Grey Cup. There is NO REASON this can
not be done. The Grey Cup game is still 5 1/2 months away which is more than enough time to do this. Get with it C.F.L.! Go Blue Bombers!
2 Likes
The last time the Grey Cup was held in Winnipeg and the only time in their present stadium was in 2015. There were no extra seats added so you are thinking of prior Grey Cups held in Winnipeg in the old Winnipeg Stadium. I have attended all but one of them including the infamous freezer bowl of 1991. Unfortunately the way the beautiful current stadium is constructed in a self contained bowl it is not easy or practical to add seats.
Furher, Winnipeg wishes to maximize profits that come from holding the game so they will sell tickets for whatever the market will bear. Iâm not sure what the prices are, but obviously more than the $125-$150 you are willing to pay. If they can sell tickets for $400 why wouldnât they as opposed to spending a small fortune on temporary seats and selling them at a discount? No pro sports league would do this for their championship game. I recall in fact that our Grey Cup tickets in 1991 were $150, which was $50 more than our season tickets for 10 games in the student section. Why would they be priced for less in 2025?
I also donât think the CFL has much to do with this. They âsellâ the game to Winnipeg for a fixed amount and Winnipeg decides how they will configure the stadium and what they will sell tickets for what the market will bear. It appears that they have chosen to give evryone with a ticket a great seat with normal concessions and bathrooms rather than scrambling to fit a round peg into a square hole by adding expensive terrible seats (even if that were possible) and spending money on creating temporary concessions and washrooms. It is what it is.
Like you I canât justify spending $400 a seat at this time and doubt I will attend. That amount might turn out to be a bargain if the Bombers are in the big game or an albatross if they are not. There is also no guarantee they would sell another 10,000 terrible seats if they are not in the game. Letâs face it, the Eastern teams just donât have the fan base to fill those seats and not many will even come from the West unless Saskatchewan is in it.
3 Likes
The past few years the Grey Cup attendance has averaged around 30k to 35k, Regina, Hamilton, Calgary, Toronto BMO, Ottawa.
Fewer seats and higher prices
November 25, 2018 Commonwealth Stadium [Edmonton] 55,819
107th November 24, 2019 McMahon_Stadium) [Calgary] 35,439
â November 22, 2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic â â â
[108th] (108th Grey Cup - Wikipedia) December 12, 2021 Tim_Hortons_Field [Hamilton] 26,324
[109th] (109th Grey Cup - Wikipedia) [Mosaic Stadium] 33,330
[110th] (110th Grey Cup - Wikipedia) November 19, 2023 Tim_Hortons_Field) [Hamilton] 28,808
[111th] (111th Grey Cup - Wikipedia) November 17, 2024 (BC_Place) [Vancouver] 52,439
1 Like