TSN Treats CFL Shabbily

For a league that brings it big ratings, the CFL sure takes a back seat on their Sportcentre show.

Tonight for example the NFL got the main coverage. With Chris Shultz doing something called Risky Business. Where he breaks down the upcoming games and their importance. It was all serious coverage.

Then they mention the Friday Argos game. And what is the story? Not the fact the ARgos can clinch first with a win. Or how the Roughriders will play. Or about various player injuries.

No, the main story is about the guy kicking at half time for the million bucks. The game doesn't seem important. Its all about the halftime event. In fact I wonder why TSN just doesn't show the half time?

IT seems TSN just can't accept the popularity of the CFL. They're stuck in that old routine of giving the baseball, basketball and NFL priority.

While the NFL gets the indepth serious coverage, the CFL except for game days gets next to nothing. TSN for some reason doesn't think its important.

In fact if you check the ticker at the bottom of the screen, baseball, basketball, the NFL and NHL are grouped together. The CFL is listed after the bloody PGa! Far from the supposed "big four". That right there shows where TSN is coming from. But why, I don't know?

Okay take it easy. I am not an apoligist for TheTorontoSportsNetwork but they saved the CFL's Butt only a few short years ago. Friday Night Football has set the standard for CBC and possibly other in the future. I love the CFL but there is alot of stuff out there cover.

Thursday is traditional NFL preview day. Its ok...really? It is how it is the rest of the time that matters to me.

KEITH PELLEY is now running the ARGOS and 30% TSN is now owned by ESPN.

The Sports Center that you see in Canada is almost the same as you see on ESPN , except ESPN has different commentaters and doesn't have CFL news. That is the only difference besides TSN showing more hockey than ESPN.

That is also why they push the NFL so much because of contracts with ESPN/NFL and so they want to boost NFL ratings in Canada.

HOWEVER , TSN clearly has more CFL coverage than any other station. :thup:

I too hate how TSN can spend the time to preview the upcoming NFL week, but not the upcoming CFL week. And how they can put recent NFL news on their ticker, but not CFL news. "so-and-so is injured and will not play in their next game". "so-and-so may play Sunday". I'm SURE that there are a few CFL players who could have the same things said about them. And even if ESPN owns 30% of TSN, who owns the remaining 70%? Some American company? I do live in Canada, don't I?

  1. I believe ESPN owns 20% and Bell/Globemedia owns the other 80%.

  2. I've seen CFL news on the ticker when there is some to report, but face it, there's 4 times as many NFL teams, so there's going to be more of that type of news from the NFL. Plus the NFL teams are mandated to make their injury reports more specific and readily available.

Part of this might also be that TSN knows it's going to get the Canadian viewers for CFL games, especially from the cities/areas of the teams playing. What they don't know is how many fans might watch a Houston/Arizona game for example. So they have to really push the NFL and keep it in people's minds so they watch. And to be honest, that is exactly me. I watch just about every CFL game there is, and go to all TiCat games, coverage in the media or not. But NFL, someone has to really make me think a Houston/Arizona game is important to watch since I really don't care about it since I don't gamble nor am involved in an NFL pool, although I used to be.

The NFL needs the media boost much more than the CFL I think to sum up. Also, though, as mentioned, TSN should have a show like CFL Snap on The Score. That being said, as again mentioned, TSN does an excellent job covering the games and providing excellent analysis with the Randorf crew, just a great job IMHO and puts more air time into the CFL than any other network.

That's a good point Earl..... seeing as it's their job, so to speak, to get people to watch what they're showing, otherwise advertisers get upset, if I understand how that works......

hellothere is right, TSN does have more CFL coverage than pretty much anyone else. Maybe occasionally a local station will have a bit more percentage-wise in their sportscast, but those are short portions of the news anyways.

People talk more NFL than CFL will ever get in Toronto.

I like it, much better than starting off a telecast with Milt Stegal lmao.

TSN gives pretty good coverage as Hello there, and Football you bet point out. I'm not going to get too bent out of shape on their "Thursday Night Preview".

Whats so funny about that? Milt Stegal is one of the greatest CFL receivers of all time.

Thats just the problem. As popular as CFL telecasts have become & as much as Canadians prefer the CFL game to the NFL as is evident in TV ratings, the CFL & CFLPA haven’t invested enough in getting their players exposure in the mainstream of Canadiana. Any given person might love their CFL team yet still not know more than a handful of players names. Kids are also willing to dish out $100s for a Vick, Alexander or Spikes sweater to wear in public yet there’s a stigma of cheepness associated with wearing a CFL garb.

The league really has to adress this issue. And when it comes to marketing, the league has to start becomming a leader instead of catching up with other leagues marketing ploys. The league wide apparel deal with Reebok, instant replay, the first down line & appointment television are all things that the CFL has had to catch up with other leagues on to up its own appeal. The complete availability of broadband telecasts is a great start. However, more of these initiatives have to get going to get this league and its players the spotlight, without the need for diehard CFL fans to defend it.

Argos_Bills wrote:

People talk more NFL than CFL will ever get in Toronto.
But then, those of us who don't live in Toronto don't really care what people in Toronto talk about to be quite honest.

I would like to see TSN improve its TV production including more cameras. Getting back to the game late after commercials and sideline interviews while the play is on happens way too often. I would like to see improved production standards written in to the next contract. I think this is as important as extra dollars from the networks.

Argos Bill:
It ain’t “people” who talk more NFL. Its the bloody media that talks about the NFL.
And how do you more people wouldn’t want to hear about Milt Stegal over some guy from the Tenessee Titans?

And no-one here cares what argos bils likes either

I would say that out of the three sports networks I get (TSN, sportsnet and the score), the Score is definitely the one that glorifies the NFL the most. They are IN LOVE with the NFL ... they put a fair bit more emphasis on NFL stuff than CFL.

For a (small) example, they run the schedule of the upcoming NFL games, with little notes beside each game (injuries, that sort of thing). The CFL schedule gets none of that - just a quick rundown of the upcoming games.

You must like being a pseudo-wannabe. You want to be this and want to be that, yet you stay on a CFL forum to say the NFL is better. Take your drivel to the NFL forums, even there they might consider you some junior geek who wants “to be like Mike”.