Deja -vu all over again. I think we`ve seen this film a few times before.
[url=http://bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/02/17/new-usfl-aims-for-new-spring-football-league/XCnd7SJ1G0tfdiuJB7xUFI/story.html]http://bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/02/1 ... story.html[/url]Good article a couple of things.
First, I wish just one of these guys or group of guys were smart enough to invest in a CFL expansion franchise.
second, the first USFL failed attempting to go head to head against the NFL but from the USFL ashes came the Arena Football league which although was rebranded is still going as the 3rd longest running football league behind CFL and NFL. The Arena league took a step back from a AAA kind of league to a AA kind of league for its talent level but still both the CFL and NFL benefit greatly from the Arena league which is about a quarter of Century and still going. Key for the Arena League is they still continue to get a TV deal. The NFL Network picked them up during the rebranding period and now CBS SN has a game of the week on saturday. CBS SN is both available in the US and Canada and the Arena Bowl will be on the Major network CBS. Also each team has a local deal with a network much like the NBA and MLB.
Third, with the players they are targeting there are a plenty of them and will not affect the CFL at all. The CFL is only able to sign a handful of these guys when the practice roster expands in september.SO they will have plenty of players. question will stand is location will they be able to draw 25,000 to a game and more important will they get a TV deal that they dont have to pay for, ala UFL, but get paid.
won’t even get off the ground.
Problem is that they wouldn’t want one in Canada and expansion to the US means mismatched rules. As was discovered previously, the CFL could not impose a limit on the number of “imports” (Americans) and non-imports (mostly Canadian).
Le plus gros problème sera de trouver suffisamment d'endroits où il y aurait une masse critique de supporteurs pour une équipe de football canadien.
Considérant la quantités d'équipes universitaires qui drainent tant de supporteurs, une des seules issues serait que ces équipes embauchent des anciens joueurs de ces équipes qui n'ont pas été repêchés ou qui n'ont plus d'équipe dans la NFL ou ailleurs. Cela risquerait cependant de faire des équipes moins bien pourvues et tuer l'intérêt pour notre football, si tant il était qu'il y en eut un. Difficile de considérer un autre modèle d'affaires.
Absolutely no US teams I agree but the smart money now is an expansion team in Canada. USFL a huge money pit will likely to follow. Bob Whettenal, an American owner, played it smart and even through some difficulties he went to a league that is already established in its current format for 60 years and he is now reaping the benefits. Small stadium at little cost and able to sell High price tickets to a solid 20 plus thousand fans and now a TV deal that will be soething the CFL would never have dreamed would happen as well as corporate sponsorships out the wazoo for the CFL.
There are all kinds of problems with that. Canadian based teams would also be at a disadvantaged with the US teams when free agency would come up as most Americans will choose to play in their own country. Then there is the problem with playing surfaces. Labor laws. The thing is just a logistic nightmare and without a TV contract there isn’t anything in it for the Existing teams but risk.
As i said having a team in the US is out of the question and not even an option for the CFL. There are however two regions that we all know could support a team enough to make a 10 or 11 team league enabling more games and more money
11 ???
Everything gets messed up enough next season with 9.
10, be it Quebec City or the Maritimes, would return sanity to the scheduling and the geographic split.