With the announcement that next year the Grey Cup date is moving up by another week is one I (and many other die hard CFL fans) do not support.
The CFL playoffs this year are taking a huge back seat in all media coverage ti baseball. Yes its magnified this year with the Blue Jays run. And magnified more so with the World Series going 7 games. Means the two division semi final games tomorrow, although not being played at the same time as the Jays, will be an afterthought in all forms of media - print, video and social.
By moving up the Grey Cup by a week, it now means that every year the CFL playoffs will clash with baseball. And will now affect the CFL Division finals.
In my opinion, this needs to be looked at again. Green Bay, Buffalo, Chicago etc all play in January. Playing closer to end of November to avoid this ever happening again is vastly important. Why purposely compete with the World Series?
And another round of NHL playoffs. I think that the NHL should start two weeks sooner and the MLB should start two weeks later. NFL? A week sooner as well would work.
Somebody should talk to those leagues and get it done.
This is a nothing burger in my opinion. The Blue Jays are in the World Series for the first time in 32 years and on top of that it happens to go 7 games to exactly match up with the CFL semi-finals. It would only happen 3 times a century if that. If the Blue Jays arenāt in the World Series and go 7 games this isnāt an issue as the World Series doesnāt otherwise detract from CFL playoff viewership.
If the CFL held the Grey Cup on Thanksgiving like myself and many others want to see, or even late October as some would prefer, this wouldnāt even be an issue 3 times a century or less.
There are numerous good reasons not to hold the Grey Cup in winter and they have been discussed numerous times in several threads including recently and generally the answer is for the benefit of the majority of the fans. Iām not going down that rabbit hole in yet another thread and the topic here is World Series vs CFL playoffs and I have addressed that.
It should also be noted that there is no direct clash between the games and there is no CFL game in Toronto to compete with the Blue Jays for attendance and we all know the Argos would have paltry attendance World Series or not. Everyone can watch all the games on TV just fine if they so desire.
Yes there is a lot of World Series hype from the center of the universe that I give a thumbs down to, but once again, this is a 3 times a century problem at worst. That rarity is no reason to move the CFL playoffs back into the winter and in fact moving then earlier as they are doing is better anyway and to use your terminology, what many die hard CFL fans want to see.
Personally I didnāt know that the World Series was still going on. To figure out why the CFL doesnāt care all you have to do is look at what broadcast network is responsible for showing the program to the rest of Canada. Then realize that TSN doesnāt have much to do with it.
Then you also look at other leagues they do show games for and how it would be better if the game was showed earlier
The one thing I know for sure is that this move isnāt based on June vs October attendance. If the CFL finds that Winnipeg didnāt generate the same revenue with the Grey Cup that BC and Hamilton did then that would be the final nail in the coffin. The last time Saskatchewan hosted a Grey Cup people were commenting on the empty seats. Despite the fact that they had sold out, the local ticket holders decided not to show up or left at halftime. I donāt begrudge them for doing so. Hometown fans have the right not to freeze for two teams that arenāt named the Roughriders
Similar to the 1991 Grey Cup game in Winnipeg. A fan was hospitalized and almost underwent amputations. I was frozen solid for hours. Winnipeg was short some 5,000 fans for the Western Final a few years ago because of the extreme cold.
Holding winter games is beyond stupid. It keeps fans away, causes huge financial losses, inconveniences fans who do attend and hurts concessions and also lessens the product on the field. Not sure whose idea it was originally to hold the most meaningless games in perfect weather and the most meaningful games in terrible weather. Bad Idea Jeans. Football isnāt a winter sport.
Question. Today, World Series in Toronto. If the game was going to start at 1:00 pm, weather would be about 8 degrees, feels like 6 or 7 (celsius) sunny with cloudy periods, just 20 percent of some showers, something of course what is quite normal for October weather for Red Sox or Yankees or Guardians or Tigers fans would expect to āendureā for a WS in their outdoor stadiums for Nov. 1 if they were in it. But in Toronto, as a fan Iām saying, would you want the lid on the Rogers Centre open or closed? Actually a very nice fall day here. Night, sure, lid closed, I get it, will be colder. Players Iām sure would want the lid closed, I think that goes without saying.
Both CFL semi final games will be finished before the World Series starts. Granted someone attending the western semi final might have to listen to some of the WS game on their car radio on the way home for the football game. I agree that it is a nothing burger.
Yes but starting next year, the Grey Cup moves up another week. This means permanently the CFL division finals will compete all week with the World Series. Jays or no Jays, why do that?
Also to those very few that want an absolutely ridiculous Thanksgiving Grey Cup? Canāt even find the words! Football is a fall sport. Having the CFL end when fall is just beginning is just plain dumb
High school and University football will always have their playoffs in November
So we want our professional league to end at the end of summer while all other football in Canada is played in October and November. No one wants that.
You must live out East. November is winter on the prairies. A late November Grey Cup is āabsolutely ridiculousā.
The league must cater to the lowest common denominator weather wise, which are the prairies, just like the league must cater to the lowest common denominator fan wise, that being the east.
