Not enough room in canada for both leagues

There isnt enough.

If you wear CFL gear this year, you become a target for harassment from NFL fans (luckily for me i can take care of myself but what about kids or older people?)

I have been harassed on several occasions. Especially since the Super Bowl win last year.

To me i know its a bunch of fake people but at the same time there is a real crisis of "go with the flow" mentality.

Sure i can wear a CFL jersey but even the gun metal grey gets harassment. Of course once the nfl fans that bug me realize i will stand there and fight with them they usually piss off. But for most they dont have this option.

The fact remains to most canadians now. If you watch CFL youre considered a loser, geek, nerd. And if you watch NFL cheering for whoever won the super bowl once in the last 20 years you are extremely cool despite being a bandwagon jumper

I'm an oldie, close to 60, so I don't care what anyone thinks. But just tell them, if you like both leagues, that you follow both leagues, your a football fan and like it all, tyke to pro, whatever rules, as long as it's gridiron. If they still have the thinking you're not cool because you follow the CFL, well do you want dumb idiots like that as friends anyways? Now if they are truly bullying you, then that's a different story, and a very sad story really if something like that would happen over a sports league you like. Wow, just wow if that's the case, those people need to get a life. :o But good for you VHB to stand your ground and know who you are and that you can like anything you want and tell people that! :thup: And most of those dumb idiots probably never played tackle football in their life I bet. They'd wimp away if a CFL player came at them and challenged them to some tackling drills, they'd wimp away in their little corner and pee their pants. :wink:

Most Canadians couldn’t care less about what others watch or wear. For years when I lived in Toronto I would wear my Ti-Cats baseball hat in that city to every sporting event under the sun in that city and NEVER did anybody look down on me at all. In fact more than likely I would get a compliment on the logo. The odd time a gentle ribbing from Argos fans seated near me but never - ever any kind of a ‘You’re a CFL loser’ type reaction. NEVER!

Why do I have this nagging suspicion that something else happened first before somebody made a disparaging remark about what you might be wearing?

So true. I am on some NFL boards and the biggest whiners of the leagues are the canadians on those sites. It seems they are so embarrassed to admit watching the CFL to their American board buddies.

I noticed that as well pikk over the years on NFL boards. Huge inferiority complex some Canadians have.

im a server at a jack astors and let me tell you, when i wear my argos gear all i hear about is how far superior everything is in the nfl. im a 26 year old server and all the younger football fans treat me like im some sort of fossilized novelty haha, they love NCAA first, BOOST the nfl, bump CIS if its their alma mater, and on occasion will speak of the CFL if there is something noteworthy. there is a pool bar called JJqs nearby where holy, you cannot be caught dead with CFL gear, you will get a ragging because everyone is already boozed up and man, it is damn annoying, but most of the time you know more about football then them so they end up belittling themselves. they are absorbed in by what to them is the male pageantry, which is actually a major selling point.
Clearly even with this new TV deal, there is still alot of marketing to be desired. There is not enough being done to promote the league, and production isnt as "modernized’ as it could be. Casual fans will watch if there is a good matchup, but they dont get sucked in because there is a bit lacking in terms of aesthetics. its pathetic to listen to someone complain about how Molson stadium is a joke, or how there are Footy lines on the pitch.

the CFL REALLY needs to step up right now, because even though statistically weve seen an increase in tv interest, on the ground every jersey i run into is nfl. its very disheartening, and there is only so much i can do by sticking Argos magnets on any metal surface.

There should be NO inferiority complex. CFL/NFL two different names for two Professional football leagues that play under different field conditions and rules, teams are coached by Professional coaches and games in both leagues are played by Professional football players. It is sad that that not all fans can’t be Professional in their behavior.
Personally, over the past year I have enjoyed talking about the CFL and NFL with my new Canadian friends/fans.

I guess it all depends on where you are. You'd NEVER have that problem in the prairies.

Edit: I'm surprised you come across that in Vancouver... my cousin and his friends are HUGE Lion fans (wear the gear all year ''round) and never hear that kind of crap. Not sure what to tell you...

I've got a REDBLACKS shirt, I think they are the coolest things out there. Black is a great colour and that logo is superb. I wear it down here in Florida and never been harassed by any NFL guys. Just one or two curious people asked me what it is. In fact I wore it to a bar when the NFL playoffs were going on.

Where are you in Florida?

I just say "what do you like better, NFL or NHL (or any other major league). If it's the NFL, they are no. 1 in my books, football fan first and foremost. The CFL is a niche league in a niche league and only discriminating football fans need apply as fans. :wink:

Of course you can always tell them "too bad Toronto (Vancouver etc.) doesn't have an NFL team but little Buffalo does" and wink. :wink:

You know what is absolutely hilarious? My buddy from Maryland loves the CFL, he loves it so much in fact he drove up here 2 years ago for an Argos game. He and his brother flew down for the Grey Cup in 98 and he wants to come up for Grey Cup in 2016.
But here is the kicker; he has more CFL Jerseys, hats and T-shirts more than anyone I know, and he is an American!!
We visit with his wife and him every year down at Ocean City and he wears his CFL caps everyday and/or his T-shirts.
He truly thinks the Canadians who bash the CFL have no idea what they are talking about. Now he is a huge, Huge NFL fan and is a big fan of the Ravens. However, he will never miss a Grey Cup game on TV but he will skip the Superbowl.
Its takes an American, to show Canadians how good our game is.

Most of the Canadians that bash the CFL but love the NFL and NCAA don't know the difference between a football and a hockey puck.

I wear Lions stuff all the time in Toronto and I've been here for a year. Nobody usually says anything because I assume they don't know what it is. I've worn an Argos hat a few times and gotten compliments. I have had zero insults thrown my way (or at least none I remember), which is disappointing since I thought everyone was really anti-CFL here. I was so ready for haters...

Say it and wear the CFL merchandise proud my friends.
I do and have been surprised with how many actually closet fans there are here in the city.
Also, there is nothing better for me to get in a discussion with the kool aid drinking No Funners crowd with their US wannabe mentality to boot.

In my experience visiting Toronto and Ottawa, I have never got any hate or the "Dur, Canadian Football sucks" guys before, during or after the game, save one time in Toronto where I was sitting behind a group of oblivious suits who were more interested at making snide remarks then watching the game.

What I've always gotten, everytime except once, after the game at the bar, there is always one or two arrogant, clearly not a sports fan quasi-preppy douche in a black leather jacket or Leaf jersey wearers who say "Oh, you were at the game? How was it? Well that's good. See I'm not really a CFL fan, I'm more of an NFL fan, so I don't really know much about it. Go watch a game? MMmm...no I don't think so, and mean maybe if the team starts doing well..maybe. I mean, i just don't get why they don't just play NFL rules it would be so much better, (or) I mean, if Toronto had an NFL team, it would be way better."

I have briefly gotten stupid hate from people in Hamilton walking around downtown, giving the "CFL sucks" or "Ti-Cats suck" attitude. It been exceptionally rare. Probably no more then 6 times in my life. To be honest they've only ever come in two types. Either people who I suspect are mentally unstable (ha ha, go on make your jokes about downtown Hamilton) or people decked out in full NFL gear (typically Patriots or Cowboys fans, not once ever from any other kind). That being said, I've gotten plenty of support from Bills, Packers, Bears and Steelers gear wearers.

I have also gotten the stink eye from some of the hipster types in downtown Hamilton as well, which I guess is kinda understandable given the stadium debate left some wounds on that end of things, but never a single word.

A different slant...I wear CFL gear in the U.S. and people ask what teams. I get positive feedback.

I have briefly gotten stupid hate from people in Hamilton walking around downtown, giving the "CFL sucks" or "Ti-Cats suck" attitude. It been exceptionally rare. Probably no more then 6 times in my life. To be honest they've only ever come in two types. Either people who I suspect are mentally unstable (ha ha, go on make your jokes about downtown Hamilton) or people decked out in full NFL gear (typically Patriots or Cowboys fans, not once ever from any other kind). That being said, I've gotten plenty of support from Bills, Packers, Bears and Steelers gear wearers.
Somewhat similar to me Hammer. It's a very peculiar phenomena that I'm sure is quite unique here how a pro sports league that isn't even one of the "majors" as most see it, really gets some people all worked up inside so that it seems to almost bother they psyche if they see a fellow [b]Canadian [/b]wearing [b]Canadian[/b] Football League apparel. Very interesting and I would love to get a psychologist's viewpoint on this because I havent' seen anything like that and what their take on this would be. I wonder if other countries experience this odd psychological phenomena that we see here in this country, as many of us experience, especially I think those of us living here in S Ontario. Very odd. Interesting though at the same time from a psychological perspective.

We have even seen this from big shots with multi millions to their names like Paul Godfrey who I remember watching him once interviewed on TV and you could tell he was getting a bit hot and heavy when asked about the Bills and them moving to Toronto and the possible effect on the Argos and as he was emotional he blurted out “I’m an NFL guy” but with his eyes wide open and head twitching and mouth going on motor mouth speed. He was very uncomfortable or at least looked it. Interesting. And then there was the classic Ted Rogers who while being interviewed got hot and heavy as well asked about the Argos and the Bills in Toronto series and he muttered to the camera something like “those Argo fans should feel lucky, they are getting first crack at tickets for the series, why should they be upset at all about the series…” sort of thing. Again, he looked uncomfortable.

But, as you say, when I’m wearing CFL stuff and I meet a guy in the grocery store with an NFL hat or coat on, sometimes I’ll ask him in the checkout out of curiosity more than anything how he will react “well who do you think will win the SB this year” and we have a very cordial conversation often without ever bringing up the CFL. Again, interesting. Don’t want to bring up the CFL for fear it might disturb him even though I’m wearing a Ticats cap or tshirt. :wink:

We see more Riders gear here than any other team, including Stamps who are only 2 hours away. I've never been hassled by anyone for wearing my Stamps jersey, old as it is - one and two iterations ago; red and white w/silver trim and a Flutie jersey. But there a lot of people who wear NFL gear as well.