With the demise of the Arena League and NFL Europe the CFL’s value is as high as its ever been. I hope Commsioner Cohon takes advantage of the league’s position and really markets the league not only in Canada, but in the States too. The CFL US TV deal was atrocious last year, let’s hope that firms up for 2009. Maybe a time to talk to the NFL too about joint marketing and player sharing agreements, etc. w/o compromising the intergrity of the CFL.
Agreed. I’d like to see player sharing so long as CFL players can not be used during the balance of the CFL season.
For instance, after the conclusion of the CFL season, and NFL team could sign a CFL player on loan for the remainder of the NFL season and playoffs before returning to the CFL club the next season.
Unfortunately only a handful of young, CFL players stick on NFL rosters every year so I don’t know if the NFL would be willing to buy into this.
I don't think the CFL needs to go the farm team route now seeing most teams aren't losing money anymore. Don't think it would benefit the NFL teams very much either as only one NFL player per team would result in 4 players on each CFL team. Hardly worth the effort for the NFL as they have their 8 man practice squad plus other players sitting by the phone waiting for a call if needed.
One agreement I wouldn't mind seeing though is for the NFL to allow the young Canadian players that they have signed each year to come back and play in the CFL instead of wasting away on a practice squad. Of course they would have to be paid at least NFL practice team type money. Young players need to play if even just on special teams. Samuel Giguere, Corey Mace and Clifton Dawson would be three examples who would better off playing in the CFL for a year for the pro experience IMO.
The NFL would have to have an agreement amongst themselves that those players would still be the property of the original NFL team for the next year. They couldn't trust each other otherwise.
I thought we already had a player sharing and more deal with the NF?L already? Although in terms of marketing I certainly haven't seen anything in the CFL that rivals anything the NFL does and I thought they were going to help us with that. 'Beware of Greeks bearing gifts'
Screw the NFL!
Exactly , screw the NFL....
The NFL's not DEPRESSION proof, will be interesting too see how many NFL teams are around in a couple of years....
The deal between the CFL & NFL expires this month and Cohon didn't like the terms of the new offer from the NFL and told them to bugger off. Good for him, I think he realizes he is the one holding all the cards, the NFL needs the CFL more than the CFL needs the NFL now that they have lost both their feeder leagues.
The feeder league to the nfl is the ncaa…the arena league or nfl europe were not good feeder leagues
I like the fact the deal between the CFL and the NFL is done and the commish telling them to take a walk.The NFL is out to help the NFL and destory every other league out there.See the USFL and WALF as examples.When the USFL started having problems they turned to the NFL in hopes of brockering a deal that would be great for both but the NFL waited so long that when they where no postion to do anythng but expect the NFLs counter offer witch heavily favored the NFL.A few months later no more USFL.The WLAF turned to the NFL and they ended up taking it over and all the north american teams where foled and it becaome NFL Europe witch as we know became a huge flop.As for the Arena league I was never a fan of it.How could any one be a fan of a league where a team could be down 70 plus points at half time and still come back and win the game.If there ios a new deal to dbe made the CFL is in the perfect spot and need to use there leverage to get a deal that helps the CFL more then the NFL.
I don’t disagree that the NFL is only in it for the NFL but in the name of capitalism there is nothing wrong with crushing the opposition, especially if they have contacted you to broker a deal after their own efforts to challenge you have failed. The NFL is not a charity why would they care about a rival league?
However I see the CFL as being in a different boat than a rival league in the same country. I think there could probably be some sort of deal worked out that would work to the benefit of the CFL but I don’t feel like thinking that hard right now. 8)