Interesting line in this story:
The NFL has approached the CFL (as well as the Arena League) about becoming a partner in player development now that NFL Europa has folded
CFL would struggle with NFL invasion
[url=http://www.msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7552744]www.msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7552744[/url]Good stuff as long as it is good for the CFL in some way and not that our players can just get grabbed mid-season for a game or two and then sent back here. Will be interesting to follow this.
I really hope not. Nothing wrong with the NFL but thats 95 years of history they are gunning after just to make a buck or 2.
In my opinion we are either the CFL or the NFL farm system.
Wow, good article! Glad to see Bobby stand up for the CFL and put these Toronto billionaires in their place. Ackles has considerable respect in the NFL and has spoken to Goodell about the NFL coming to Toronto. The NFL commissioner said at the recent Annual Meetings they dicussed the NFL's impact on the CFL and how they did not want to hurt the CFL in any way. He suggested that they play the Buffalo game in Toronto in December, after the Grey Cup, to minimize it's affect on the CFL season.
The success of the CFL is now a factor in any talks of moving a NFL franchise to Canada, and that liklihood has now dropped from slim to none.
Belly aching about NFL in Toronto is like beating a dead horse. I'm getting a kick out of watching Kenton Keith succeed.
AFC
North - Edmonton
South - Saskatchewan
East - Montreal
West - Calgary
NFC
North - Winnipeg
South - Hamilton
East - Toronto
West - BC
What is this a joke? We have already seen NFL style players make it up in the cfl and they failed. Tell the NFL to take a walk on a short pier. The CFL has lasted 95 years not because of the NFL but the players that were rejected by them. And these players excelled in the Canadian game. They can go ahead put a team in Toronto it will fail. The egos of many fat heads in Toronto want to risk their money so be it.
Good article. Maybe the Government can stop a NFL team from moving to Toronto. Harper would have to have a majority or else the opposition would block any Bill like Marc Lalonde was going to put in place way back when.
I could live with the Bills playing a game in Toronto after the Grey Cup is over. Don’t like the idea of the exibition game while the Argo season is in progress though. It would just give the media another excuse to go all ga ga over the NFL.
Probably the NFL’s idea of a working agreement with the CFL would be for the CFL to expand into places like Portland, Milwaukee, Rochester etc. and Americanize the game more. Meanwhile they move into Toronto.
Hopefully, the Government can put up a road block against the NFL and help the CFL expand into QC, Halifax and Ottawa (again). Under the banner of Canadian unity. But there’s a lot of lefties in Canada who will try and sabotage anything (like they are doing over Lansdown Park now) progressive in this country.
Where do you suppose those lefties live? The fact is with or without Toronto the rest of the nation loves the CFL. No big deal we move a team from Toronto somewhere else. The last time I looked at the map Toronto is only a city of Canada. Americanize the CFL not a chance. The CFL does that and then you will see a 95 year old league fold its tents.
This is a dream scenario for the CFl and they should take the money and the NFL's benevolence and run!
If they can talk the NFL into having the CFL becoming some kind of an official feeder league for the NFL (for a price) and play the Toronto NFL game after Dec. 1st, I think the CFL comes out of this OK.
If they tell the NFL to take a hike, the CFL is doomed.
Yes and the CFl was doomed in the 70's, the 80's, 90's and now! The world is going to end tomorrow. It did not last 95 years for nothing. If you sign anything with the NFL then it is doomed.
I agree Yukoner. This whole situation is very, very sensitive to a lot of people on both sides of the border, not everyone of course, but I think enough biggies to try and get the thing right and peeve off the fewest people possible while still coming off clean for both leagues and both leagues gaining from it. The CFL is basically non-existent to the NFL from a money or market share type of thing, it doesn't really matter. But from an image point of view, if they do anything that causes the CFL to go belly-up, they would be perceived to be the biggest capitalistic monopoly a-hole in the sporting world and this would come out in the papers big time. Sort of like a big 300 lb monster guy beating up on a 125 lb guy that has no defence. The NFL I don't think wants any part of this image, especially in light of the criminal factor now they have with some of their players and especially now with the Vick situation. They don't want this image as a don't care less type of bulldozer.
I can’t see only problems and little benefit to the CFL, if the NFL provided players or payed the salaries of some CFL players they signed.
For one, this would mean an unnecessary inflation of player salaries. Star CFL players would demand similar wages to an NFL developmental player. Then what if the NFLer was a loafer, could he be cut or sat on the bench? Or will the NFL demand he get playing time or the deals off?? Will the NFL be allowed to “callup” players off CFL rosters for an emergency injury replacement?
What are you talking about, and Earl you’re agreein with him??? Man you guys have no idea what you’re talking about.
You think the NFL’s gonna throw a hissyfit cuz their brand of football is something ONLY dum Americans like, and/or dum Canadians that wish they had an NFL team in Canada (which is a minority by far in Canada), and so NFL EUrope fails, because why? Only Americans who like watered down beer and baseball could sit and watch the NFL, which is a rip-off of Canadian Football.
So they want to make a deal with us, if i was the CFL i’d say fuck you guys, we’re not a farm league, besides how can you develop players in a COMPLETELY different league where NFL players come up here all time and FAIL MISERABLY because its DIFFERENT. Don’t be confused by the word “Football” its two entirely different games except in one or two of the most basica positions, QB, K, PK, P. Even then they have to adjust everything.
IF the CFL becomes a farm league to the NFL, i won’t watch football anymore straight up, the CFL has never been a farm league, and even tho people think by comparing salaries that that mean the CFL is no different than Minor leagues is so wrong because its an entirely different game, unlike hockey played on bigger ice surfaces, this is far different, there are way more different rules that affect how well a person does in the position. LIke Gastineau who came up from the NFL and was this star player and he got rocked by Chris Walby, mainly because we line up 1 yard apart in the CFL instead of nose to nose in typical lazy american fashion, i mean you could just sit a big blob of fat at Centre in the NFL, as long as the guy stays standing good luck getting past him, thats sure as hell not skill, not like in the CFL.
The CFL should tell the NFL thanks, but no thanks. If they keep tryin to force it then we’ll tell them to fuck off. The Canadians made a mistake with the CFL by stoppin support for it as much as they did in the mid 90’s there, and it was mainly due to a public lack of education which most people in Canada think that NFL players are better than CFL, and its just simply not the case, this isn’t the AHL, this isn’t the PCL, this is the CFL which predates the NFL, Ricky Williams can’t be as good as he was and he’s one of their best, time and time again this has been proven but people are still fooled by the dollar figure of the contracts. But people don’t realize that if we didn’t stop supporting these teams like we have since the early 70’s and this NFL talk the CFL would be TEN TIMES STRONGER than it is RIGHT NOW. It still wouldn’t make NFL money but thats cuz the NFL got rich owners pouring their money in from all over the United States which is 10 times bigger than Canada, their TV contracts can make their teams money even if nobody is inside the stadium. Still doesn’t make their players the best Canadian Footballers around. And people really need to stop referring to Canadian Football as Americanized Football like Europeans like to call all forms of “American Football” that needs to change because the NFL game should be called Canadian all these years not the CFL being called American by the casual unknowin fan, like if you go on NExopia you can only choose Football(American) as a sport you like to watch, never FOotball(Canadian). Why? Canadian football predates american football by 7 years, the CFL predates the NFL by 30-40 years, and same with the Grey Cup. But cuz these 32 rich billionaires of the states got all this money it makes it very hard to keep the original alive.
But if the NFL’s gonna have this attitude like “develop our players or we’ll crush teh CFL” all i can say is bring it on, all i can say is they’ll never forget my name when its all said and done and the NFL is forced back out of Canada by me.
I will not support a CFL that is a farm league or injury replacement league for the NFL in any way, shape, or form. I’d rather have the BC Lions die then be disgraced in such a way.
My thoughts exactly.
If we can survive the Pezzims, F-Troop, Loonie Glieberman, well we can survive any thing.
Sporty we have seen this crap every decade. Yet there are those that go around in their underware with the sign the world is going to end tomorrow. But in this case the CFL is going to end tomorrow. NFL has its own problems to decide I am sure Toronto is not a high priority with LA having no football there. Before NFL Europe the NFL was doing fine. They tested the market in Europe and guess what it failed badly. I also think it was created to stop any other football league to start up in the usa. Make sure all the players coming out of college are active and then there is less talent for a league to start up. As far as TO that is a joke. Even if the twits that are trying to get this done suceed it will not be to long after they start losing money and will move the team back somewhere in the states.
Dare to Dream!
Personally, I’d rather the BC Lions don’t die and if I have to eat a little humble pie’ as a fan, so be it.
I think Earl said it best, the NFL doesn’t care 2 figs about the CFL but it doesn’t need the PR headache either. And in the CFL the NFL has a respected league with a storied football history as a partner ( a dream situation and much better than what they faced in Europe). Further the CFL hasn’t pi**ed off the NFL too much by agreeing to allow players in their option years to go to the NFL without penalty.
I think a deal could be structured well enough that the CFL can come out on top, and be stronger for the experience. I mean, for all the players the CFL has sent to the NFL over the years, they haven’t received a cent. The NHL pays every team that sends a player up from the minors. This could be a real benefit to the CFL in terms of hard cash.
Also, we may have access to a higher calibre player in their developmental years who then goes on to star in the NFL, which only helps them in on-field talent and providing a player with an established profile in Canada for Canadians to follow in the NFL. And the CFL should get ‘paid’ for that too. Right now we get s**t.
Bottom line is, you can’t stop a runaway train by standing in front of it. They’re going to steam roll you every time.
But I agree with you VanHalendirband...I won't be happy if the CFL is portrayed/becomes a farm league in any deal with the NFL. The CFL should be an equal partner in anything that it negotiates with the NFL or the NFL can screw-off.
Equal partner like that will happen. You are a dreamer.
What is going on here?
We have our league. They have theirs.
Why should we become a feeder league for them?
Like, its the French Soccer league a feeder league for the English league?
What gets me is people who agree with this BS.
The CFL is bigger then the NFL in Canada.
Why should the CFL beg the NFl to save it, when it won't be a threat?
The way some people up here worship these American sports makes me laugh.
I mean look at what a joke baseball is?
And basketball is nothing up here.
Why would the NFL be any more popular then these other two sports?
Enough of Chicken Little. If the CFL becomes nothing more then a minor league for the NFL, then the CFL will not survive.
I know for sure I will quit watching.
And to Vanhalen.
Didn't read your whole post because it was so long, but I think we're both in agreement here.
Why the hell should the CFL surrender to the NFL when not even a shot has been fired?
The NFL is big in the USA. But we ain't the USA. Why nobody up here understands this premise is beyond me.
And like Vanhalen says. If the CFL bends over and becomes the NFL's bum boy, not only is the CFL dead in Candaa, but football is dead in CAnada.