Why can't us CFL Fans be happy with our league?

CFL Talk
#1

I read a lot of posts on here, many of them about rule changes and expansion and lack of this lack of that. NFL comparisons.

My simple question to all who care to read and reply is:

Why can't we just be happy with what we've got?

I'm one of the biggest, fiercest and most passionate CFL fan out there and I strongly defend this league against people who knock it without any good reasons or explanation!

I don't like seeing so much talk about needing to make these changes and having to add this, take away that! it's truly sad that us as Canadians, who are fans of the CFL can't sit back and just enjoy what we are given!

We don't have the huge TV contract like the NFL does.. our league may not be #1 in the Country as far as popularity amongst it's nation, and unfortunately we have a city who seems to think the CFL isn't good enough because it's not American made! (I'd love to get my hands around the necks on some of those guys in the Media and shake them real good!)

Like what the hell does the CFL have to do in order to stop the people from constantly creating controversy!

First it's Ted Rogers and What's his face from the Blue Jays.. And now Melnyk In Ottawa opens his big fat mouth!

This league is a really amazing league when you truly break it down part by part!

We have great talent! Our players are embraced by the community and are involved within the charities and public groups!

The games rules and style is truly a great sight to be seen everytime you go see a game live!

So why must people have to constantly whine and complain about our great league? SERIOUSLY??

The Rules when you truly think about them are much better than the rules in the NFL. I can easily name at least 10 rules from that NFL league that truly are confusing and very difficult to understand.. You then look at our rules and you can see how much better they are!

Football in Canada will never die.. despite what Eugene Melnyk believes! This league has come a long way from the days of the late 80's when times looked bleak and no one really knew where we'd be in 5 years..

We all just need to sit back, and enjoy what they give us ! love the sport! support it with everything you've got and be thankful for what we have here!

afterall, you could have no choice but to watch a boring NFL game between two lousy teams that have no chance in hell of winning the SuperBowl.

#2

Discussion is good. Modern football was founded through tweaking rules. Nothing wrong with constructive discussion.

99% of the posts here do not knock the league... I feel most want what they feel is integrity in the game. Some find this in tweaks, some in whole-sale changes and some in leaving things as they are.

#3

Could you make it a little briefer??
I am very happy with the CFL. I'm also very happy with where I live. Neither means that there isn't room for improvement. I wouldn't trade the CFL for anything. But its not perfect so why not work together to make a great thing even better?

#4

yeah but where do you draw the line between improving the league and our sport.. and just doing this to be more like the NFL?

the whole remnoving the single point talk is nothing more than these wanna be NFL fans who want the CFL to be more NFL!

it's too hard to explain to the average Joe why the single point is important in our league!

you can make changes, as long as they aren't extreme or just for the sake of change..

sometimes, things are great the way they are!

#5

Do you have proof that the reason changes are being made is to make the CFL more like the NFL? Or is it perhaps that somebody else has a different idea that may in their mind improve the league even if it is done by another league?

Yes, things are great. However blindly saying that the CFL is perfect and there is no room for improvement is foolish. Some changes work, some do not. This is how anything gets improved.
And the average Joe usually doesn’t know the finer points of any sport. Single point, why you throw a certain pitch against a certain player or why some goalies prefer the butterfly style. So don’t try to explain things like that to the average Joe, just let them enjoy the game.

#6

I'm not an NFL fan and never will be, but c'mon. For all the positives of the CFL, there are just as many negatives:

  • Horrible venues (half the CFL stadiums should've been demolished years ago)
  • No video game (arena football, tennis, and roller hockey have video games. The CFL does not)
  • Only 8 teams
  • Terrible officiating
  • etc.

I'm pro-CFL, but it has to do many things before being treated like NHL hockey up here in Canada. If it makes you feel any better, the NHL is criticized a heckuva lot by us Canadians even though it's the #1 league here.

#7

I take offense to be associated with a wannabe NFL fan just because Im not a huge fan of the Rouge, I see the reasons from one side why others like it, and that’s there opinion. Regardless that im not a huge fan of the rule I accept it, and consider myself still im still a huge fan of the game. I dont see the Rouge as the rule that makes the CFL uniquely Canadian since there are many rules that separate from our brothers to the south.

I think its great the CFL is looking over their rules, its not to appease wannabe NFL fans, its constructive ways to keep the game fresh and interesting for years to come. The game of football has evolved, its not like the game today is an original blueprint back in the day when the sport first started. Going into another century the league should always look to being progessive and wanting to make the game a top rate sport. The mentality of this is the game and no effort to visually market, or improve the product was what killed the progress it had in the 70’s and lead to problems that plaque the league into the new century. I don’t expect the rules to be radically changed but talking about it is good, and regardless if the Rouge is scratched or maintained we are all going to cheer on our sport. I love the CFL but that doesn’t mean I have to love the Rouge as well.

All leagues are looking to improve their sport

#8

I don't think its a case of CFL fans not being happy with the league I love the CFL and I always will.How ever there is always room for improvement in any league.Thje CFL has to evolve and make changes if it wants to be around for years to come.The truth is it can not stay a 8 or 9 team league should Ottawa make a sucessfulll return or as has been stated on here before the CFL will always be looked at as a bush league.I say ask yourself this if tweaking the rules here and there and adding a couple teams helps change the perception of the league then isn't it worth while?

#9

Well said :thup:

:cowboy:
#10

Bottom line is the CFL has to expand. CAnada is a different country now then when the CFL formed. There's better football cities outside the CFL then some in the cFL right now. If the CFL wants to grow, it has to expand. To me its just this far from becoming as big as hockey in this country if they could find some way to add two teams in the maritimes, one in Quebec City, one more in Ontario, and one more out west. A truly national CAnadian football league would give the NHL a run for its money.
Anybody against expansion thinking it won't just doesn't get it. If the CFL stays small time, it will always be struggling to pay the bills.

#11

JETS , you want terrible officiating ,ask the Sandiego Chargers in the no fun league about that. The nfl and cfl both have good and bad refs,just like any other sport . Now with video replay,it's not even a issue.

#12

At least the CFL isn't talking contraction like baseball and the NHL is berezin. Times are tough and as Steve Milton's article in the Hamilton paper yesterday mentioned, the CFL is poised better than most leagues out there right now in this recession. Nice to expand if the opportunity is there no question but no need to make a rash decision, it looks pretty good right now, the league that is. It's a norm now for Grey Cups to be sold-out or very close to it for quite a few years now compared with some of the dark days of the 90's.

#13

I agree, but I'd say that now with video replay, it is less of an issue.

#14

making changes that are necessary, like the penalty for punting the ball out of bounds, for example. is a good thing.

expansion has it's good points.

cities like Quebec City, Halifax or Moncton and maybe London are good places to look at. but at this point in time, no other city in this country is a realistic option.

There's not enough support in B.C. for more than 1 team. especially if it steals fans away from the Lions.

sure a place like Kelowna, with 150,000 (I think now?) may some day down the road be possibly suitable. but not at least for 50 more years.

No more teams in Alberta. Saskatoon will NOT get a team anytime soon. the only areas that are financially realistic and make sense is Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

You can't just say "this city and that city and that city etc etc" because they have decent sized population bases. you have to look at many things!

corporate presence is a huge factor. Cities like Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg etc and Toronto Montreal.. Hamilton and so on Otttawa. have the corporate backing.

But where are you going to get that in a place Like Kelowna? Victoria?

Saskatoon is barely 200,000! and they really don't have any huge corporate presence.

You must seriously study the whole aspect before you start suggesting a city.

at most, this country can viably support 10 teams. after that, it begins to interfere with other teams fan base, financial base, their income. just not realistic.

There's nothing wrong with making some changes.

but taking away tradition, is not one of them.

the Rouge is a tradition. you steal that away, you are now turning the CFL towards Americanization.