Should the CFL try American Expansion again?

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
#1

I know that a lot of people do not want to see the CFL expand to the US again but I think that they should. The CFL is doing well right now so we're not in desperate need to accept any random bid for a team just to get some expansion money.

I think that with the right owner and a decent TV deal we could do well in the US. If marketed right the CFL can survive. There are enough football junkies in the US to support a team. Heck... if Arena Football can survive... the CFL can.

I think we'd do better than say... the USFL, XFL or World League of American Football because we're not trying to start a new league. We have an established league with a good history.

Baltimore did great with the CFL... there's no reason a few other cities can't as well.

What are your thoughts?

#2

I hear there's a team in Lithuania the Cats would have a chance of beating. I'd expand to Lithuania first.

An Argo-Cat fan

#3

Nah.... the game is ours. Cross-border brings up import issues, currency issues, and various legal considerations.

Look what happened to the NHL. It shuns Canada now. In the long run only bad things can happen to the game if it goes to the U.S. If unsuccessful it's a financial and image drain. If successful then it gets bought out by big money and we lose control.

#4

NO ,NEVER AGAIN!

#5

NO!

#6

Sorry Rusty, but I just cannot resist

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#7

Exactly!
Success for the CFL in the US would be a a tragedy for the CFL

#8

and what happens if one by one, each present team get bought by those south of the border???

#9

Bad idea. Didn't work before and who needs it. Halifax should be the next expansion.

#10

I lived it once. I'm not willing to go back there. I'd rather go 0-18 for 10 straight years

#11

come on are you a memphis showboats fan or a sacremento goal miners fan?
be honest.
ready debate...

#12

It would work if done properly. The last time it was tried they really weren't organised.

The U.S. cable provider for the CFL says that there are more people watching the CFL in the states than in Canada.

However, I think the league schedule would have to be changed so that the Grey Cup is played before the start of the NFL season.

They had good ticket sales in many U.S. CFL cities, but once the NFL started, or in the case of the Birmingham Barracudas when college ball started, attendance dropped.

That being said, do you want the CFL to go stateside again?

It would probably be the end of the import rule, which btw cannot be enforced in the U.S.

I would prefer that the league get a team in Ottawa first, and then maybe a tenth team somewhere.

If there are huge numbers of people in the U.S. watching the CFL, then the league needs to focus on capitalising on that market WITHOUT starting franchises south of the border.

#13

I am still getting over the loss of my beloved Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks of the WLAF.

To this day they still bring a tear to my eye ...

  • paul
#14

i miss the hamilton skyhawks

#15

Who was that US team in Orlando, I forget which league, had Kerwin Bell at QB and hideous fluourescent green uniforms?

#16

was that part of the world league ?is that the same as the one that just folded? i think orlando thunder.
kerwin bell, joe montford's favorite qb haha

#17

It might be a good idea, there are cities in the US that are more deserving than Canadian cities. Expansion to just a few cities would be good, there are cities in the US which are a lot closer to Ontario than Halifax.
Halifax doesn't have a stadium, the population, ownership groups or fans. Why do we keep pushing this Halifax thing.
There are cities in the US that have great stadiums, great fans and ownership possibilities.

Yes let's go for it but limit it to a few places. A 12 team league with 4 US cities would be fine.

#18
http://www.oursportscentral.com/cflinamerica/

Here is a site that has a good history of what happened last time.

#19

American expansion made the CFL look like a joke. Case in point.. LV Posse. In 94 when the Peg played in LV around mid-season the attendance was around 2700 people. This proves that the owner and league went into LV blindly without doing local surveys etc. to see how well the CFL would be received.

#20

There is a big enough market in Canada to support another 3 or 4 teams over time. As long as the CFL continues its climb, in due time this could easily be a 12 team league.

Besides, one of the biggest problems the CFL has in the States is the field size. The field is 30 yards longer than an NFL field and 15 yards wider. Most football stadiums can’t fit a full size CFL field

However, if we kept the import ratio and the US teams didn’t and the Canadian teams win; that would mean our Canadian talent is as good as the US.

But that being said it’s a really bad idea to even think of expanding to the US

It’s the Canadian Football League, keep it Canadian